Ever since we borrowed the movie Soul Surfer from a friend, Ashlyn has wanted to surf. She did a report in school on Bethany Hamilton and has been more and more eager to get out in the water. Thankfully, she has an uncle who has been dying to take her surfing since she was six months old and he went to the beach with her for the first time.
The big day finally arrived and we headed to Santa Cruz to meet Dominic. The first stop was to get Ashlyn a wetsuit.
The excitement was evident on Ashlyn's face from the moment we got to the beach.
It was high tide when we arrived and the walk down to the beach was a little more treacherous than we originally expected. The waves crashed all the way up to the steps that led down to the dry strip of sand that we would eventually sit on. We timed our mad-dash to the dry sand between the waves but were still hit several times. By the time we got to our destination I could see Ashlyn's nerves beginning to show.
She came over to me and said in a small quiet voice, "Mom, I'm scared..." I talked to her a bit and asked her if she wanted me to pray with her. She shook her head yes, grabbed me around the waist and buried her head into my stomach. As I held her and prayed for her safety and for God to calm her fears I felt her body trembling with her silent tears. She seemed smaller somehow and I hugged her a little tighter. I told her that it was okay, that it is normal to be scared but not to ever let her fears keep her from her dreams.
Dominic was great with Ashlyn and took things really slowly. He sat and talked with her for a while about exactly what they were going to do so that she wouldn't be afraid.
Then it was time to head into the water...
I've heard it said that having children is like having a little piece of your heart beating outside your body. I have experienced that many times since becoming a mother and as I watched them head out I silently prayed that God would keep my little girl safe.
And just like that, they had paddled out far beyond this mother's grasp...
and my heart swelled. My girl overcame her fears. Even as I write this the tears are spilling over because I am so very proud.
From shore I could see Ashlyn's fears diminish as she grew more and more comfortable. She even stood up and kept trying even after she fell.
Dominic was such an amazing teacher. He was patient with Ashlyn from the beginning and made her feel safe. He was encouraging and there were many times that we saw him give her "high-fives" for a job well done.
At one point some pelicans flew by them and Ashlyn later told us that they were "as big as Basil".
When they paddled in Ashlyn came running up to us with that beautiful smile back on her face. She loved every minute of it.
She told us all about the pelicans, about how the wetsuit made her float, how the waves were getting "hectic" out there and about how there was no way she was ever going to "pee in her wetsuit".
She has already asked when she can go back and surf again. Even after discovering that her muscles were sore from paddling her reaction was "can we go again soon?"
I am not sure who, Ashlyn or Dominic, is more excited to get back out in the water. Dominic is thrilled to have another surfing buddy. Ashlyn, who has always looked up to Dominic, is in more awe of him now than she was before. I love that they get to bond over this experience.
This girl...she is my hero.
1 comment:
It was a tad bit nerve racking for this grandma but I too am so proud of her! And we couldn't have asked for a better teacher especially since he has been doing this since he was a teenager AND he has certs for water rescue.
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