A Little Bit of Faith
My 17-year-old is truly amazing—beautiful, smart, fun, and kind, just like most daughters. She has been a straight-A student her entire life and has been dancing and cheering since she was three. While excelling academically comes naturally to her, the demands of being on the high school cheer team have taken their toll. She adores the girls and the coaches, but the stress from early morning practices, late-night sessions, and the pressure of competition season became overwhelming. In the months leading up to this, she had expressed her anxiety, often stressing out the night before an early practice.
Last Sunday, she reached a breaking point, having a total meltdown over the upcoming Monday morning practice. It was then that I agreed she needed to quit. Although she felt relieved, she continued to cry on and off for the next couple of hours. I think she was not only relieved but also saddened by the realization that, with only a year left of high school, this marked the end of her dancing journey. I allowed her to grieve this transition, knowing it was important.
My older daughter was with us, and together we hugged her, comforted her, ordered takeout, made cheesecake, and talked late into the night about all the new possibilities that awaited her. By bedtime, she seemed calmer and more at peace with her decision. When she spoke with her coaches the next day, they were supportive and understanding. As much as the team would miss her, they offered their encouragement as well.
When she returned home, her entire demeanor had shifted. She looked lighter, understood, and loved. She began to discuss all the things she’d been wanting to do but hadn’t had time for. As she spoke about her newfound freedom, her face lit up with excitement. Just as she got up to meet a friend, she received a text message from the cookie place where she had applied the previous week—she got the job! Thrilled, she couldn’t wait to share the news with her friend, who had also been hired.
Watching her pick up her keys and head toward the door, I couldn’t help but notice the transformation in her expression. In just one day, it had shifted from utter despair to what looked like hope.
I’ve experienced days like this many times in my life, as we all have. Yet, I’m continually surprised and in awe of how quickly things can turn around. I know all too well that not every situation resolves this quickly, but when it does, it feels nothing short of miraculous. It serves as a beautiful reminder that tomorrow is a new day, and even if it takes longer than a day, a year, or even three years, things will eventually improve one way or another.
I wish I had known this when I was younger; sometimes, that knowledge is all we need to keep us going. But I suppose these are the lessons we learn through life—the benefits of growing older, wiser, and witnessing how things always work out for us, in one way or another, in the end. We can trust that things will work out simply by holding onto hope and having A Little Bit of Faith...
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