I read a blog this morning that stirred up some past emotion and or experience for me. I feel it is a story worth sharing, as it is something that I'm sure many teenage girls are dealing with.
When I was in high school, I typically hung out with the "cool crowd" I attended a failry small school of about 500 students.
Looking back I now know that it was jealousy fueling the issues, but at the time I really thought it WAS ALL ABOUT ME. I truly believed that there was SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME.
The group of girls which I was so-called friends with, turned on me, overnight.
I felt as if I came to school one day and suddenly had 8 or 9 absolute worst enemies. They spread like wild fire, telling everyone in the school how awful and how terrible of a person I was. Creating and fabricating story after story about me.
These hateful, awful words grew into actions. They began to harass me, they began to vandalize my car, they egged my car numerous times, they even went so far as to attempt to "ruin" a going away party I hosted at my home for someone else by filling super soakers with bleach water.
I did everything possible to do damage control, but it did no good. By this point there were so many of them telling the story no one dared believe me.
At this point I actually moved out of my home, away from my family and transferred schools, to a new high school about 20 miles away. Not even this stopped them. One winter morning I walked out to my car to go to school, as I sat down inside the car I realized that my entire car windshield had been bashed in with a hammer.
The police finally agreed to get involved at this point, but we still had no evidence that proved it to be any one of these girls.
No resolution ever came, but after they were one by one pulled out of class to speak to the police they finally stopped.
So....... now fast forward 10+ years later........ I sign up for the social networking sites........ haven't seen or talked to any of these people in the past 10 yrs. And suddenly I begin to receive messages from a few of the girls.
Let me tell you, by this point I have grown enough as a person that I fully and completely accept every single challenge, and appreciate the lessons I learned. I have forgiven these people for the things they did, and I also fully appreciate that I am a much stronger, more confident woman because of these challenges.
But as these girls find me, I start receiving appologies.......... TEN YEARS LATER!!! They felt the need to apologize, now that was excellent to hear that they had carried this, for a lack of better words, "regret or shame" and they actually had grown enough themselves to apologize.
This was a defining moment for me! I knew that I had let it go long before, and I also learned that letting it go makes so much space in your life for things that fulfill you, and things that make you a better person! But most importantly, I truly learned from this experience, that we must evaluate the challenges we face....... We must really analzye these situations and look to find the lesson to be learned!
I learned courage, I learned perserverance, I learned forgiveness, I learned trust in myself, and I learned strength to be ME!
If you know of any teenage girl who is struggling with a similar situation please take it seriously. The police wouldn't help, the parents of all of these girls looked the other way, and I felt had no other option but to move out of my family's home and change school districts from the one which I had attended K through 10th grade to get away. Take action now!!!
Once upon a time, about 6 ½ years ago I followed my intuition and really had no idea that that was what I was doing! Or really what intuition was!
It was Christmas Eve, and I had my wisdom teeth removed. (not the best day to do that!!) Well I was back at my Mom’s house, lying on the couch, drugged on pain killers watching tv.
*A little side note….. I had graduated college with my bachelors, took my first job in my area of study and did not like it…. So I had moved back in with my parents and was working odd jobs to just get by….
Not only was I bored, I was feeling uneasy with the fact that I had graduated college and had no idea where I was going or what I was doing!
So as I flipped the channels I turned to the Hawaii Bowl Football game…. I thought…. Hmmmm HONOLULU……
Well long story short, I did just a small amount of research, packed two suitcases, and got on an airplane on Jan 3!!!!!! Just 10 days later!!!!! Talk about a light load, and a lofty dream!!
I landed in Honolulu; my bags didn’t make it….. Talk about a strange feeling. No one waiting for me, in fact I did not know even one person on the island! I had reserved a hotel room for 5 nights, so that was where I was headed.
Now the first couple days, I had TONS of tremendous emotion. Not only had I just up and moved to an island…. Where I did not know one person, I did not have a job, and I did not have a place to live. As I made my way through that first 48 hours, I learned more about myself, grew as a person, and stretched myself further than I would have ever thought possible.
Within 10 days of being there, I had found an apartment to share, I found a job, bought a car, but most of all…… I found an inner strength in myself, that I never knew existed.
I ended up living there for almost 4 years!!! And what an incredible experience it was! I got married there, and had 2 amazing little girls, both born in Honolulu. Looking back, I now know it was indeed my intuition telling me to go. It was exactly what I required in my life at that time. A big change of scenery, and a new found ME!!!
I just got pre-approved for a home loan this week and have begun looking at homes. As a single mom, I'm on a budget, and obviously in the market for a turn-key, move in ready home!!! So I highly doubt I will be looking at any fixer uppers!!
Do you have any words of wisdom, suggestions, or advice for me???
As I sat at home with 2 sick babies today, I took phone calls, made calls, and finalized a few of the logistics for tomorrow............
WHEN I BECOME A FIRST TIME HOMEOWNER!!!!
What a process it has been! I have learned so much, starting with the fact I found a For Sale By Owner, and between myself and them, we have done it all ourselves.
Right down to learning some the realities of being a homeowner... such as, "Oh we haven't had the sprinkler lines blown out yet, or turned off the outside water!"
I'll post some pictures soon!!!
Thanks for your support along this journey!! It has been fun, not to mention educational!!
As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.
However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around..'
His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.'
His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.'
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.'
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.' After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.
By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teacher's pets..'
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.' Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, 'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.'
(For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's life today. Tomorrow. Just 'do it'.
