Wish Upon A Star...

"When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you"

We sat on the outside deck of our own personal Disney Treehouse when my 5-year old Nephew said to me "Look Aunt Holly, the Stars..." and I thought "Make a Wish..." As cool as the stars were, they were no match for the Glow Stick Swords that he and I were using to play Pirate so the "Pirate Games" resumed.

Dashing around the darkened bedroom, just the two of us, fighting crocodiles under the bed and being jedi knights on top of the bed...this is what I will remember the most about our recent trip to Disney World.

There is decades of life experience between 5-years old and 41-years old but all it takes is some imagination (Thank you Figment!) and a few advil (can't move as quickly now as I did at 5-years old) and you can be a swash-buckling pirate, a jedi knight - and if your memory is good enough - you can even play "Dudly Do-Right" and introduce your two Nephews and two younger Sisters to the reasons why "You Must Pay the Rent / I Can't Pay the Rent" with a glow in the dark mustache/hair bow. (obscure Bullwinkle reference for the other "old" kids out there...)

"If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do"


There have been some big changes in my both my Nephews and Sister's life since this trip to Disney World - changes that happened almost immediately upon returning. I am proud of my family for rallying around them, in their time of need. For all the ups and downs that come from being in a big family, my Parents instilled in us the love and compassion for one another that allows us all (Parents and Sisters alike) to do whatever it takes to help the people we love. My husband, too, showed me once again, what a compassionate, smart, amazing man I have married.

I am proud of my Sister, for having the courage to make some tough decisions under the most heart-breaking of circumstances. The timing was incredibly unfair but she put aside her own needs to protect herself and her boys and her friends have rallied, sprinkling her with love and pixie dust and support. The path she finds herself on now has a few extra twists and turns, a few more challenges to overcome, on the road to her dreams but my Sister is one tough momma!  I know she will come out on top...

"Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true"

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind and it is a good reminder to me that the Family you build around you (not necessarily always biological family) needs to be strong, flexible and full of love and compassion  - because we never know when we might need "a safe place to land" when life throws us a curve...and it never hurts to "Wish upon a star..." because we can all use some pixie dust to lift us up and help us remember how wonderful it feels to be able to fly.