[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
my daughter is the best thing that ever
happened to me
I call her my life’s greatest teacher
she has this amazing way of keeping me
grounded and present and playful while
at the same time pushing me to imagine
create and soar she inspires me every
single day to be a better person and to
live a better life
I remember once about five years ago we
were in the car on the highway on our
way to meet her father so they could
have their weekend visit and when we go
on car rides we listen to the music and
sing at the very top of our lungs we
play car games we make up our own
corney’s like jokes and we crack
ourselves up and we have mini car dance
jams so we’re in the car and we’re on
our way and we’re having our little
adventure and she’s so excited and we’re
jamming to the music and my phone rings
and it’s her father so I turned the
music down and I take the call hello
Maria am I on speaker no why what’s up
Maria I’m not gonna be able to see her
this weekend what are you talking about
we’re almost there yeah Maria I know but
I’m not gonna be able to see her
something came up no no you’re not gonna
do this to her again Maria I can’t
something came up okay then you’re gonna
tell her I’m gonna pass her the phone
and you’re gonna tell her Maria I can’t
no I’m gonna pass her the phone and
you’re going to tell her Maria I can’t
and then he
so I called him back and it rang and
then it went to voicemail I called again
and it rang and went to voicemail
I called a third time straight to
voicemail when we go on these car trips
she sits right behind me so that I can
look up and talk to her through the
rearview mirror and I look up and she’s
singing and she’s dancing and she’s
happy and I have to tell her I have to
tell her that he’s not gonna be there
again so I turn off the music
baby girl I am so sorry
but your dad is not gonna be able to see
you this weekend and then she sat up
like she didn’t hear me what yeah your
dad just called and he said he’s not
gonna be able to see you this weekend
something came up and then she sat back
and she got really quiet and we drove
like that quiet for a few seconds but it
felt like forever and then she said mom
I need to be sad right now okay baby
and then she started crying and it was a
heavy and painful cry and I felt extreme
anger towards him overwhelming sadness
for her and terrible helplessness as her
mother I look up and I look at my little
girl and she’s covered in sadness and
tissues and there’s nothing I can do I
want to save her from this but I can’t I
get off the highway I loop around we get
back on and start heading back home and
just as my mind starts to go to that
really dark place
you know that place where I’m thinking
of all the things I’m gonna say to him
when I do get him on the phone she
interrupts me with a question mom what’s
good about this what I know there’s
something good about this but I can’t
think of it
can you help me so oh so it’s Friday and
on Fridays you get to sleep in my bed oh
that’s right I love sleeping in your bed
it’s so big and when I roll over I don’t
fall out yes Oh mom and it’s Friday that
means it’s movie night can we watch a
movie yeah baby it’s movie night oh and
can we have popcorn of course I think we
have popcorn at home Oh mom it can we
invite over the cousins yeah baby will
call the cousins when we get back and
for the rest of the ride home we went
back to the listing and planning and we
went back to smiling and laughing when
we got out the car as we were walking
towards the house I couldn’t help it I
had to ask baby girl you okay yeah mom
I’m okay are you still mad at your dad
no mom I forgive him he probably had
something really important to do so
later on that night after I put her to
bed in my bed of course after the movies
and the popcorn and the cousins I had to
sit and think about that drive I mean my
six-year-old took this potentially
traumatic event and flipped it and
decided it would be something wonderful
she reminded me about the power of
living honestly because we get to and
should be honest about how we feel
I need to be sad right now reminded me
that we deserve to give ourselves room
to process our emotions that crying is
an incredible release snot rags and all
and that when we’re done we should try
and really be done she reminded me that
we’re resilient and capable of taking
control of our stories and how they will
shape us we can take those stories at
anytime and make them lessons learned
and blessings counted we get to ask
ourselves what’s good about this of
every situation and we get to bask in
all that we have to be grateful for
right now and what good can come from
everything and anything she reminded me
that we need each other because we’re
not alone in our experiences and we’re
not alone on this planet can you help me
reminded me that sometimes we get so
caught up in our own messiness that we
just can’t see the good and reaching out
can make all the difference this story
was a moment in time but it was a moment
that impacted me for the better ever
since and not just me but today my
daughter and her father have a great
relationship and I know it has a lot to
do with who she is the questions she
chooses to ask and the way she uses her
stories to shape her life and I know
that if she can do it
we can too because you see when we
choose to operate from a place of
honesty and gratitude asking ourselves
continuously what’s good about this
what’s good about this we will find that
the good significantly outweighs the bad
we find connection in our vulnerability
we find hope in our gratitude freedom in
our forgiveness happy
in our stories and we will find what my
daughter used to call the goodest of all
the good things we find love and what’s
good about this
well everything thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
