“Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth”

I became a big sister.  Eleven months, numerous meetings, an exhaustive three hr. long personal history screening interview, two training seminars and it finally happened.  It had always been on my 101 list, had been on my life list even before that.  As a person who so wholeheartedly believes in karma I always knew I’d never done as much as I could to put my best out into the world.  I felt like I’d been in that weird medium of becoming a grown up long enough to finally start putting action to all of my grand dreams.

So one muggy June afternoon last year I signed my name and started the process with BBBS.  June 9^th 2010 it became official, C and I met, hit it off and have been baking, walking, talking and scrapbooking our way to getting to know one another.  It’s been, in a word, enlightening.  A word I feel that usually brings up cheesy romantic notions or even religious connotations at times, but for me is the only word I have to grasp at how these past couple weeks have felt. 

I often forget that there’s always something new to learn about yourself, and that in seeing C, where she is, the life she’s lead so far, the life she’s yet to lead, there is so much more out there.  I know the downfall I had at thirteen was that I could never escape the tragedy of my own circumstances.  I was too clouded with hurt and anger and sadness to see the possibility of what could be.  That one day I would be okay, one day I would be better than okay.  One day I would be happy. 

I hope if I give anything to her, it’s the brilliant hope of a happier tomorrow, one where anything you work hard enough for can be accomplished and anything that makes you happy can be a reality.  From pink kitchen walls to dodgeball playoffs to standing in a new ocean.  It’s all possible.

ps. forgive me for the similar shoes. i figured i needed more arsenal than normal for a day of calaway park. that arsenal came int he form of my nikes.