Passion, Pinatas, and the Media Fast

Julia. *sigh* Julia.

From the tiniest of ages I have adored. adored her passion. Ok, so maybe not so much between the ages of 18 months and 36 months when her passion was leading her down the road of stubborn and ugly strong will, but as of recent, I just am enamored by her. She is not as boisterous as Katie, not as witty as Lucy, and naturally not the youngest. She is in this precarious position of "second born". But this girl has more passion rolled up in her heart than all 3 of the others combined.

Example: Sunday was Anderson's birthday party and we had a pinata. Each child received three attempts at whacking the birthday hat pinata. Julia steps up, and I so wish I would have had a video because with each whack her passion just overflowed from her body. On her second hit her strength rocked the bat and pinata so much that the bat rebounded back and clocked her in the nose... And then there was blood. For real? Who gets a bloody nose from a bat rebounding because it was used with too much passion on a pinata? My Julia!

I have had a lot of "stepping back" moments recently. Stepping back and seeing reality through a stilled lens. A lot of those stilled shots focus on my kids, and it chokes me up every time.

When I saw Julia whack that pinata it dawned on me, she is so like me it's scary. She has a really hard time accepting anything less than the standard she has set out for herself. Her frustration with projects, school, and other people is they nullify, stump, or dismiss her passion. I know that because those are the EXACT things that cause me deep frustration. Others look on and see what appears to be emotional highs and lows changing like the weather.. The songs "Hot and Cold" was written for personalities like mine and Julia's. We get to play the Marianne's, from Sense and Sensibility, wherever we go.  But let me tell you folks, that passion cannot be contained. When shaped and pointed in the right direction, with healthy boundaries and healthy expressions! WHOA! We've got a hot one, Simon!! 

This week has been our fast from media. It has been extremely difficult for me. Not because I miss my technology, but because I have had to make exceptions to my original goals and use more media than I intended to this week. For instance, the kids were rocking the media fast, they were more hard core than I was, then Anderson showed up with the stomach bug just hours before I was to be in full preparation for our cross country vacation. *major ugh!* So we had to allow more screen time than originally called for so that Anderson could rest while I packed. And other things popped up that required me to use my email, facebook, and texting. Really important things, really good things!! Things worthy of dropping the fast over. But herein lies the difficult part; I am passionate *jaw dropping around the world, right?* No really, when I believe in something, when I am committed to something, it's all or nothing for me. It's easier, far easier for me to go cold turkey on something than make small allowances, because I do not exist in gray areas. I know, SHOCKING to all my faithful readers :) Having to deviate from my plan felt like my passion for this fast was nullified, stumped, and dismissed. I would have rather suffered a bloody nose then only go part way.

In that moment with the pinata, a still shot of Julia was taken that will exist in my memory forever. It will be something I return to time and time again as I desperately try to learn about her, help her in the way she should go, and beg the Lord in prayer to help us raise her well. It was also serve as a reminder that she and I are more alike than maybe I ever thought.

Now to go find me a pinata to beat :)

~Sara