Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Shout out to Miss Sarie

Prepare yourself because this blog is going to be served with a whole lot o cheese!

Sarie Fischer Norval. Wife to Mike. Mother to Graham and Scarlett. Daughter of Diane. Friend to Many. Inspiration to ME!  If you know her, you love her. If you don't, you wish you did. She is the kind of friend that everyone wants.  Open, honest, REAL!  Sarie's blog mommy used to be so pretty is raw, insightful, appealing to all kinds of women and so well written, you want more the minute you finish. Yes, I am biased, but not mistaken.

I was reading Sarie's "What's wrong with YOU?" post and felt it warranted more than a comment. I mean we're talking about one of my closest friends, someone I would stop time to have coffee and visit with for an hour. There is a certain comfort in knowing that other women experience the same day to day trials, but also that they react to life in the same way.


Dreams. When we are really young our mind knows no limit, we can be literally anything. For instance, my always keeps me on my toes Chloe wants to be a Musketeer. Yes, as in the 3 Musketeers, well Barbie and the Three Musketeers to be exact. Here is a sample conversation with Chloe about her dreams:

C: Can I go to Paris when I am 16?
M: Yeah, I think that would be fun if we all went to Paris.
C: NO! When you become a Musketeer you have to leave your family behind.
M: Well nowadays you don't leave your family behind until your 18.
Brandon to Chloe: Maybe you could study abroad.
M to B: (scowling face)
M: We can all go together for your 16th birthday and then you can go by yourself later.
C: Okay, then I can become a Musketeer.

I realize that her dream of becoming a Musketeer is based on a Barbie movie where they sing and dance and wear pretty clothes. However I cannot ignore that my baby girl has no walls built around her possibilities. She wants to go out into the world, headstrong and full bore into whatever is waiting for her. I love that, I want to nurture that fire, I want to keep society's idea of 'reality' at a distance because who are THEY to say what we can accomplish with our lives, especially if we are living it without boundaries.

Sarie's honest commentary on life left me thinking about dreams. For two full weeks I have been thinking about my dreams. If we choose to let go of particular dreams, does this mean we have given up on a part of ourselves or has our focus simply changed?

The older I get, the less self absorbed I consider myself to be. I had big dreams when I was young; become a flight attendant so I could travel all the time and see a variety of wonderful places. Now, I cannot imagine seeing those places alone, I want to experience new and exciting things with those most important in my life.

Honestly the thoughts that surfaced the most in the past two weeks are a combination of Motherhood and Dreams.

All my dreams lie within one little girl. I dream of her talents. I dream of her lessons learned. I dream of a scar-free life. I dream of her realizing true love and sacrifice. I dream of her being a mother. I dream for her in detail, in the abstract, out of fear, but I dream nonetheless. For she just may be my biggest contribution to this world.

So then, it would be safe to say that I am one of my mother's dreams. When I think that MY life is part of another person's dream, I feel a sense of responsibility to strive forward. I don't feel obligated to pin down anything specific because I know that what my mother dreams for me is a full and happy life. She dreams more for me than I could ever hope for myself.

I have decided that while the future looms and the unknown abounds I will continue to live my dreams while striving to attain all my Mother dreamed for me.

Thank you Sarie for pushing me to think beyond what I consider within my day-to-day routine. I hope you follow your dreams, I hope they unfold before your eyes and most of all I hope you are surprised by life's twists and turns.

Love.

1 comment:

  1. Holy cow.

    I haven't been on in awhile, and just stumbled upon this by accident.

    I have tears on my cheeks. I just am so thankful for you, so inspired by your commitment and achievement as a mom, and so grateful for you.

    When things are really hard, I try to thank God for something. Every time, your friendship pops into my mind. It truly is one of the best things about my life.

    I love you, (soon-to-be) Pettigrews. ;)

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