except it wasn't.
at some point towards the very end of august i opened my email inbox to discover a message from a friend telling me about a bethany hamilton event that i should check out. just so happens that said event would be held in p-town a mere 1.5 miles from the buser casa. what? for reals? shut the front door? we don't have waves here! why would THE bethany hamilton be here? and for what?
instead of trying to obtain the answers to all of THOSE questions, i went to the website and got some incredibly vague information about the event. as it turned out, BH was coming to p-town for a fundraiser event. tickets were reasonable but the description of the event was confusing. i didn't really know what i was going to be attending. i had a lingering question mark concerning the content of the event. it was a bit of a conundrum. i made a choice. buy tickets. attend. the rest will unfold after that.
this goes against my grain. i like to know what in the dickens i am buying before i click "purchase". in this instance, i had the gut reaction that it didn't really matter. e's birthday was just around the bend. e loves BH. anything that included her would suffice.
after a quick game of "rock-paper-scissors" with the hubs to call dibs on who would take e, (with me coming out on the winning end), i purchased two tickets for e and i to meet BH once again.
and on e's ninth birthday, we shared the news with her.
she was rather stoked at the news that she would, once again, be meeting bethany hamilton.
i need to pause for a moment and interject a few things. first- i have never really been super celebrity crazed. in fact, i could sort of care less about a celeb. people are people, in my opinion. you- me- a celeb- what's the diff? not much.
but when my e became obsessed with BH- and the way that my e became obsessed with BH- well... my celeb perspective shifted.
i mean... i have my opinion. but she gets to have hers. and hers could include the likes of katy perry, or miley cyrus, or... any other name that i could insert here. and any of those names (while possibly good peeps), DO NOT compare to BETHANY HAMILTON! the name might out fame BH... but the character of the person behind the name could never... NEVER... measure up.
and so i have chosen to embrace (whole heartedly) my girls love for bethany.
and how could you not love her? i found this on ebay (it's a wall decal) and sort of developed my own obsession. i mean... really? what's not to love!?!
moving on.
today was the BIG day. e came home from school, did some homework, changed into her W.W.B.H.D (what would bethany hamilton do) sweatshirt and we headed out the door to super franks.
upon arrival, we were given an auction paddle (apparently this WAS a fundraiser) and some tokens for games. e and i ventured off into a game room and played a little skee ball...
ate some pizza. chatted. paused for a selfie...
posed by the super cool surfboard...
and then joined the very excited crowd of kiddos on the floor...
and then the head of the sponsoring organization (teen esteem) came out for some introductions and a welcome message.
he had me at hello.
the dude (and the organization that i knew nothing about) were both amazing. he showed the kids three cups... a red solo cup, a typical coffee mug, and a tea cup...
and then he went on to share the message of this...
some of us go through life and we feel disposable like the red solo cup. some of us go through life and we feel replaceable like the typical coffee mug. but in reality, we are all like the fine china tea cup. each and every one of us is invaluable.
priceless.
worth more than we know.
irreplaceable.
and my e got to hear those words. i wish i could climb inside her head. i wish i could climb inside her heart. oh to know how those sounds within her!
an overwhelming rush came over me as i heard the first act of the night! if every girl could hear this truth- well... i don't even know what the outcome would be! i can pretty much guess that it would change lives. and if every girl BELIEVED this truth... i can't even imagine!
but my e was blessed (because julianna capata sent me a random note telling me about this random event) with these truths presented to her!
("what a mighty God we serve" was the anthem that rattled through my head all night!... in case those lyrics addicts were wondering. giggle.)
and then they auctioned off a bunch of stuff and people poured out their pockets for this new-to-me but VERY rad organization that empowers teenagers with messages of truth and worth right in the middle of those years where you don't have a clue but think you know it all...
and then...
BH was on the stage. in the flesh. ever so real. ever so kind. ever so calm and approachable...
and she shared HER truth. she talked about God's purpose in our lives and shark attacks and pursuing our passions , and trials, and obstacles, and overcoming.
(and my heart poured out the anthem of mandisa- overcomer for the rest of the night. i can't help it.)
and goose bumps traveled up my arms and i silently shouted up a prayer of thanks.
and the BEST part was still yet to come. after bethany gave her speech, she answered a few questions from audience members.
each and every question brought bethany right back to sharing her love of a God who, she believes, let this happen to her to expand her boundaries and broaden her reach.
one girl asked her, "bethany, you are our hero. we are all here because we love you. who is YOUR hero?"
bethany didn't skip a beat. in her cool shaka way, she replied, "my parents and God."
she went on to explain how those two things combined to make the perfect role model and hero that a girl could wish for.
and tears stung my eyes.
you see, i realized in that moment that i wasn't sitting there criss-cross-applesauce on the floor of super franks on a random wednesday night just for e.
God brought me there for me, too.
if i am totally honest, this momma has a long way to go on the road of "hero" or "role model" for my girls.
this moment was a very good heart check for ME. what do i need to do for e? what improvements need to be made for MY girls to see God and good and truth and beauty and hope and optimism and purpose in the way that bethany did.
i have a long road in front of me. and thankfully, e's only 9.
but i am ever so thankful and filled with joy at the reminder that MY purpose is really about THEM. and their purpose is really about HIM.
what a mighty God we serve! and thank God, He designed ME to be an overcomer.
tonight was epic. i will remember it for years to come. and i am so thankful for the opportunity to sit beside my girl and learn about life together.
stay tuned. while i thought this thread was over, i can now say with certainty, it isn't.
the fat lady has yet to sing.
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