Magalie

Every time I post on my blog, I struggle with writing the text. This time the challenge may be to keep it short. You see, this beautiful girl is mine. Thinking of her, looking at her floods me with emotions, pride and so so much love. She has been sitting in my heart, so comfortable, enlarging it and taking so much space in there. It has me worried that this summer when she heads off to college, her physical departure will deflate that pumped up heart of mine in a very painful way. I know her well and I know she will conquer her space in the world with her wits, kindness and strong will. Once she sets a goal, has the desire to accomplish something, it’s just a matter of time for it to happen. Her determination is one of the fiercest I have ever encounter. It showed early on back when we spent nearly every afternoons at the park and she noticed an older girl swinging from the monkey bars. 5 years old, she demanded I helped her reach them. I picked her up and her little hands wrapped around the first barre, she hung there, trying to grip the next one and fell. Over and over. She tried and practiced every day, until it became second nature, flying through them like a monkey. The calluses on her hands and bruises from all the falling didn’t seem to bother her. In fact, pain was never something that hindered Magalie. As a child, she dealt with the stitching of her chin with stoicism, continued to play when her finger broke. It was no surprise to us when at 16 she looked up beach lifeguard, signed up for the trials and made the intense training. In that first summer she had 3 saves. I have so much respect and admiration for those kids patrolling our beaches, their physical strength is something to reckon, and the responsibility they take on quite daunting. This summer, though, she will go on a new adventure, working in a camp in the french Alpes. Lots of hiking and french speaking, stepping out of her comfort zone, constantly meeting and connecting with new people, for what I believe will be a wonderfully rich experience. That big smile and that loud laugh of hers are just little hints of her beautiful happy soul. She impersonates “la joie de vivre”