Less than 24 hours ago, we were staring at blue skies and snow capped mountains. We were en route home for a dance competition. People may think we are crazy to leave a family ski trip early for a pint sized dance event. The short answer is, yes- we are! But it’s part of being on a team- you show up. You make a commitment and do your best to keep your word. The biggest hurdle wasn't the early departure, it was the location of today’s competition, and it has weighed heavy on me, as a mom. Probably PTSD. Last year, leaving the same theater, we had to carry Alessandra out. She could not walk by the end of the day. She was so sick, so swollen and yet to start her latest treatment. But she was desperate to be there for her team. We were in a holding pattern with insurance, would they approve her infusion therapy? When would it push through? When could we start the next step? And how in world did it get this bad?!!
I remember thinking “Ok, Alessandra 3 minutes. That’s all you have to do.“ And she did, and at the end, we were there to pick up the pieces, carrying her out. She cried because her ankles hurt, her body hurt and she fell asleep on the way home. By mid week she had brain fog, was increasingly disoriented, and would crawl around our home. It was heart breaking to watch, but we knew it would all be ok. Today was that day, a victory dance, if you will. Today was marked for Redemption, she would add a new chapter. Toes pointed, mega watt smile, and energy that she worked for- that she earned through fighting. She would walk in and out of that same theater, with her head held high. That's the scenario that played in my mind.
But it didn’t quite happen that way. At least not today. Today was different. Toes were pointed and that sweet smile was on, but last minute changes threw the whole team for a loop. It wasn’t their normal performance, their normal energy. And that is life. THINGS happen. Change happens. BUT... there was drama, and hurt feelings and blame. It was bizarre and unecessary. It clouded over the hopeful victory dance.(How, silly was I to make a plan- I mean, it was my own plan, my internal vision board to get me through this little walk down memory lane.) Then, in one of the photos I saw it: redemption. Redemption in the form of love and kindness. Alessandra was hugging a teammate who was upset, with a distraught little heart, holding back tears. There, in that single frame, was her redemption from an awful illness. She was standing tall with her little arm around her teammate. She was love, and in that moment SHE was the pillar. Alessandra was the one holding her friends up, just as Lou and I did for her a year ago. And while it equally broke and warmed my heart, that my friends, is what it is all about. Modeling love and living with gratitude, because one day when you aren’t looking your child will make your heart beat in a way that you can’t fully express. Looking at the picture, I knew this darling little girl of ours would be alright in this tough world. She will cry. Her heart will break. She will fail. She may have doubts BUT.... She will succeed. She will stand tall and prevail. Most of all, she will not step on someone else for success. She will guide and love. And that is the best type of redemption from any darkness. ❤️ xx MLT
“And in all the stories my daughter shall hear, it will not be princes that slay the dragons, but little girls that believe in magic with big, brave hearts and even bigger dreams. She will learn to rely on her own sword in every battle, in every struggle, in every war. Because she will learn how to devour every single monster from their very core.”-Nikita Gill
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