Thursday, October 25, 2007



I believe in Angels.

I believe in beauty.

I believe in the spirit and energy of my fellow man.

I believe that we have angels who walk amongst us.

And if we are lucky, truly lucky, we see them, and appreciate our moments with them.

I believe angels come in all shapes and sizes, in all ages, in all colours, in all creeds. There is beauty all around us. And sometimes we just need a wee reminder of that fact when we can be caught up in moments which truly do not matter, and petty problems that can cause us to lose heart. Negative moments, actions, or inactions, which can seem to matterso greatly at the time, and which can cause momentary angst, but really does not weigh in, with the catachism of the soul.

I believe that angels can make your heart soar to the heavens, and remind and comfort your soul to know that there is greatness in everyone. And sometimes these Angels can lead you gently back to yourself and remind you of the beauty in your world in which you live.

You do not need to go on vacation to an exotic destination to experience the heavens, a great deal of the time it can be found through your own back door.

I believe miracles and beauty truly happen without fan fare. And sometimes, we are just too busy to see...

And then there are times when we can just stand in awe.

And be grateful...

A few weeks ago,my daughter, Scooter was going to a track meet. She, now ten, was preparing to run with a bunch of girls, she was going to have the sun on her face, and the wind to her back, on a beautiful fall day. It truly can not get better than that. A track meet with a great deal of the grade fives from my city... But as she was preparing, it brought out the notalgia in me.
It brought me back to my younger Scooter.

It brought me back to when Scooter was all of six years of age, and was going to her first track meet ever in the park. It was a perfect day for a run in the park. It was a perfect day to be six and to be running with your friends through the autumn leaves.

And when my wee gal lined up with all the girls and the starter pistol blared, my heart skipped with pride, as she darted through the pack. But then, Scooter saw a leaf fall from a heavens, a magnificent, beautiful, red, leaf, with a touch of green and yellow, and the way the sun hit the leaf, it caused my wee gal to stop in her tracks and watch the magnitude of it all, and when it landed she had to pick it up as such a gift from the heavens had to be shared. And off she ran to pick up the leaf, and as she did this, an old friend, or as old of a friend as you can have, when you are six years old, saw Scooter, and called her name from the side lines.

Scooter, who if anything, is a social butterfly ran over to her friend, embraced her,and gave her friend, the gift of the magical leaf. My husband could not believe his eyes, here all the children, were running around our daughter, as she caught up with her old friend.

"Scooter!' He cried,'Run!'

And Scooter heard her father's command, and explained to her friend that she 'had to go' and off she ran to catch the pack of running six/seven year olds.

And Scooter ran and ran... She caught up with the pack.

And when it came to the finish line a few friends called her back, and Scooter thought it would be only polite to let them in...

And to our utter astonishment, our daughter finished in the top twenty five, thereby sending our leaf collector, dreamer, social, polite, running, butterfly off to the finals.

We were, astonished to our daughter's placing in the race and were certainly delighted that she was going on to the next level.

And of course, we were there for the next race.

But this race was different, as the children were coached as to the importance of the day. How they were representing their school, how it was about how they finished, and what place they finished and if the motivational speech from the gym teacher was not enough, Chariots of Fire was blaring in the background.

And then they were off...

And to our surprise our daughter was at the front of the pack... Heading out along the beach on a glorious, blustery fall day with the sun shining brightly overhead.Our daughter was running and enjoying her moment.

And so BoyWonder and I ran to the finish line.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

No Scooter.

Every other child had crossed but no Scooter.

And then we saw her. A good ten minutes behind the last of the group.

Her arm around an old friend, her friend was crying, and Scooter was walking with her.

Helping her along the path.

It ends up that Scooter's friend, from a competing school, had fallen, trying to catch up to our Scooter.

And in the fall she called Scooter's name.

Scooter heard her, and ran back.

Scooter helped her friend up as the pack blast past them.

Scooter dusted her friend off.

And Scooter walked with her friend around the course, amd reassured her. Scooter and her friend walked through the sand, up the hill, as Chariots of Fire blared in the background and parents cheered on their runners.

Scooter's friend burst into tears at the finish line, and sobbed into her mother's arms.

'Mamma,' Scooter's friend cried 'I, I , I wahhh, waaaahhh, wasssss deeeeead laaaahhhhst.'

And Scooter went up to her friend and tried to give solace, and said 'No, you weren't Grace, I was.'

Such moments are gifts, such moments are so wonderful, such moments are just a bit of heaven found on a primary race course on a beautiful, blustery, fall day.

