Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Happy New Year!!!

I hope your year is getting off to a wonderful and amazing start! I have spent the first month (and a couple of weeks) of 2009, catching up on many things that I left undone in the last months of 2008.

I have several things to celebrate! I am about to graduate from the Core Essentials Program at Coach U; I am in line to apply for certification through the International Coach Federation; and I will soon begin the Advanced Coach Training through Coach U. This is a very exciting time and I am soaring because of these wonderful choices that I have made with the help of family, friends, my coach and colleagues. Thank you ALL!

This week my youngest daughter has been designing and making a flamingo!
Emma is on an Odyssey of the Mind team and she needed a flamingo as a prop. She wanted to design and make it herself and it is beautiful! I will take a picture and post it very soon!
I gave her sewing advice, and asked her many questions, without leading her. (I must confess, it was not the easiest project for me! I wanted to be hands-on, but she needed me to be hands-off! So, I was.) This project has helped me to realize that sometimes "helping" is best done by quietly sitting and offering support and encouragement. When a difficulty is encountered, I only need to ask a question or two to help Emma to have another perspective or to clarify what it is that she is hoping to achieve. Her confidence and self-satisfaction has grown tremendously with just this one project. I am always excited to see my children grow and to know that I really do not have to direct or lead that growth provides a lot of grace for me as a parent.

Also, watching Emma sew, reminds me of how much I love to sew and how much I miss it when I am not doing it. My next sewing project is a custom-made prom dress for my neice who is a senior in HS...I will post that pic too when it is complete.

Peace to you as you embrace the passions in your life!