my daughter is the best thing that ever
happened to me
I call her my life’s greatest teacher
she has this amazing way of keeping me
grounded and present and playful while
at the same time pushing me to imagine
create and soar she inspires me every
single day to be a better person and to
live a better life
I remember once about five years ago we
were in the car on the highway on our
way to meet her father so they could
have their weekend visit and when we go
on car rides we listen to the music and
sing at the very top of our lungs we
play car games we make up our own
corney’s like jokes and we crack
ourselves up and we have mini car dance
jams so we’re in the car and we’re on
our way and we’re having our little
adventure and she’s so excited and we’re
jamming to the music and my phone rings
and it’s her father so I turned the
music down and I take the call hello
Maria am I on speaker no why what’s up
Maria I’m not gonna be able to see her
this weekend what are you talking about
we’re almost there yeah Maria I know but
I’m not gonna be able to see her
something came up no no you’re not gonna
do this to her again Maria I can’t
something came up okay then you’re gonna
tell her I’m gonna pass her the phone
and you’re gonna tell her Maria I can’t
no I’m gonna pass her the phone and
you’re going to tell her Maria I can’t
and then he
so I called him back and it rang and
then it went to voicemail I called again
and it rang and went to voicemail
I called a third time straight to
voicemail when we go on these car trips
she sits right behind me so that I can
look up and talk to her through the
rearview mirror and I look up and she’s
singing and she’s dancing and she’s
happy and I have to tell her I have to
tell her that he’s not gonna be there
again so I turn off the music
baby girl I am so sorry
but your dad is not gonna be able to see
you this weekend and then she sat up
like she didn’t hear me what yeah your
dad just called and he said he’s not
gonna be able to see you this weekend
something came up and then she sat back
and she got really quiet and we drove
like that quiet for a few seconds but it
felt like forever and then she said mom
I need to be sad right now okay baby
and then she started crying and it was a
heavy and painful cry and I felt extreme
anger towards him overwhelming sadness
for her and terrible helplessness as her
mother I look up and I look at my little
girl and she’s covered in sadness and
tissues and there’s nothing I can do I
want to save her from this but I can’t I
get off the highway I loop around we get
back on and start heading back home and
just as my mind starts to go to that
really dark place
you know that place where I’m thinking
of all the things I’m gonna say to him
when I do get him on the phone she
interrupts me with a question mom what’s
good about this what I know there’s
something good about this but I can’t
think of it
can you help me so oh so it’s Friday and
on Fridays you get to sleep in my bed oh
that’s right I love sleeping in your bed
it’s so big and when I roll over I don’t
fall out yes Oh mom and it’s Friday that
means it’s movie night can we watch a
movie yeah baby it’s movie night oh and
can we have popcorn of course I think we
have popcorn at home Oh mom it can we
invite over the cousins yeah baby will
call the cousins when we get back and
for the rest of the ride home we went
back to the listing and planning and we
went back to smiling and laughing when
we got out the car as we were walking
towards the house I couldn’t help it I
had to ask baby girl you okay yeah mom
I’m okay are you still mad at your dad
no mom I forgive him he probably had
something really important to do so
later on that night after I put her to
bed in my bed of course after the movies
and the popcorn and the cousins I had to
sit and think about that drive I mean my
six-year-old took this potentially
traumatic event and flipped it and
decided it would be something wonderful
she reminded me about the power of
living honestly because we get to and
should be honest about how we feel
I need to be sad right now reminded me
that we deserve to give ourselves room
to process our emotions that crying is
an incredible release snot rags and all
and that when we’re done we should try
and really be done she reminded me that
we’re resilient and capable of taking
control of our stories and how they will
shape us we can take those stories at
anytime and make them lessons learned
and blessings counted we get to ask
ourselves what’s good about this of
every situation and we get to bask in
all that we have to be grateful for
right now and what good can come from
everything and anything she reminded me
that we need each other because we’re
not alone in our experiences and we’re
not alone on this planet can you help me
reminded me that sometimes we get so
caught up in our own messiness that we
just can’t see the good and reaching out
can make all the difference this story
was a moment in time but it was a moment
that impacted me for the better ever
since and not just me but today my
daughter and her father have a great
relationship and I know it has a lot to
do with who she is the questions she
chooses to ask and the way she uses her
stories to shape her life and I know
that if she can do it
we can too because you see when we
choose to operate from a place of
honesty and gratitude asking ourselves
continuously what’s good about this
what’s good about this we will find that
the good significantly outweighs the bad
we find connection in our vulnerability
we find hope in our gratitude freedom in
our forgiveness happy
in our stories and we will find what my
daughter used to call the goodest of all
the good things we find love and what’s
good about this
well everything thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
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