⛳ Ella did a golf clinic today and was driving the ball 280 yards on average 😮. If you're not familiar with golf (I only am because of my husband and kids), that's really far for a 14-year-old girl. Her coach was pretty stoked.

It's really significant because she's had a tough couple of years, sports-wise. At the last bell on the last day of the sixth grade, two years ago, she dropped a very heavy science table on her foot. It broke her big toe and the one next to it. They were pretty shattered, and so was she for the rest of that summer. (And yes, the school paid for the surgery because having kids move heavy science tables is not okay.)

That fall, soccer was definitely no longer an option. She tried to play basketball in the winter and was making some great shots but struggled with pain from her toes. Then the schools shut down in March, and it was hard for even the most active people to not slip into a sedentary lifestyle.

When she went back to golf last summer, she took on a bit too much trying to walk eighteen holes competing in a junior league. Her toes were still an issue, and her stamina was lacking (as it was for many of us).

She had one particularly tough day that I thought may have broken her spirit for good, but it proved to be a lesson she was determined to overcome. When she and her dad came home that day, she was in tears, and he was visibly frustrated. My initial reaction was to be upset with him for being hard on her (not really fair of me, he isn't usually hard on the girls), but when we got a chance to talk, she proclaimed that she wasn't a "good person," and that he was right to be upset. Between sobs, she conveyed that as a result of being tired, hot, and in pain, she had displayed some emotions that were not very flattering or appropriate and felt terrible about herself. It broke my heart to see her so sad, and I said all the things a mom should say to try and make her feel better.

Of course, it wasn't something I could fix. It was a grit-building experience that was so terrible that she never wanted to act like that again, and she has grown from it. And, while it was hard to witness, I am so proud she felt the way she did. Had she shown no remorse for bad behavior, that surely would have been worse.

She ended last summer feeling defeated and certain she would only play golf with her dad in the future—no more competition, no high school team. We didn't push it.

Late this spring, she agreed to sign up for the fun 9-hole junior league competition she's participated in for the last several years. Slowly but surely, we have watched her regain confidence, and she is now looking forward to trying out for her high school golf team. She should have a good chance with her 280-yard drive. 😉 🧡

Thanks for indulging a little bragging. Feel free to do your own.

Photo - Ella 2015