With Astonishing Poise

The waiting is almost over.

For months we've sat with our hands clenched in our laps, holding our collective breath.  Way back in May, this day seemed ages away...and that was a good thing.  The challenges seemed overwhelming and the barriers unsurmountable.  There were hot, stinging tears and not a few moments of desperation.  (For both Norah and me.)

The desire and dedication were clearly present, but there is no way to simply determine your way through to conquering a new skill, especially that pesky kip.  Fighting gravity and your physical limits is a nefarious combination that can threaten to bring you to your knees, waving a white flag.

"I can't do it."  Resignation threatens with a groan.  "I quit."

But she hasn't quit.  Day after day, she stares at that chalk-covered bar and faces her foe.  Up on the bleachers I sit, helplessly willing her with every ounce of my own body to get it this time.  Sometimes she is still left dangling under the bar, pointed toes brushing the mat.  But more and more often, she finds herself up and over the bar, an infectious smile on her face and a growing confidence.  (I confess to having uncharacteristically whooped a few times, much to her embarrassment and delight.)

This weekend she has her first meet and the anticipation hangs heavy in our house, a painful mixture of hope and release.  She will still be my favorite gymnast whether she makes it through her routine or not,  but my stomach knots with anxiety, preparing myself for a potentially disappointed little girl who misses her own mark.

Knowing my Norah, she will walk out to the bars on Sunday, back straight and head held high with confidence.  She will salute the judges and leap from the springboard to the bar and defy her doubts, maybe making it through the flips and maybe not.  Regardless of the outcome, I am excited to see my girl finish just as she typically does, with astonishing poise.

And I'll learn a life lesson from one of my kids.  Again.

That's my girl on the middle beam, arms spread wide.

____________________

Inspired by the words "anticipation" and "leap".  And the sweet girl in the picture above.

Cartwheeling for Jesus

Today is my biggish, little girl's eighth birthday.

There are a number of distinctive qualities about Norah that make her who she is.  She is a forever student ~ the world, literally, is her classroom.  Sometimes it wears me out, all her inquisitiveness and curiosity!  She is an incredible helper ~ if I need something done, I go to Norah.  She has even gotten her dishwasher duty down to a science.  She is a funny girl ~ whether it's her quick wit or her funny faces and voices.  She also has a delightful giggle for when she cracks herself up!  She has a soft and tender heart ~ her tears come readily and quickly ... prompted by real life or events scripted out in books and on the screen.  Sorry, Honey, you get that from your Mom!

She is a gymnast ~ a cartwheeling, back hip-circling, coupé-ing, vaulting gymnast.  I am dizzy with the things she can make her body do!  I love it!

We are anticipating a bit of a change in Norah's gymnastics.  For a year we have known that she would most likely move up to the competitive level.  They invited her last year and we wrestled with the idea for a few weeks.  How would it work?  Adding a night of practice, adding additional (actual) meets, adding to the commitment, adding to the skills she has mastered, adding to the busy-ness of our family, adding to the demands on her little life?  In the end, we opted to keep her back ... twelve months to give us some time to prepare, to wrap our heads around potentially living at the gym, to "just keep having fun".

Norah in her sweet and not-seven-year-old maturity accepted our decision, but she has been biding her time until January.  Her passion has not wavered.  Her focus has not faltered.  Her excitement about gymnastics has not lessened.  Her technique has not grown sloppy.  She loves it!

Over the course of the summer, I continued to wrestle a bit with the amount of time, energy and money that we were intending to put into Norah's gymnastics.  At least, that is, until God shared a little bit of His heart.

He has gifted Norah in a lot of ways.  She is a student who will be discovering on a daily basis the wonders of the world ... and the Creator who set it in motion.  She is a servant to her family and her classroom and her teammates ... Jesus has put His servant's heart in her heart.  She is a goofball because a lot of life is funny ... and when life isn't funny, her joy isn't squelched because her heart is in the right place.  She is a softy, just like Jesus wants her ... hard hearts don't experience the intimacy with God like a child-like heart does.

And she is a gymnast because God made her that way ... and it brings Him joy to see her cartwheeling, back hip-circling, coupé-ing and vaulting!  He loves it!

