"Every hour we spent together lives within my heart" -- from a sarah mclachlan song

Winnie is a girl who wants to be able to do certain gymnastics moves and she's willing to put in the work and make it happen. First there was the cartwheel -- which she has not stopped doing since she learned how four or so years ago. Then she had a desire to do a roundoff, then a need to do a front walkover.

This years goal was the back walkover. She had all the lead in skills in place, but just needed that last bit of trust to flip herself back and believe that she would land where she was supposed to (and that her spotter really had her back).

Tonight was the night!

She did it twice!

She looked up to where I was on the windowed observation level -- she beamed and mouthed, "did you see me? I did it!"

"Yes!" -- big thumbs up.

At that very moment -- from the dance class in the next room -- Sarah McLachlin starts singing the Jessie song.

I was glad I was at the end of the row of chairs and that nobody was next to me because first the chin quiver and then the blithering. I was choking back sobs.

SOBS!

What on earth? I almost had to walk out of the room -- it was the perfect sentimental storm.

I would have been fine with a back walkover -- "great!" -- thumbs up, brief moment of pride, and that would have been the end of it. "The Jessie song" kills me anyway, but to have it go off at that moment was like a time machine and I was experiencing two special moments in time, all at once.

Jessie was Winnie's second love (Barbie Rapunzel was the first, but Jessie was a much deeper and more meaningful relationship). The moment I was transported to this evening was a time where I heard a little Winnie singing that song and when I went to peek on her, she was dancing with her Jessie Doll -- complete with loving twirls around the room. I watched the whole thing without being discovered and it was about as precious as watching a kid and favorite toy gets.

My baby is nine and she can do a back walkover.