Sunday, June 8, 2008

OH, The Places You'll Go!

This is my second born angel.  One of my two middle children.  She entered the world full of spirit and enthusiasm.  She was like a squiggly little puppy who always wanted to be down on the ground, leading the action.  By four months old, she was up on her hands and knees trying to crawl.  Waiting was not something that she enjoyed doing.  She has lived by the motto, "Ask forgiveness, not permission.", which has definitely added a few grey hairs to her father's and my heads!  

But she is lovely.  She is caring and compassionate, and although she is our wild-child in so many ways, she has a great love of home and family.
In less than two weeks, AD2 will be graduating from high school.  For some children, school comes naturally and with ease.  Not AD2.  She has always been the type of child who needed to be doing something.  Being fed information was not her learning style and so, she struggled at times.  She had to work harder because the basic concept of school as, sit in your seat and listen, seemed to go against her very nature.  But she did it!  And not only that, she got accepted to more than one college, one of which she will be attending in the fall.  

Last night was her Senior Prom.  She looked like a princess.  Going to a store and buying a prom dress off of the rack was not original enough for her, so she went up to Los Angeles, chose a beautiful fabric, designed the dress and then found a tailor who could make the dress that she wanted.  Amazingly enough, the cost of her prom dress ended up being less than a ready-made one would have been.  When AD2 wants something done, she finds a way.  One of the many benefits of having a spirit which knows no boundaries.  She knows that she can do anything that she puts her mind to, and she encourages others to do the same.

You should have seen how proud AD2 was when she found out that she had been voted, "Most Diseased With Senioritis" by her graduating class.  We all laughed and laughed about it because we understand that not everyone is cut from the same mold.  AD2 stayed true to her own spirit while doing what she needed to do to keep within the boundaries of what was acceptable.  She did it, but she did it her own way.  She honored what was unique and original about herself.  Maybe we should take a moment to recognize the wild-child who lives within our own spirits and do something to honor our own unique abilities.

May you find a way, this week, to say, "To heck with what anyone else thinks of me.  What do I think of myself?", and then do something to celebrate!

10 comments:

kim-d said...

"Ask forgiveness, not permission"--I LOVE that! More beauty as its best with AD2, I think--and what a spirit. I loved the second picture where she is reaching for the sky. Leave it to your wild child to not only reach for the sky but to grab it, too. I love the story of her Prom dress; I would just love to see it! Please, please Deb, post a pic. And if AD2 gets mad, tell her kim-d in MN asks forgiveness--HAHA! I'll bet she would laugh...

Irene Latham said...

There is something about the wild spirited ones that inspires me... how lucky she is to have a mom who celebrates this aspect of her personality while still keeping her grounded. You've done a fabulous job, my friend! And she is gorgeous, as all your daughters are. Big congrats to her for getting that diploma! xxoo

Laura ~Peach~ said...

yes I am with Kim please show us her dress! I plead forgiveness :D
Martha is much like yours AD2... only thing is Martha tends to be on the self destructive side right now...
Congratulations on graduation!
Hugs laura

Ness said...

How I loved the Dr. Seuss book, "Oh The Places You'll Go". I have it in my bookcase. My Kiereney is the epitome of your AD 2. School was not her thing but she excelled in Drama and was in every play the high school did. After taking Junior English twice and not getting through the research paper(aarrgghh) I pulled her out of school(I had her principal, counselor and teachers on speed dial)when it became evident that she would not graduate and wanted her put in the GED program. Her counselor said she didn't need the program because she knew it, she just needed to take the tests. She sailed through her GED with high scores and had her GED before her fellow seniors even graduated. She has always been a free spirit and this uptight, straight laced, gray haired(I give credit to Kiereney for every gray hair)mother has learned a lot from her and is still learning. And I love your quote of "Ask forgiveness, not permission." I will have to share that with Kiereney after she gets done with her Dr. apt. today. Please give your AD2 a hug for me and congratulate her. May she soar with the eagles and define her life. I could learn a lot of lessons from AD2 as well and would love to hear more stories about her growing up.

Bogart said...

Very cool...and the dress thing rocks.

Wyanne Thompson said...

I was the same kind of girl in high school. She's lovely and you're a great Mom!

Love,
Wyanne

Anonymous said...

oh, your daughters! They are just gorgeous, amazing women. You have to be so proud.

Have a wonderful week!

Anonymous said...

oh, and i love that last line!! love it love it!! i gotta steal that one. because truly, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of us. it only matters how we view ourselves.

loved this post so much. thanks for those words.

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

Another great post, another gorgeous daughter! So much fun to have more than one to experience all the personalities, don't you think? Of course, you have a couple more than one!!! Each one is so special and unique! I just love reading about your girls and your motherly love for them.

Good for her on having her dress made, that is like my dear daughter #1 who is having her wedding dress made! It was less expensive and will fit her like a glove!

xoxo

Cheryl Finley said...

Oh Debie, I just love her! Yes..a free spirit indeed, and so good she knows that now and that she embraces and celebrates it like she does...it's a celebration of her! I wasn't even consciously aware of the idea of celebrating my uniqueness until my 40s, up until then in the background of my mind I thought there was somethng wrong w/me...or I was trying to please others. It's so wonderful she knows who she is! My one and only daughter, now age 25 is the same way...always has been; knows who she is and rooted in being tru to that even when she's discovering more.

Re: school..what a relief for me (as an adult) when I not only learned that I was a visual learner ("so you mean there's nothing wrong w/me after all?")...but realized there are oodles of other learning styles of people of all ages that aren't in the mainstream. Unfortunately the school systems only seem to teach one way..and don't think about adjusting to the way people take in and process information. I recently learned about a learning style called "abstract random"...that's me 1000% (I hardly ever read in sequence because I learn by being drawn to what interests me. Anyway, your AD2 (and all your ADs) bring a smile to my heart. Thank you for sharing your angels, and you and your-best friend-hubby with us!

A few months ago I did a quick post about my daughter, and I'd like you to meet her to:
http://artineveryday.blogspot.com/2007/12/meet-kamaria.html

Also, let me know if you want more info on the different learning styles, just e-mail me :)

hugs to you and your angels,
Cheryl

Related Posts with Thumbnails