My Mama Bear came out in full force at the beginning of November after a business client (whom I won't name) decided to breach our contract and put our lives in a complete uproar. The impact this had on my family for our trip to FL, the Christmas holiday and our personal life in general, put me in full fight mode. I'm proud to say that I successfully wrapped up my case in Small Claims Court last week and while that did bring some satisfaction, more importantly it gave me another opportunity to show my children how important it is to stand up for what you believe. I took a chance by filing in court knowing it might not end up in my favor, but my family always comes first and as I tell my children...you never know unless you try!
I will share that I found myself in a deep depression the last couple of months because of the "inconveniences" that my family was dealt. But in light of beginning a New Year, I want to share the amazing joys that we experienced through that journey as well.
Florida Vacation, Thanksgiving & Miss American Coed Nationals:
A dream my daughter had for nearly 5 years came true mid-July when she won the title of Miss Heartland Jr Teen and with that, the opportunity to compete for the Miss American Jr Teen title in Orlando during Thanksgiving week. As a family, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to provide the kids with a full Orlando vacation as part of the trip. We were tremendously blessed in our fundraising and sponsorship efforts with only a few expenses left to cover going into November. And then life threw us a curve ball and we had no idea how we were going to make it happen. Through some creativity on my end and the blessings of angel after angel who stepped up to offer their help and support, we pulled it off! Was it everything we had envisioned? Not entirely. Was it still fabulous and something we'll remember fondly forever? You bet! Those angels who stepped forward to help in our time of need, you helped us give our children memories to last a lifetime and we will be eternally grateful. A week of relaxation in the sunshine, family time laughing and bonding, watching our daughter shine throughout her week of competition, spending quality time (and Thanksgiving) with loved ones who journeyed from near and far to join us...it was truly a dream come true.
Christmas:
All good things must come to an end and so it was with our vacation. Reality hit hard when we left the 70 degree temps and arrived home to sub zero weather and all of the financial stress that comes with the holidays when you have unexpectedly lost a large portion of your income. We had already agreed that Christmas would be a much smaller affair this year because of the trip. No problem. I will take memories and experiences over physical gifts anytime. But having someone else's actions dictate that we now didn't even have the ability to provide a small Christmas was almost more than I could handle. And yet again, those angels started appearing and blessing us left and right. Not only did we enjoy a nice holiday, but our children were shown the importance and value in helping others. As my 11 year old son reflected on his small selection of gifts Christmas morning, he shared that next year he wants to have a smaller Christmas again and use our money to provide pillows, blankets and donuts to those who are homeless on the streets. Thank you again life experience for taking Mama Bear's disappointment and anger towards others and using it to enforce the true meaning of Christmas to our family.
New Year's:
And here we are entering 2014. I have new goals that include improving our financial stability (by being more selective in the clients I choose to work with), continuing to embrace experiences over physical possessions, launching new programs with a far-reaching affect for many and learning to simply live in the moment. Often we get too wrapped up in the what if's, why's and when's of the world to enjoy the right now's. The right now's are what matter because today's right now is tomorrow's memory. Do you want to remember stress, depression and anxiety or would you rather remember joy, love and laughs? I know what I choose.
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