Finding ME

"A good cheerleader is not measured by the height of her jumps
but by the span of her spirit."
Author Unknown


I got an email this afternoon. The kind that have several short inspirational stories. I don't know if any of them are true or where they came from, only that they've undoubtedly been around the world a few kazillion times. One of the stories made me laugh. Another brought tears to my eyes even though I've read it before. The following made me say, "awwwww!"


"Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.
On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me.....'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'"

I no longer need to wonder why God put me on this earth! I've been chosen to clap and cheer!

I love cheering people on.
I love clapping!
I love jumping up and down and high-fiving and saying, "good job".
I love to see other people succeed.

My (ex)in-laws used to tell the story of Mamaw wetting her pants because she'd get so excited watching her son run around the far end of the track and head for home. I'm that kind of a cheerleader!

Oh, and do I need to mention that tears stream down my face, too?

Take tonight for instance. Father/Brother Georges came by after church. That's not so unusual. He nonchalantly hugged us all (I love the way he kisses my father and says, "Luther, I love you) then blurted out the news that the thing we've all been waiting for for 14 months - his immigration papers - have finally been approved.

Woohoo! This is a really big deal. It means he can stay in this country. It means he can leave to visit his sick mother in Italy and get back into this country. And it means he can start talking seriously about finally marrying his Canadian fiance. The piece of the puzzle that is still missing is the one marked J-O-B. But now that he's got his visa, I can concentrate my prayers on his finding gainful employment.

Talk about cheering and clapping. All of us whooped it up. Even Dad. It was great fun.

Over the years I've struggled with the question of "who am I?" I think everybody does. Maybe now that I'm in my middle years the answer is becoming clear.

Mother, daughter, lover, sister, nanny, friend, caregiver, writer, quilter, dreamer, cheerleader. All the parts are coming together and I'm liking it.

Hey, Merry ME - you rock!

Comments

Sorrow said…
Whoo_hooo!
Go Merry! Yeah !!!!
YIPPPY! YOUR SO WONDERFUL!
WHOOT WHOOT!
~CLAPPING~
~CHEERING~
SHOUTING OUT
DANCING IN THE STREET!!!
YEAH!
May 27, 2009 at 11:45 PM
terri st. cloud said…
i'm usually a pretty rowdy, loud cheerleader myself....
tho today, after reading this, i felt a real quiet come over me....
and a smile that filled my face.
if i were with you right now, i think i'd just smile at you, with some tears in my eyes and hug you.
wordless.
for me, wordless is a rarity.
but this just seems so darn big.
too big for my words....
way to go...
May 28, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Every Little Bit Helps

Image
UPDATE:  I'll be picking a winner on Thanksgiving Day. So make a donation and leave your name in the comment section below.  ME UPDATE:  I see a tiny problem but it should be easy to fix. Commenting anonymously doesn't get your name in the drawing. And there's no way to tell Anonymous A from Anonymous B. Are you different or the same? I need to be able to get back in touch with you somehow. We can exchange email addy's later. But please at least leave your name. If you still comment as Anonymous, just say your name in the comment.  You can use first name and last initial. Or last name alone. Or an Alias. Just so I can get your name in the hat. And really, thank you. Thank you again and again. Merry ME _____ I always breathe a sigh of relief when a storm veers away from Jacksonville.  At the same time it's hard not to feel guilty that it went somewhere else.  I was in no way prepared for Hurricane Sandy. Like a lot of others, I felt like the meteorologist
Read more

An Easter Miracle

Image
How is it that after someone you love dies, time moves on even when it feel like its standing still? Philosophers, poets and writers have tried to answer that question since time began. I don't have the answer. I just know that, by what I can only imagine is the Grace of God, it does. When you heart is broken into something resembling a 1000 piece jig saw puzzle and there are no directions on how to put it together, somehow it mends. When some else dies and it cracks again, God stitches the old wound and the new wound together into a patchwork of healed scars. Fifteen years ago, when I watched my mother draw a breath then counted the seconds before she took another but none came, I sat by her bed and tried to imagine being a motherless child. Then I did what any kid would do, ran down the long hospital corridor sounding the alarm. "My mother isn't breathing." "My mother isn't breathing."  Want to see doctors, nurses, CNAs, and cleaning ladies tur
Read more

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY BLOG PARTY

Image
In honor of women everywhere ... Welcome to the International Women's Day Blog Party (Turn up the sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuB3_HLcFfk ) International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. To this end, this party is a way to honor those special ladies who have inspired us and made us better than we ever thought we could be. It is with gratitude and pride I welcome you to my blog. I'm anxious to hear your stories and celebrate your choices. All you have to do is go down to the bottom of this post and click on the comment section. That will take you to another page where you can write your tribute in the space provided. You can use your Google/Blogger user name or remain anonymous. There is nothing to join. If you choose to post anonymously please leave your name in the comment section so we'll all know who you are. When you're through hit publish and voila your lady is o
Read more