Improvements

I won $300 dollars in a contest in December and knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I signed Lydia and Miles up for 3 months of gymnastics classes. I hope that with the side babysitting jobs I've picked up I will be able to continue their classes for as long as I can. They both really love it! They've gone for about 3 weeks now. I want this to be something fun for Lydia, but at the same time I also want her to take it somewhat seriously. The past few times, I've dropped her off and when I came back to pick her up, I was dissappointed to see that she was being the child in the class who, after the class, the teacher says to himself, "Why???" She was all over the place! I spoke with her about what I expected of her while she was in gymnastics and that if she could not do that then she would not be able to participate any more.

Tonight proved to be a very Proud Parent moment! Something I said stuck!! She was absolutely focused tonight. Her performance was awesome! She was doing everything so strongly and confidently. She was listening to the coaches and she was genuinely trying to improve, and she DID! I was so so very proud to watch her out there tonight and I just wanted to shout to the whole gym that she was mine. She could tell a difference also. She left the gym with me tonight in a completely different spirit. It was one of humility, confidence, faith, and kindness. She was said hi to an older woman she had never seen before, just to be nice. She was so proud of herself when we got in the car. I hadn't even said anything to her quite yet, and she said, "I feel good that I did that tonight." I asked her what she was referring to (thinking maybe it was saying hi to the woman...), she said, "I tried really hard and I wasn't silly and I didn't goof off. And I did really good on my things! It made you happy and my coaches too, and I just feel happy!"

HALLELUJAH! I don't get these moments with her very often, when I feel like I have actually done something right. I wanted to write this down, not only so that I would remember, but so that Lydia might remember too, how she felt when she exerted herself fully in something that she really wanted, and that it was still FUN to listen and follow directions. I want her to remember how it feels when we improve on something and how much focus and hard work it usually takes to improve. It doesn't just come, we have to earn it. And the reward isn't usually tangible. The reward is how we feel about ourselves and that burning desire inside to share it with others and to do MORE of it.

I love you little Munch. I am so very proud of you.