Frozen Dreams

Gay-Lynn glided swiftly around the edge of the frozen pond. She had always wanted to skate and this rough surface was her learning ground. Initially, she had joined her friends, watching and learning as she observed the side to side motion of their blades circumventing the outer edge of the pond.

Gay-Lynn was a small girl in stature but she made up for it in spirit. She at only ten years old was determined she would become the next Janet Lynn of the skating world. Now, many of you readers may not be familiar with Janet, several decades have now passed. Janet was an Olympic skater back in 1972 winning a bronze medal for the U.S.A.

Gay-Lynn would put on her skates, departing immediately through the snow of the cold Canadian winter to the pond. She would skate for hours as her soul lost itself in the icy air she breathed. Soul and body reuniting only when her physical body became too cold to continue. Like the snow bird descending in flight she would retire home to warm her frozen feet and de-ice her hair. The beckon of nature's peaceful call would summon and she would return to the ice. The winters are long in Canada and she became a well practiced and proficient skating artist.

Gay-Lynn's parents recognized her abilities and sought a professional instructor in Regina. Gay-Lynn was exhilarated! She could visualize her Olympic goal nearing. Lessons cemented her grit and focused her mind on her sport. Every free moment was spent at the rink perfecting her art. Her heart and soul was dedicated to skating!

Far too often in life our goals are thwarted. It is sadly, frequently, those that are closest to us, the ones we love the most , that create detours to our chosen pathways. This is not always an intentional obstruction, but those that love us can be overly consumed by their own personal issues or desires, thus failing to see the gifts or the extent of abilities in others. Gay-Lynn's father had been a survivor of World War II. He had gone to war at the young age of eighteen. He had not ever fully recovered from the tragedies of that war. Her mother was an only child whose father had abandoned her. They both suffered insecurities. It was hard for them to give the credit to their three children that they deserved. Her parents were struggling to find their own self worth on the curve ball of life they had been thrown.

Gay-Lynn's father worked in the oil industry. People were often transferred from location to location in this business. Gay-Lynn had never lived anywhere for more than four years. She was now a fourteen year old adolescent with lofty goals. She came home from the rink one fateful day and her parents revealed they were to be transferred to Calgary. Gay-Lynn's heart sank. What about skating? She lived, breathed, and ate skating! What about her best friend Brenda? She and Brenda were constant companions both being at the rink every possible moment. They had even shared stitches a week apart when they had both busted their chins open when failing to land a jump on the ice. Gay-Lynn was assured by her parents that her skating would continue. Calgary was a larger metropolis and should have affored her More opportunity, but alas this was not to be so!

Parents can be wonderful, but they can also be Fickle. In Gay-Lynn's case this turned out to be the latter situation. Gay-Lynn's parents did not totally ignore the skating. They did make half hazard attempts at finding a place to skate with a great coach, but always came up with numerous excuses as to why each of these places was not feasible. Gay-Lynn NEVER got to attend a single skating lesson again from then on out. She felt deceived and suffered issues of trust.

When parents break our hearts and destroy our dreams it is hard to find equilibrium. I think Gay-Lynn would venture to say the real issues were monetary and that her parents did not want to verbalize their financial struggles. Gay-Lynn did not let her disappointment rip apart her Love and continued to be devoted to her parents.

Calgary is sourrounded by mountains and Gay-Lynn redesigned her goals. This time it would be skiing that edged it's way under her skin. There are many ski areas with various levels of runs in the 80 miles from Calgary to Banff. This became Gay-Lynn's weekend destination. She threw all the unresolved burning fire that she had for skating into her skiing. She excelled and was soon doing 360 degree turns down the slopes.

Disappointment always has a way of trickling into our lives when you least expect. Gay-Lynn's Mom became deathly ill and spent a month in the hospital. Her Mom needed ongoing care after discharge and during this occurance her father was transferred to yet another rather undesirable place in Wyoming. Jackson Hole, a great skii area is in Wyoming but Gay-Lynn would be far away from Jackson Hole. The only place to ski around there had icy and dangerous runs. The skiis got put away.

The winter girl transformed to summer girl. This time she honed her skills on water skiing. It is not surprising that she achieved sucess at this sport as well.

Life's road twisted again and she moved to Oklahoma. Her parents were advancing in years and so soon followed. She spent much of her time after that as a caregiver to them. She missed out on many of her own wishes and replaced them with those of others around her.

Why my readers do I share this story? We are constantly faced with challenging obstacles in our path of life. We can not be the ice breaking into cracks as it melts in the warmth of the sun. The sun's heat is good, but it brings change. The ice begins to melt and once again becomes part of the pond. The life under the ice emerges renewed and fresh. Just like Gay-Lynn we must constantly find rebirth. We must take the path of new roads and see where they lead. We can NOT dwell in the past and we CAN NOT exist in the future for WE ARE HERE AND MUST LIVE NOW!