81 comments:

Unknown said...

I am in love with Scooter! Such a wonderful spirit, so needed in today's harsh world. I believe in angels too, especially after reading this.

P.S. I am going to have to protest your blog name. Wit? Yes, but dribbling? No way.

chichimama said...

What a wonderful daughter you have. I hope my children would do the same thing for a friend...

crazymumma said...

Why am I not surprised....

ditzymoi said...

I know how proud you must be Pen :)
And I do believe shes her mothers daughter *hugs*

Girlplustwo said...

you don't post often, and then all of a sudden you do, and it's beautiful every time. almost as if you save up this beauty and then spread it around.

what a peach, that Scooter.

Ruth Dynamite said...

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

Sarah said...

And that is what is truly important anyway. What wonderful memories you have of a sweet girl who does what's best for her friends. So wonderful. I can only pray that my daughter will do that as well.

super des said...

That was really a beautiful story. It made me cry a little.

I love Scooter.

Christina_the_wench said...

I pray Scooter never loses that spirit, that drive, that compassion. How blessed you are!

Stepping Over the Junk said...

Alright, can I bawl any harder right now???!!! I only hope my children show so much towards their friends...

Jenny, the Bloggess said...

Your child is an angel.

Must be hereditary.

ditzymoi said...

if you need any help with blog things - email me kim@ifitwasntthisitwouldbe
somethingelse.com

chelle said...

Your life stories always touch me. This one gave me goose bumps. One could not ask to be a kinder soul than that! You should be so proud!

Kevin Charnas said...

And such moments are great reminders to us to remember that the "Finish Line" means nothing.

And I wouldn't have expected anything else from your Scooter, Pend...

OhTheJoys said...

D,

I love Scooter. So much.

It's because of you two, you know?!

xo,
OTJ

Kim Ayres said...

It's wonderful to be reminded that people are more important than prizes :)

I like the new blog look - dark writing on a light background is much easier to read than light on dark.

By the way, have you been to The Storytellers Blog yet? You're such a great storyteller, it would be great if you'd join in

Grim Reality Girl said...

I love Scooter too! You have done well with this one -- be proud! May the rest of us do half as well with our kids!

Gina said...

Children are the best, most sweetest things, aren't they? What a wonderful little girl you have.

mandaroo63 said...

I was so happy to see updates on your blog. I just love your stories. What a lovely girl you have. What a wonderful friend she is.

Anonymous said...

Oh she IS an angel....

Charlie said...

Perhaps the best thing about this story is that it can neither be forgotten nor taken away--you have it for the rest of your life.

Jocelyn said...

Oh my God. Stop with the Scooter before I have to drive over there and take her.

She is beyond amazing. She is everything good.

rak said...

what a beautiful story...
it is not about the end result, so much as it is about what we do on our way there... our journey matters. scooter is a blessing on many.

Bon said...

this has my eyes brimming with tears and my heart just brimming.

she is lovely. she's clearly got it - what i'm still trying to learn.

beauty indeed.

Beth said...

At such a young age, your daughter has discovered what is truly important in life. What a sweetheart.

Pollyanna said...

WOW. That must have made your heart as a mother grow about a bazillion times in size. What an awesome little girl Scooter is!!!!! You must be so proud of her. What a very very good person she is.

JLee said...

My eyes welled up at what a beautiful heart she has! She definitely looks like an angel as well. We could all learn from the angel children :)

Kristin said...

Scooter is such a delight... she would make me believe in angles too.

tiffany said...

ok. i'm officially crying.

Wendy Boucher said...

Scooter has her priorities straight. What an angel!

Mrs. T said...

How sweet! I love that she was more about helping her friends than about winning/crossing the finish line. She is truly and angel on earth.

Jamie said...

Lovely post.

I don't know if you noticed, but if you click on the picture to make it bigger, in your daughter's beautiful deep eyes you can see a reflection of you (I am assuming it is you). It made me think that you are your daughter's angel.

Flutterby said...

I think we've all missed you!! She's beautiful all around... absolutely wonderful.

wayabetty said...

Take credit mama for you have done well with Scooter! She's a fine and kind young lady, be proud!

furiousBall said...

Wow Scooter rules. Nice job you and Dad. :)

Caro said...

It sounds like she already knows what counts in life.

Roz said...

Oh my gosh.

It happens every time. You move me with every post.

Congratulations to you for raising such a beautiful, thoughtful and caring daughter who "gets it". Very few can say that about their children.

Kim said...

Ooohhhh, to have a friend such as Scooter.

