So as parents we all have those moments that fill us up with pride. It can be something as simple as watching your child score the winning goal in the soccer game…to seeing your child performing on stage. As they get older the moments get bigger. They graduate high school, go to college, get married, have children of their own, achieve their dream jobs. My daughter is only nine so I haven’t reached those milestones yet…and believe me I am in no rush. I am enjoying the little day to day moments and loving every one of them. When she hands me her spelling test with a big 100% written at the top and I see the pride in her smile that fills me up. When she excitedly comes to me to tell me she has just finished reading a 300 page chapter book in 2 days I revel in her accomplishment with her. But there are some moments that are so overwhelming that my heart feels like it could burst. One such moment happened this week. But before I tell you I need to give you a little back story…
My daughter and I are huge Disney fanatics. We love everything about it. The parks, the movies, the shows and the man who started it all. We believe in the magic so it is real to us. Before moving to Orlando we took as many trips here as possible which isn’t always easy as a single parent…but I found ways to make it happen. The last trip we took was this past January. The first week in January is Marathon weekend. Runners from all over the world come here to participate in different challenges. It’s amazing to see the pride these athletes have after completing their runs as they walk through the parks displaying the medals they earned around their necks. Sophia and I always congratulate people when we see them…we feel it is important to acknowledge their accomplishments. And that is where this story begins…
We were on our last day of our trip and decided to spend it at our favorite park, The Magic Kingdom. Since it was our last day I planned to treat my daughter like the true princess that I know her to be. I bought her a cute tiara clip to wear on her head, booked reservations for breakfast in Cinderella’s Castle and dinner at Be Our Guest restaurant in Belle & The Beats’ Castle. It truly was a magical day. Toward the end of the day we were waiting inside at Mickey’s Philharmagic, a fun 4-D movie experience featuring many of Disney’s favorite characters. Sophia saw a couple wearing medals from the marathon and walked up to them to congratulate them (her initiative made me very proud but that’s just the beginning). We all started talking. Before the movie started and we had to take our seats the woman asked if she could take a picture with Sophia since she was obviously a real Disney princess. When the movie was over they found us outside and gave us their business card. They explained that they run a website called Virtual Run World which allows people from all over to earn medals for activities such as running, biking, etc that they complete on their own time and that they would like to send a special medal to Sophia for being a true princess. This was definitely one of those proud Mom moments that filled my heart up to the brim. We have kept in touch with this wonderful couple for the past few months. They sent both Sophia and I one of the beautiful medals that they developed and we were so grateful.
Now on to the moment that filled my heart so much it felt like it would burst. Just this past week they contacted me with the news that they had been thinking about Sophia a lot lately. They told me how impressed they were with her and that they had designed a medal inspired by her! They wanted to ask my permission to feature her on their website along with the beautiful medal inspired by my little girl. Of course I said yes! It is such an honor. I want my daughter to know that she is special and that her big heart and sincerity makes a difference in the lives of people she meets. In our society today there is a lot of the “me, me me” attitudes and a sense of “self-entitlement”. We have become a selfish society. I pray that my daughter stays true to who she is and keeps her kind and generous heart in spite of that, and this wonderful gift that our friends, Mike and Terri, at Virtual Run World have given her is a step in that direction. They designed the medal “Dreams Into Plans” and wrote an amazing story to go along with it.
If anyone wants to see the beautiful medal and read the inspiring story that goes along with it you can see it and/or order it here: Dreams Into Plans Medal.
And to Mike and Terri: Thank you both for honoring Sophia in such a magical way that filled my heart to its bursting point.
Sugar Sweet Single Mom 