Inspiration from a Blackbird

Sometimes we fly high on the wings like eagles and sometimes we're that bird struggling against the wind. But we don't give up and we don't look for a place to perch. We keep struggling, knowing whole-heartedly that the right air current is there. We just have to find it. And when, (because it is always 'when' and never 'if') -when we do, we are lifted up, up to the place where we can soar once more.





Taken at sunset in Inverness, Scotland.September 2010

Ta-Daaa! A lesson on encouragement.

Last week I had the wonderful pleasure of spending time with my niece on a trip to Alabama to visit my Aunt and Grandma. It was her first plane ride and, while we were there, her first snow; sharing those moments with her are memories I'll treasure forever. I'll try to post more about our actual trip later, but I wanted to take a minute to share a lesson we can all learn from my sassy, vibrant, beautiful niece.

 

She likes the phrase, "Ta-Daa!" It's something, I think, we all used to say. A phrase we used to incorporate daily. In the before time, as my husband likes to say. When we were younger. Or that we may still say to those who are younger. But when's the last time you used that phrase for yourself? My niece said "Ta-Daa!" when she showed me the flower "pebble" that she threaded with a blade of grass, creating a beautiful decoration for "the birds to see in their tree." She said it when she finished coloring the frog red and blue in her coloring book. She said it when she colored a section of the lion or put the finishing touches on a Lego cake. She said it when she successfully navigated the obstacle course at the playground and when we posed for a picture in front of the "Welcome to Florida" sign on our drive back home.

She would say it, almost to herself, at the end of a task. Regardless of the size or importance of that task, she took pride in her accomplishment. It strikes me that we could all use a little self-encouragement from time to time. So, while we're teaching our kids to follow through and take pride in their work, remember that it's not just for the kids. Let's bring back "Ta-Daa!" shall we?