By no stretch of the imagination do I take on the mothering role for this girl.
In fact, it is the other way around.
Two years ago she became my big.
Every day since, she has proven to be one of the best.
She took it upon herself to dedicate the task of teaching what she knows to me.
For some, that stops at their sorority doors.
For me, it carries into the strongest values in life.
The parts people don't ordinarily talk about.
Thanks for teaching me:
How to have an unending desire for my passions.
Every day she walks around with a fire inside her soul. She fuels the sparks with two blades and some ice. She shares her love for the ice with teams of girls, and supports them to the ends of the earth. Her eyes shine when she talks about everything pertaining to skating. She watches it, she feels it, she lives it. Her heart belongs where it spins on the ice.
How to inspire others
She's out that door at the crack of dawn. Some days she doesn't come home until after bar close. She is contributing to her career, but when no one is looking, she finds the time she doesn't have and dedicates it to her passions. Everyday, she will get grief. She takes it in stride. She is determined to do the BEST at what she does. Never does she take the easy way out. Every day, inspiring me to do my best at it all, and pushing myself along the way.
How to dream big
She doesn't take anything lightly, and does it all to the best of her ability. She has a huge position. She is in charge of keeping us all in line. She is the woman who wants us to succeed and loves us all enough to tell us when to shape up. And weekly, like clockwork, people she calls sisters give her smack for looking out for them. They put her on blast for "not being there", for being "negative", for being "crabby". Little do they know how much she supports them all, how she talks so highly about our organization, and how hard she is dreaming. She is giving it her all to her major, caring about her athletes 'til her heart is full. When her plate looks too heavy to carry, she adds even bigger dreams: those of trying out for something huge, putting herself out there, dreaming to skate nationally (dare I say internationally). I stand here and cheer her on, but little does she know how big she is teaching me to dream. That I can truly do anything I set my mind to.
How to be myself
Some people may say that she wakes up on the wrong side of the bed daily. I say that she obtains one of the best personalities you can: the who gives a f*%# attitude. She tells you how it is, the good, the bad, the ugly. She is NEVER afraid to speak her mind. At all times, you'll know what she is thinking, and it is beautifully raw. She lives with her chin up, containing more confidence than imaginable. When people dare take stabs at who she is, it rolls off her back, and unnerved she carries on. Thanks for providing an example of what it means to be a strong woman, loving myself, as you love me.
There is so much more she teaches me, some of which I probably haven't even realized yet, and most definitely more than I can put into words. I could have never asked for a better big. You're a wonderful human Dana. Thanks is never enough.
