There is something so rewarding in seeing your child excel at something they love. There are moments of doubt along the way, but when the love of the game and confidence and hard work come together in a burst of talent…wow, it is quite a show.
But surely, I am bragging.
I think of all that has gone on last year, and try to sift through the memories to come up with one defining moment, that sums up 2009 for Cha.
Very difficult.
I can say that she has changed. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere, while I was too caught up in my own mid-thirties drama to see it, she changed.
She still has the loudest laugh, and she has the capacity to light up a room when she wants to - but our inside joke now is that she can also suck the life out of the room, as well. Maybe this is it though, that period in a young girl’s life that everyone warned me about, the era of bad tempers and mood swings; the uncontrollable emotions of a pre-teen possessing our once-happy little girl.
The last few weeks, we have seen glimpses of her again. That smile that warms us and makes her Daddy so proud, is back again. Maybe it is the pleasure of presents received from Christmas and the knowledge that her birthday is right around the corner. Maybe it is because her best mate is back in town and she appreciates her again. Maybe it is because she took the appropriate time off of her sport and she has fallen back in love with the game. Who knows.
Whatever it is that is making her happy, I am happy for it!
