She instituted this great idea of a "Button Swap" and I've been sporting her great button on the side bar for the whole month. (Go ahead, click on it; I know you want to!) Thanks, Molly for swapping buttons and posts with me!
Here's the post she's sweetly written for Of Such is the Kingdom today...
Whenever I think of Olivia, I always flash back to a conversation we had about opening a dance studio. You see we share (among other things) a passion for dance. Though the conversation couldn’t have lasted more than maybe ten minutes, it burned its way into my heart and has found a permanent spot there.
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We stood in an almost empty class room at the YMCA. We were sweaty
from having just finished a class and our bodies were pumped full of exercise
endorphins. We dreamed out loud
together. We imagined where our studio would be. We talked about opening it
up to the community and offering all different kinds of dance for a variety of
age groups. I silently imagined stretching myself as an entrepreneur and making
a living doing what I love. We were fearless in our dreaming. Olivia pushed me
and encouraged me and because of her I believed it was possible. We were dreaming with abandon. For me,
it was a special moment.
It shouldn’t have surprised me that Olivia and I might have
that sort of conversation. She has a history of making my seemingly impossible
dreams a reality.
I first met Olivia several years ago when I was working at a
Non-Profit Pregnancy Care Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It had been my
dream to create a class for the expectant mothers (and fathers) that we served.
I wanted the class to provide practical infant care information. I longed for it
to not only educate but to create community for these girls; many of whom had
very limited support systems. I wanted the class to offer quality information
without feeling super academic and stuffy.
But because I wasn’t a mother, I knew I didn’t want to teach
the class and it would be very difficult for me to write the curriculum. I
wanted it to be taught by real women in the community with real parenting
experience.
Enter Olivia.
I knew from the moment I met her she was a force to be
reckoned with. In no time flat Olivia
wrote the curriculum. Then she and one of our board members gathered a group of
their friends, convinced them to volunteer their time to teach the class, and
made it happen.
She took my dream and made it a reality. It was amazing. It
was inspirational. It was a total gift. Olivia created a hands-on, hearts-open
environment for our clients. They learned together, built relationships and in
the process lives were changed.
You see, dreaming
together is a powerful thing. But watching a dream come true is even more
powerful. It is a true bonding experience. So you can imagine that while
Olivia and I don’t get to spend time together now that I’m in Chicago, she will
always occupy a special place in my heart.
Sometimes I wonder if I had stayed in Chattanooga would that
10 minute conversation about the dance studio have grown into something more?
Because if I’ve learned anything in the short time that I’ve known Olivia, it
is that she is a fearless dreamer who turns those dreams into reality.
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Do you have a friend that encourages you to dream?
Molly is a social media junkie with a thirst for life long learning and
an appetite for cupcakes. Currently she can be found falling madly in love with
Chicago and chronicling the whole affair at her blog A Foreign Land. (http://www.aforeignland.org/) She also tweets up a storm under the guise
of @mollypg. (https://twitter.com/mollypg)
Though she doesn’t
have that studio we dreamed of yet,
your little ones do
have a chance to cultivate a passion for dance with Miss Olivia.
Learn more on the Miss Olivia’s Ballet (http://missoliviasballet.blogspot.com/)
blog.
I'm blushing. : ) Thanks so much for all your sweetness, Molly, dear! I hope everyone will promptly hop right over to A Foreign Land and check out Chicago. Oh, and if anyone else is interested in guest posting on Of Such is the Kingdom, please let me know. This is fun!
So fun. You are both beautiful dreamers and you inspire me!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your space with me today, Olivia. It was a pleasure to swap with you!
ReplyDeleteI do have a friend like Olivia! Her name is Helen. We were having lunch in a restaurant one day, sitting under a display of some photos. I looked up at them and said, "I could do this!" She asked me what was stopping me? I told her I have the prints, but no start-up for matting and framing. She wrote me a check on the spot for $200!
ReplyDeleteShe also talked to the manager right then and told him I was a photographer and asked if they needed any more photos. He said yes, and showed me two walls that were empty.
That night I created a name for my photography business, and within two weeks I had business cards, a web site, and 8 framed prints ready to hang.
Within two months I had prints hanging in two places and had sold two prints!
Since then we've brainstormed getting her music recorded, building a theater group, and creating a Christian artist's cooperative to inspire, encourage, network, and support local artists.
Without Helen, none of this would have happened. She has a vision to help people realize their dreams and she has helped me bring my dreams to life!
http://www.phainophotography.com
I love this story!!! What a blessing Helen is. Totally inspiring.
DeleteBest of luck in all of your endeavors.
{I'm headed to check out your photography now!}
What a very cool and inspiring story!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heather. It was fun sharing it here.
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