Acting and Self Confidence

Summer is in full swing. We have been busy going on little trips to the family cabin, fixing up old bikes to ride, canning every weekend, crafting, singing and just enjoying our free time.  One super cool thing Jasmine has done is gone to a few acting workshops with an amazing actress/producer.  Ever since Jasmine could talk, she has been well, theatrical.  She has always put on skits, little shows and talked about being a famous actress. However, she kind-of lost her spark for a while. That horrific family killed her spirit. She just became different. Broken. Shy. Unconfident.  We would occasionally see glimpses of the vibrant, charismatic, precocious, vivacious, theatric, hysterical and sparkling Jasmine that we knew...but the abuse had clouded over that for some time. She just had too much pain to really be free. To be her.  Slowly through her healing/recovery journey, we have been getting back to Jasmine.  We decided (after numerous people encouraging it, and her asking for it) to enroll her in some acting workshops, to let her try out her dream.  All in all, it has been a success.  She has had a taste of acting, and is in love. Its all she talks about now! She was telling me the other day "When (not if) I become a famous actress, I am going to buy you and daddy a beautiful house, with a farm, because you deserve it. But mostly, what I want to do with my celebrity is help other survivors. To start a foundation so that everyone can be educated and get help, and to end sexual abuse and assault. Also I want to help bullying. You know mama, bullies are pretty much as bad as sex offenders. I just want to make a difference."  It brought tears to my eyes.  I have always known that she, out of all people, would make a difference. With her compassion alone. I think Ive shared this before, but when we went for her first intake at CARES NW, she was more concerned about the other kiddos in the waiting room then herself. She asked me "Are these other kids here for the same thing I am?" I answered yes. she said "I really hope they dont feel as bad as I do, because that would break my heart"

Its amazing how far we have come. Jasmine still has rough days here and there, but for the most part, she is back to 'her' and is getting her confidence back.  You all should have seen her when she came back from her last acting workshop and was telling her daddy all of the nice things her acting coach had said about her...completely beaming she said "She said I was special!!"

We have always known that. And have always told her that, but now she is starting to believe it! And for that we will always be grateful to the acting coach! Looking forward to this next chapter.