I am SO PROUD of my youngest child today who got into the final of the public speaking competition at his school, having never spoken in front of an audience before. There were five of them in total from their year. Three girls and two boys. Interesting how much better the girls are at reading aged 11 – but they were all amazing. They had to read an excerpt from Oliver Twist, recite a poem called the “The Listeners” by Walter de la Mare (which was 36 lines long and complicated) and write a speech on the subject of “What It Means To Be Brave”….
They all did an amazing job. Most of them talked about famous people in their speech. My son did something a little different – wrote about a boy he knew.
Here is what he wrote:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BRAVE?
Being brave is a very personal thing and each and every one of us has their own definition of what it means to be brave. You can be adventurous and do things like climb mountains and jump out of aeroplanes or it can involve a different sort of bravery – like when you have to stand up for yourself or your friends because of bullying, or battling cancer or fighting in a war.
Life is like a big race with many hurdles in front of you and some of us choose to stop at the first hurdle whilst others find way to get over that hurdle. A child’s first steps, the first day of school, doing exams, going in to a room full of people that you have never met before – even standing here today in front of you – all these thing take courage.
Sometimes bravery isn’t loud and doesn’t roar. Sometimes it’s just a quiet word in your bed at night that says “I will try again tomorrow”. To illustrate my point I want to tell you about a boy I knew when I was at primary school.
He was several years below me and he had to walk with the help of crutches. Every year on sports day he would participate in some of the events. It was clear that he was scared to enter the main running race because of his difficulty in walking and the fear that he would be laughed at. But one year, despite this, he arrived at the beginning of the race and said he wanted to join in. He was given a head start and when the whistle blew he hobbled off on his crutches and started running. He fell over and we were all shocked and worried for him. But he got up again and ran a little further. Fell over again. Got up again. The crowd were clapping and cheering loudly, keeping him going, willing him to get to the end. He was, of course, last. But that didn’t matter to him or anyone else, what mattered was that he had given it a go. He had tried his hardest and he said to himself “I will keep going and never give up”.
I will never forget what I learnt from him that day.
He is the bravest boy I have ever met and he gave me a message of hope that I will hold on to forever. It is not always about winning – it is about taking part, no matter how difficult that can be sometimes and it is about believing in yourself so that you can be the best that you can be.
If you are brave then you can do anything.
He didn’t win, but never mind…..as he said, it’s not about winning, it’s about taking part.
Anna
May 23, 2012Oh my God, I had tears in my eyes. What a heart.
Janelle
May 23, 2012Oooooooh….that made me cry…..brilliant and soooo touching… Xxx
Eclipse
May 23, 2012Wow, that’s really beautiful and brought a tear or two to my eye. Seems like your son has another gift besides cooking 🙂
Family Affairs
May 23, 2012I know, was very moving Lx
Family Affairs
May 23, 2012From my Canadian cousin:-
We are so impressed by what he wrote. What a heart that boy has. All your children, actually. Anyone from your family that I’ve ever met is brave. This is one of the “redeeming” qualities that is innate in your clan. It was one of the first things I noticed about my husband when I met him. Fortune favors the brave.
Family Affairs
May 23, 2012Thanks Anna – Bravehearts – that must be our clan then!! x