There is a line from "Chariots of Fire" in which the runner, Eric Liddell describes his own passion in this way: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." That gives me goosebumps every time!  Feeling God's pleasure because he was doing what God designed him to do.  To run!  And in Norah's case ... to cartwheel, back hip-circle, coupé and vault!


When God laid this on my heart, my entire perspective changed!  I would never want to come between the gifts that Norah has and God's purposes ... and His delight.  In a curious way, when Norah sets her heart on tumbling or bars or the balance beam, she is worshipping God - because when she uses her gifts, it makes God's heart happy.


I don't know what else God has in store for my girl, but in the meantime she'll be practicing her back hand spring ... and making God smile.


Happy birthday, Nuna-girl!

¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides. If anyone is gifted with crazy flexibility, super pointy toes and springy feet, they should use those gifts, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11, with a little liberty from me)

Day 1:  Mom in the Midst

Day 2:  My Button is Lame

Day 3:  Splendidly Lavish

Day 4:  Keeping My Head Above Water

Day 5:  Time-Warp Wednesday ~ Little Me

Day 6:  Me, Myself & I

Day 7:  Food For Though ~ Bacon

Day 8:  The Aches and Pains of Service

Day 9:  I Heart You

Day 10:  Who is Me? {part 1}

Day 11:  Who is Me? {part 2}

Day 12:  Who is Me?  {part 3}

Day 13:  Handmade with Care

Day 14:  Food For Thought ~ Carmel & Apples

Day 15:  A Bunch of Rocks

Day 16:  Not Recycled ... Redeemed

Day 17:  What Do You Do?

Day 18:  Washed on the Delicate Cycle

Day 19:  Know Thy Limits

Day 20:  One Snapshot ~ Many Stories

Day 21:  Food For Thought ~ Malt-O-Meal

Day 22:  Cartwheeling for Jesus

A Family of Rockstars!

Norah has a rockstar Daddy.  We already knew that, but then recently he did something even more amazing.  It wasn't that he bought plane tickets for us to travel back to Denver.  It wasn't that he willingly pays for her to cartwheel, arabesque and practice back walk-overs at Kidzplex.  It wasn't that he happily forks out the cash for her buy a new sparkly leotard every season.

No.  He's amazing because he was willing to drive cross-country with his other three kids in a van for two and half days so that she could compete at the State Meet and I could cheer her on.

Do you see where Norah gets her Rockstar-ness?

Thank you, Daddy, for supporting our little girl ... and letting me be along for the ride!

Here is a little snapshot into Norah's first meet at the state-level.  That little rockstar rocked the gym!



I don't know that there is anything more amazing than watching your little person walk out onto the gym floor and with fantastic confidence take on the challenges before her.  I know that she is only 7 years old, but that day, she had poise and self-confidence that even me with my 30ish years have trouble mustering up.

I'm proud of you, Nuna ... and I hope and pray that you will always be able to face life with that same level of tenacity and faith.

It's Just What We Do Around Here

In our house, there is a constant buzz of gymnasticking.  Yes, it's a noun.  You can also use it as an adverb.  For example, "Norah cartwheeled to the bathroom and gymnastickly retrieved a kleenex."  I have also been known to use it as an adjective, like when I say, "Can we keep our gymnasticky tricks out of the kitchen while I'm cooking.  Thank you."

I have yet to use it as an exclamation, but I don't doubt that, "Great Gymnastics!  You have to stop somersaulting in your bed," could just roll off my tongue.

In light of this condition, I thought I would share with you our girls most recent gymnastic endeavors.  Ashley and Norah have participated in several meets this Spring.  It has been fun to see all their hard work showcased ... and it's been a shot in Mommy's arm, too.  All those hours of practice and driving to and fro are so very worth it!

Here is a SmileBox of Ashley's two fun meets.  It's obvious that she is having a good time!  I love how pointed she makes her toes ... she's at least 2 inches longer!


This next video is from Norah's home meet this past weekend.  We missed seeing it because we were on the Eastern Slope, but, thanks to our wonderful family, we have this to show!  Thanks for being there and cheering on our girl!

Yeah .... I'm a just a little proud of my girls! :)

And if you are not family and you actually watched those videos ... you need another hobby! :)  Thanks for pausing a bit and listening to me ooze about how amazed I am by them!!