In the Beginning

Before we get started here you might want to go read my other blog so that you have the full picture of my frame of mind right now. I have chosen not to copy it here because I want this to focus on the actual days that we spend at GOTR.

Here is the link to the "all about mommy's mental health" blog and where I am coming from Autistic Proverbs On The Subject Of....

Monday March 20, 2011

This is the first day of Girls On The Run at my daughter's school. Now for those of you that do not know Charity she is an Autistic Person (Please Google Jim Sinclair "Why I dislike person first language" before you have a meltdown over my phrasing). Charity is warm, kind, beautiful, overweight, clueless about when people are being mean to her and above all she is my forever baby (I can't have any more children) and the child that I am probably the most defensive of with perhaps one exception and that is her more severe and profoundly Autistic brother Joshua. So I am doing Girls on the Run with her as an assistant coach there to help her.

Now honestly, if you read my other blog you realize that with my ankle in it's current state that I am in no mood to be walking to the bathroom let alone roaming around the front circle of my daughter's school repetitively. however, that is exactly where I was from 2:45 to 4:00 on Monday. Of course I put on the Mommy Face and did everything I could to support my Buggy girl in her first day at GOTR. I helped the girls with one of their pre-running warm-up games and we were having a good time.

THEN......

the real run/walking began and I was not doing very well emotionally on the inside but I was not going to give up.

I did what was best for my foot and took a shortcut to get out in front of Charity in order to be there with my hand stretched out for her to push herself to reach me and that did wonders for her and allowed me to not walk on the hurt foot as much. She knew I would be at our meeting spot and she would walk the part of the circle that i could not handle.

Now part of the program is that they give the girls index cards with positive support phrases like "Good Job" and "Keep It Up" on them. The idea is that when you pass another person or they pass you, you say the phrase on your card and they say the phrase on their card as an encouragement to you to keep moving.

WELL.........

Charity is out in front of me by about 25 yards and along come three of the girls from her group in the earlier pre-running team game. They pass me and don't say anything but you can see them whispering to each other. Then all of a sudden they turn around and yell, Good Job Keep It Up Miss Athena! I had a hard time just spitting out a thank you to these sweet young ladies without bursting into tears.

They realized that I was trying to support Charity and that my ankle was hurt and they were reaching out to encourage me to keep going and not give up. One of the messages of the program was already in their hearts.

They get it... You know they really get it.....

Now will they apply it everywhere in their lives? Will they see the weaker person and reach out to them when they get a job and try to help their co-worker to grow in their job? Will they see a neighbor in need and reach out to help them? Will they like themselves well enough to avoid becoming one of the statistics of teen suicide or teen pregnancy because they can't feel good about themselves enough to ignore bullying or tell that jerk of a guy that insists that they take care of his sexual desires or he will leave them to take a hike because they are good enough to not need him. I hope they will. Actually I pray that they will.

These young ladies are beautiful with clean bare faces, no make-up, no primping, nothing but raw beauty and energy and I am proud that my daughter and I have the privilege to be part of a program with gorgeous young ladies like these.

Oh and these same young ladies went right up the way and patted Charity on the back and told her to keep going that her mom was going to be waiting on her at their meeting place. They slowed down and walked part of the way with her then they dropped back and let her reach me all by herself. Once she had my hand they passed us both and yelled Good Job and kept on going.

In the Beginning there was Charity Bug, Mommy, some really wonderful girls, and a Program called Girls On The Run.

Stay tuned for the middle and the end which will be a 5K Walk/Run in May.