Big Sky Wrap Up

I finally had a chance to sit down and upload a few photos from our trip. As I have stepped away, the headline is this: We really had a great time, but we had to work for it.

(True of many things in life, isn't it?)

K has never met a challenge she didn't want to take on. She is very achievement oriented, so working her way up the ranks of ski school was incredibly motivating for her. She advanced from yellow to red to green and on to purple in 3 half day lessons.

I wish you could have seen her in action...serious, crouched, speedy and on a mission.

R is motivated by competition. Watching his sister advance was all the motivation he needed to stay in the game. One of my favorite memories of the trip is his proud, dimpled face as he rode a big lift and skied a blue run with his Daddy the last day. My husband actually captured him on video shouting over his shoulder as he skied downhill, "Dad, this is so FUN!" The only thing more priceless is the satisfied, fatherly chuckle my husband made in response.

P was a different story. He is a free spirit who likes to do things his own creative, independent way. Being encumbered by all the gear and taught something new systematically was not easy for him to handle.

At least six times in two days he pulled this stunt--
laying down in the snow, flat on his back and closing his eyes. He wasn't crying, yelling or kicking his feet. He was just protesting--or somehow hoping the world would melt away and leave him to do what he wanted to do.

Truth be told, I am a lot like P on the inside more often than I'd like to admit.

I love that kids so dramatically express what many grown ups feel. Except I don't love it when I am the Mama wondering how I am being judged by others as my almost 7 year old expresses himself so publicly.

This is the challenge I was facing as I wrote about endurance a few days ago. I really didn't like seeing P so seemingly unhappy. I questioned myself endlessly about what 'the right thing' was for P (and the rest of our family) in this situation. But there was more to it. My pride was tired of feeling like a mean Mama. I wondered how the ski school staff was judging me for dropping off an unenthusiastic child. When he protested did they think I was a terrible, permissive mother who produced an uncooperative child?

I gulped humble pie as I thought about the times I have jumped to conclusions about a parent's handling of a situation based on a brief encounter with no back story. I know my boy. I believe in him more than he sometimes believes in himself. For him, in this instance, the right answer was to push him.

His enthusiasm increased as he become more proficient at the new skills. When lessons were complete he begged me to let him stay on the slopes. He spent the final afternoon training himself. P went up and down the beginners' hill 8-10 times by himself, working on his balance and stopping techniques with earnestness, pride and this kind of smile. I hope I never forget the very specific lesson God gave me this week in the rewards of encouraging P to push past the desire to quit.

These three continually amaze me.
God uses them daily to humble me and shine light in dark corners where I have issues of my own. Pride, control, impatience...It's funny. Even as I typed the words under the photo I reflected on how each of my three challenge me differently--in my most deeply rooted character/heart issues.

Before I was a Mama I was consumed with thoughts of all I would teach my children. I am fairly certain I have a checklist or two around of character issues to strategically address in them. I had no idea how frequently the inverse would be true--God in His tenderness and mercy, amidst all the drapey armed hugs and sloppy kisses, would be using these little people to teach, train and refine me.