Random acts of kindness, I think they call it! Believe in Angels, then return the favor.
Last week I took a few items to the dry cleaners. Received my claim ticket, and was told they would be ready for pickup on Monday.
For some reason, I was very careful to keep my claim ticket, (which I don't normally do) and when I returned on Monday to pick up my items, I was told they didn't know where they went.
They didn't know if my items had been lost... handed out to the wrong person... or mis-tagged.
So they asked me to return at the end of the week.
And today being Friday, I went back. I was told that they really didn't know what happened. My 3 items were nowhere to be found. This entire time I have been dealing with the owner, but today her husband came out and began to ask me questions.
He asked me to describe the sweater that I dropped off. As I began to describe it you could tell he was getting riled up too. And he began describing my sweater, better than I had. After a lengthy discussion in another language with his wife, she buried her head in her hands and he began telling me that the new girl that they had just fired yesterday was wearing that sweater at work just a couple days ago. He said he remembered it because it was unique, and she hadn't ever dressed like that before.
So as the discussion grew, they told me that the former employee had stolen my dirty dry cleaning!!!
I was frustrated.... but as I thought about it... I realized that in some strange way this could be perceived as a compliment. I must have good taste in order for her to steal 3 pieces of my dirty clothing!!!!
So I still don't have any resolution... or clothes back.... but they said they are working on it, and they do have insurance for this type of thing!
But I figured it was a good enough lesson in grounding myself.... and truly searching for the good in every situation!
This past weekend I had the great pleasure of going to visit my friends in the town I moved from in June.
I must say as I was leaving on Sunday morning it was a bitter sweet feeling for a moment or two. I had thoughts running through my head. My ego was going crazy!!!
As I was driving down the highway, the thoughts began.... I shouldn't have moved... why didn't I realize how good it was.... AND THEN SUDDENLY I THOUGHT TO MYSELF HOW RIDICULOUS THIS WAS!!!
I so to say, snapped out of it. I took myself to a place of gratitude.... I allowed myself to remember that everything happens exactly as it is supposed too! That this is yet another lesson, to appreciate, to find the good in every situation in my life. And to TRUST the process!
I know that I was supposed to move when I did, and with that I also have increased my appreciation. I like to call my transition periods 'growth spurts' This is not the first time I have moved and uprooted and essentially started over in a new community. Yes times can be tough in the beginning, yet it pays off ten fold every time. I personally grow so much in the first few months. I take leaps and bounds that I never would have imagined myself doing.
This time is no different!! I am on the right journey... and it's perfect just the way it is!
As I sit at home this Christmas Eve, I just tucked my babies into their beds. They are so eager for Santa to visit tonight.
But tonight is different for me. . .
My girls have been with their Dad for the past week. This is the longest that I have ever been away from them. And throughout the past week, I realized just how incredible my life is.
I sat and wondered what I really did with my time, prior to having these two angels in my life. I realized that at the end of the day, trying as they may be, I truly have so so much to be grateful for! There are times as a single mom, that I pray for just 10 silent minutes to myself..... or the ability to go grocery shopping alone..... or just a Mommy time out! And after a week without my babies, I will most definitely take the trials and triumphs of my life.... for being Kaylee and Kelcee's mom is more rewarding then anything else I have ever done to this point!
I realized that the "Mommy, I sure do love you" or the "Mommy, you're the best Mommy in all the land" comments are so precious and I must cherish each and every single one of them. I realized that lately I have been sooooo soooo busy with work, with life, with buying a house, moving, changing jobs, and all of the other stresses in life that I have taken some of these occurences for granted.
But after a week of silence, 2 clean little girls rooms, and only 2 loads of laundry..... life would be quite boring without my princesses!!!
Wishing each and every one of you amazing BraveHeart Women a Very Merry Christmas!!!
Share the JOY.... CHERISH the MOMENT..... LOVE like there is no tomorrow.... And DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING!!!!!!
I received this note this morning from the Universe!! I found it soooo incredible that I had to share!
Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu, Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu, Happy Birrrrthday Dear Crystal, Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu!
A few years back, not so long ago, heaven and earth erupted into a major celebration with the news of your impending adventure into this very time and space. You see, someone like Crystal Jones doesn't come along all that often. In fact, there's never been a single one like you, nor is there ever ANY possibility that another will come again. You're an Angel among us. Someone, whose eyes see what no others will EVER see, whose ears hear what no others will EVER hear, and whose perspective and feelings will NEVER, ever be duplicated. Without YOU, the Universe, and ALL THAT IS, would be sadly less than it is.
Quite simply:
You're the kind of person, Crystal, Who's hard to forget, A one-in-a-million To the people you've met. Your friends are as varied As the places you go, And they all want to tell you In case you don't know: That you make a big difference In the lives that you touch, By taking so little And giving so much!
Crystal, you are so AWESOME! For your birthday, friends and angels from every corner of the Universe, including buddies you didn't know you had, will be with you to wish you the HAPPIEST of days and an exciting new year in time and space. You won't be alone!
Crystal
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I landed in Honolulu; my bags didn’t make it….. 
Talk about a strange feeling. No one waiting for me, in fact I did not know even one person on the island! I had reserved a hotel room for 5 nights, so that was where I was headed. 
And what an incredible experience it was! I got married there, and had 2 amazing little girls, both born in Honolulu. Looking back, I now know it was indeed my intuition telling me to go. It was exactly what I required in my life at that time. A big change of scenery, and a new found ME!!! 
