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Two cards sit in front of you. One is face down and the other, as you can clearly see, is an Ace of Spades. What will that unknown card be? Will it be the one you need? Is lucky Blackjack in your future? Or…will it be something else? And will you then make a string of bad calls which will end up in the one thing none of us want…a Bust?
Before you pick up that card and look, I am going to tell you a story…
Last week’s blog was all about an incredible young man who taught us to “Keep On, Keeping On!” As I wrapped up my interview with this young man, his mom decided to share one more story with me. As she spoke these next words, I looked over and saw tears streaming down his face. It was a story about his twin sister and what she too had to overcome in her life.
Here is what their mom so bravely shared with me that day…
Her daughter was in 3rd grade, and as she was getting ready for bed one night, she did something that she rarely does. She started crying and seemed very upset. When her mom questioned her as to what was wrong, she simply stated that she could not tell her. And no matter how much her mom pushed, she was still as tight-lipped as can be. Not knowing exactly what to do next, her mother found the school counselor the next morning and asked her to speak to her sweet daughter that day to see if she could help.
When this precious 3rd grader got home from school, and with the help of the counselor, she was ready to share. She looked right at her mom and spoke some very profound and insightful words for such a young child. She simply said this, “I don’t feel like I can tell you when I have problems because you need to focus on my brother. He needs you more, so I know I shouldn’t tell you.”
It was in this moment, and for as long as this young woman remembers, that she knew she would live a life differently from most. She has amazing parents who are loving and kind. And her mom encouraged her regularly, from that point on, to share anything with her whenever she wanted to. That she will always be there for her no matter what! But the reality is this, her twin brother had an illness and a disability and because of that, her parent’s energy needed to be focused more on him. And as much as they all tried to do it differently, to give this little girl the time and attention she needed, it just wasn’t in the cards for any of them. Life just wasn’t going to allow it.
Now imagine being in this little girl’s shoes. Imagine knowing that she will have to take a back seat in life because that is what is best for her family. How would you react? Would you become rebellious? Would you cause trouble just for some attention? Would you so desperately choose to make some bad decisions just so that you could finally be noticed?
And with this string of choices, will it ultimately cause the one thing none of us want of our life…to Bust?
As adults, think about the last time something didn’t go your way. How did you handle it? Did you get angry? Did you lash out at those in your life? Did you continue to argue and get upset as often as you possibly could? Did you become so infuriated that you stopped talking to some of those important loved ones in your life?
Let me tell you what this little girl did as she grew into a young woman. Let me explain how she choseto handle the situation she was dealt….
She first chose smart behaviors! She could have chosen to be a rebellious child and teenager, but instead she accepted her parents need to spend extra time with her brother. And she chose to behave as best as she could to make it easier on them. To be a good daughter, so they had the energy to be good care takers for their child that needed it the most.
She made good choices! Being inspired by the amazing help her brother received through his physical therapist, she chose to work hard and received a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She knew she could make a difference in this world and help others that were just like her brother. So, she started this career and she absolutely loves it! It’s her passion, because of her brother, that drives her every single day to be the best she can be for her patients.
And lastly, she picked positivity! Throughout her whole life, she saw how easily people would step away and then stare at her brother because of his disability. So she chose early on to never judge someone by what she sees on the outside. She knows that each person’s value comes from their “core”. It comes from what’s inside. And that is what matters the most. It’s the reason why she loves her brother so much, and it’s the reason why one of her very best friends is also disabled and in a wheelchair. It doesn’t matter! What matters to her lies deep within a person, and that is what she chooses to always see.
So, let me ask again: When life didn’t go your way, what did you do? Were you brave enough to make the same choices that she did?
Two cards sat in front of this little girl a long time ago. One of them face down and the other clearly an Ace of Spades. As she grew into a young woman, she had to make many decisions that would define exactly how this hand would play out. These decisions could have easily led to a life of negativity, bad choices, and rebellious behaviors…a Bust to say the least. But this incredible woman chose differently. She decided to turn her life into the best outcome that it could possibly be.
And so…with the Ace of Spades in her hand, she finally flips over that last card from a long time ago, and there within lies exactly what she expected to see…a Jack of Spades. She sits back and smiles because she realizes that all of those good choices led to the life she always wanted…lucky Blackjack…and for that, she will forever be grateful.
Xoxo
Marsha
*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com. Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!
Photo Credit Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ace-of-spade-playing-card-on-grey-surface-262333/(#1)