What a blessing has been bestowed on this world.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Scooter. What a wonderful sweet hearted story. I love that the falling lead stopped her up.

And what kind of gym coach does she have...

Kanani said...

Your daughter has the look of a ten-year old. A bit of impishness, pureness and absolute happiness. I love this picture, and I love this story. It made my day!

Lady M said...

So beautiful. Scooter is amazing.

Cristina said...

Wow. Scooter is a beautiful, special girl! Just like her mama.

S said...

She's a keeper.

Beautiful girl, inside and out!

Queen of the Mayhem said...

What an amazingly sweet young lady you have! You must be very proud!


I just love stories like this...if we could only treat others have as well as your kind Scooter! :)

FENICLE said...

How awesome! I believe too!!!!!

elle said...

You write beautifully and you are obviously great at parenting too! I look forward to reading more about your family.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

I am in awe of Scooter. She is truly an angel, a very rare one indeed.

This child has already surpassed what her teachers and coaches could ever teach her. She is incredibly wise and good.

What a wonderful story!

the mystic said...

You have the best stories. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as they say.

urban-urchin said...

what a beautiful giving spirit your scooter has- you should be extraordinarily proud of your girl...

Unknown said...

Now THAT is a friend. And a little girl who will go far in this life.

Lisa said...

Awwww. Can Scooter marry my son someday? Or at the very least can Seth take her to the prom?

You've changed your profile pic and your blog design. Am likin' it, lady.

Scooter is a lovely little person and has wonderful parents who've taught her what is truly important in life.

Andie D. said...

More Scooter! Scooter ROCKS! She is going to change the world, this one.

Virtualsprite said...

How sweet. What a wonderful girl and a beautiful story.

carrie said...

Your daughter is an Angel. Just like you. :)

And I love the photos you've added here, another dimension to your beautiful words.

Lawyer Mama said...

What a special little girl you have. I can only hope that my children turn out half as sweet.

Anonymous said...

By the kind soul she is, you are obviously doing an amazing job!

Maddy said...

Absolutely fabulous, what a star she is. You must be so splendiferously proud of her.
BEst wishes

Simply Coll said...

Scooter is the true winner here.

Catch said...

what a beautiful child you have...and what wonderful spirit she has in her!!!She is wise beyond her years. and I am thinking she gets much of her kindness from her Mama!! How could she not???

FENICLE said...

Wow, how sweet. She has some beautiful traits at such a young age.

Nikki said...

You know, I don't think that you have ever failed to give me goosebumps.

Scooter rocks.

Catherine said...

What would I do without your inspiration?? Or better yet, what did I do BEFORE your inspiration??

Scooter's friends have no idea how lucky they are to be in her presence.

Namito said...

An amazing mom raising a truly wonderful daughter. I see two angels.

Maddy said...

October! Come along now, aren't you due for an update [especially now that I have you on my google reader!]
Cheers
This is my calling card or link"Whittereronautism"until blogger comments get themselves sorted out.

St Jude said...

Hello sweetie, I thought it was just me that went walk about!! Come back soon.

Attila the Mom said...

What a fabulous kid you got there!

mamatulip said...

This moved me. Really moved me.

Christina_the_wench said...

October?!? Pend, git your cute butt back here!!!!!

That girl said...

it's been a while since i've visited, and I just noticed it's been a while since you've written.

Hopefully everything is okay with you.

Scooter sounds like a true angel.

merry christmas to you and yours.

Michelle from the former Once Upon A Time blog.

Moobs said...

Merry Christamas Pendy

Attila the Mom said...

Hope you guys have a wonderful holiday!

xoxo

The Domesticator said...

You should be proud.

She is an angel!!!!!

Happy New Year!

Grim Reality Girl said...

Miss you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Wishing you blessings. I miss your writing.

Kim Ayres said...

Happy New Year! - Hope 2008 is good to you :)

bananas62 said...

Very wise for 10!!!! you've got a very special daughter!!

Grim Reality Girl said...

I'm just checking back in and wishing you well -- no pressure (though I do miss your writing!), just saying hi!

Evil Witch said...

it made me cry... that was awesome, thanks for that. so now I am back after to long gone and it appears you have retired as well, I can only assume your computer has given you the finger.

Unknown said...

I love Scooter and hope my children would react the same way. I, too have a strong conviction there are angels among us and have several powerful experiences to that effect. Truly, we are not alone!

Anonymous said...
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Mom O Matic said...

Be proud of yourself for raising such a beautiful kid.

BeachMama said...

You should be so proud.