Catalogue of Chicks

Welcome to the Catalog of Chicks — a place where you can meet everyday women and read about their extraordinary acts of bravery and courage. We hope you are inspired by their stories — we certainly are!

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<<Previous Chick Next Chick>>HILLARY, MARY ELIZABETH & KARIN - Our Featured Brave Chicks
AK
Submitted by: This month we are honoring several young ladies. These brave chicks make their families proud each and every day with their simple acts of bravery and courage. As you read through them - you will see that these are ordinary girls who are not necessarily doing extraordinary things but are doing the best they can and doing it with a smile on their faces. We, too, are honoring them this month for their every day "One Brave Chick" ways of living. We are proud to introduce you to our Featured Brave Chicks - HILLARY, MARY ELIZABETH & KARIN.

Hillary (5), Maggie (4) & Sophie (2) - Moonlight Ski Basin in Montana

HILLARY - 5 YEARS OLD
I just returned from Bridger Bowl Ski Area (Bozeman, MT) with my three girls in tow and a big smile on my face! As we got ready for our day of skiing, my 5 year old daughter, Hillary, announced she would like to ride the chairlift by herself today...without me! I hesitated for a moment trying to come up with a good reason why she could not until the lift operator, better known as the “hippie lifty”, commented that I had to “let her go” at some point. My first thought was “what does he know? - obviously he does not have children”, but surprisingly I listened to him and let her go ... Needless to say she was fine, even better than I could have hoped!

As the chair lift headed up the mountain, with me on the chair behind her I watched my little girl head towards the off ramp which can be a scarier decent to some adults and children than the actual hill. My anxiety only increased as I watched the mother and child on the chair ahead of Hillary end up in a big pile as they tried to navigate the off ramp. Hillary's chair was next. I noticed the lift operator was not paying attention and failed to stop the lift! My initial thought was to yell to Hillary but what would I say??? Instead, I remained silent and squinting through one eye watched, only to be amazed by the outcome. Hillary calmly lifted her legs and skis up over the mother and daughter pile and jumped off the chair as it passed. Her skis popped off as a result. Instead of panicking, she pushed herself out of the way so as not to cause another pile up, put her skiis back on and continued down the hill ... all without a second thought. If I had been on the chair with her, I am sure the outcome would not have been so smooth. I was so proud of her calmness and realized although it does not seem like she is always listening, maybe the important things do get through. It is amazing that such little events for our children have such an impact on us their parents. I look forward to my children surprising me every day!

Sissy about to attempt a running pass on the mat!

MARY ELIZABETH "SISSY" - 10 YEARS OLD
The brave little chick I’d like to tell you about is my 10 year old daughter Mary Elizabeth Scout, Sissy to her family and close friends. She’s very tiny for her age but packs a whole lot of muscle and energy into her little frame. Sissy has been practicing gymnastics since she was three. At that age it was just for fun. When she turned seven she joined the local competitive gymnastics team. The evening before her first meet she came to me with tears in her eyes. “What if I fall? What if I forget my routine?” I told her she’d be fine despite the pit of nervousness in my stomach. She’d be out there all alone on that mat, on that skinny balance beam. What if she did fall? I couldn’t run out there to help her. What if she did forget her routine? She’d have to fend for herself, with all of those eyes on her. I hardly slept.

To make a long story short, she did fall, she did forget part of her routine. But the most amazing thing happened. She got back on the beam. She smiled at the judge. She finished her routine on the floor and smiled there, too. At the end of the meet they announced the awards. Her ribbons weren’t blue or red, for first or second. She place so far out in some events that the ribbons had stripes and stars because they’d run out of colors. I prepared myself for her tears. I practiced the words I would use ease her disappointment. I watched her little blonde head weaving its way through the crowd toward me. Much to my surprise she emerged with an enormous smile on her face. “I had so much fun!” she said.

Sissy continued to practice her routines that year, plugging away at the skills that gave her trouble. She would occasionally come home telling me that this teammate or that had perfected the skill that was eluding her. Very often she had to work harder than the other girls. But work she did. As the year progressed her position on the podium got higher and higher. At the final meet of the year, Sissy won first place all-around at the biggest meet, Regionals. “I had so much fun!” was the first thing she said to me as she handed me her enormous trophy and ran off to giggle with her friends. First place or last, she has the same smile.

The following year it was the back-handspring that gave her trouble. She’d fall on her head, fall on an elbow, twist a wrist. It hurt. It was scary. She never gave up. Again, as the year progressed, her place on the podium got higher and higher. We traveled six hours to Maine for Regionals. Floor was her last event. As she marched out there my palms got sweaty and my heart was racing. The apprehension was all over her face. She performed beautifully through her routine but the back-handspring came last. The music rose in anticipation of the final pass. Sissy moved to the corner of the mat and took a deep breath. I will never in my life forget the look on her face. It laid bare her inner struggle of fear against determination. “I really don’t want to do this but I’m going to do it anyway,” is what it seemed to say. Well, she did it anyway. And won Regionals for the second year in a row.

This year it’s the kip that gave her trouble. It’s a move on the uneven bars that has the girls swinging themselves from beneath the bar to above it. All the girls had to work hard to get this skill but Sissy had to work the hardest, it seemed. Again, in true Sissy style, she never gave up. The day she finally got her kip her coach and I both had tears in our eyes. Six months of hard work went into acquiring this skill. That’s a long time when you’re 10.

Sissy can’t understand what’s brave about her. She says, “how can I be brave when I’m afraid to go out there sometimes?” At 10, she thinks being brave means not being afraid. At 40, I know that it’s about being afraid but doing it anyway.

Karin & Betsy - Their first Mission for Mommom

KARIN - 20 SOMETHING
My Mommom was, for all intents and purposes, my mom, short of giving birth to me. I lived with her as a child because my parents were too young . So, I spent my years as a small child living with her...and consequently, developed the mother-daughter bond with her. Although I later lived with my mother, my Mommom always remained my Mommy...she was the one I wanted when I was sick, when I was scared, when I was sad, when I found a great bargain at Kohl's...the list goes on. Unfortunately, she passed away nine months ago from cancer. While she is gone – she will never be forgotten.

When my Mommom was diagnosed with cancer, my sister Betsy and I decided to try and channel our energies into positive experiences and activities. Our first “mission for Mommom” was for the Pantene’s “Beautiful Lengths” program – a cancer related program that donates real hair wigs to women in need. Even before my Mommom’s passing, we started growing our hair long enough (minimum 8 inches) to be able to donate to this worthy program. Last August, I drove to Chicago to meet Betsy for our “haircuts”. We went to the salon proudly donning our One Brave Chick shirts.

Since then, Betsy and I have spent these past nine months trying to honor our mom and put our energy to good use…energy that would otherwise be spent being sad. She completed the American Lung Association’s Bike Trek in Chicago and raised $10,000 for the organization. I am currently training to run the Caesar Rodney half marathon next month, which benefits the ALA. I’m also fundraising and I’ve raised about $600 so far. Somehow, it makes me feel a little teeny tiny bit better about the whole thing when I do things to honor and remember her and keep her spirit alive.

Well Hillary, Mary Elizabeth and Karin - you not only make your families proud but you make us here are One Brave Chick proud also. We are inspired by the smiles on your faces and a "one brave chick" attitude in your hearts. We are proud of your spirits, your attitudes and your examples. May you always carry your "one brave chick" attitude with you throughout your lives! You Go Girls!!!<<Previous Chick Next Chick>>