A Thank You Letter to Arnold's Martial Arts:

To Arnold's Martial Arts:

We have been happily a part of your team and family for two years now. I brought Olivia into your dojo shortly after she was bullied in Kindergarten, and after only two classes we knew she needed to be here. But not only have you changed our daughter's life in two years, you changed our family's lives and for that we will forever be eternally grateful to you.

Whether it's having fun while learning to spar (yeah don't give her the chance again Mr. Colton!! haha), or being serious and learning every single pattern move tight and strong you always make sure that Olivia has the best time in every class. She knows that if she's called out for a wrong thing that it just means to work harder and listen more and you make sure she keeps pushing herself to be the best she can be. She still tells her friends all about the Ascent tournament, and the Black Belt Show and how much she wants to be just like the ladies of the dojo!

 

We have come to feel that you all are family, not just wonderful instructors and listeners. There are times where I feel so overwhelmed by everything happening with Olivia but then we come to your dojo, and I watch her work with you on the mat and it just changes everything. By the time we leave even though I didn't physically do anything, there's a sense of renewed energy and pride in hopes of the next day becoming even better and it's because of how you all are. You're always smiling, and helping and hoping the kids leave better than they walked in. You're just an incredible family and an incredible group of people to know.

I cherish this video deeply, because this showed me just how much what you do stays with children even when they are having memory difficulties and going through so much. It had been three months since Olivia had even attempted this pattern, yet not even half an hour with Ms. Haleigh and she was able to bring back that muscle memory and that confidence to remember everything. With this, we knew she could continue working with the classes and continue on in her young career and that's what we wanted with her epilepsy, to not allow it to hold her down. 

To Ms. Haleigh:

I sit here even now almost choking up as I write this because it's been a rough couple of years for our daughter, and yet you have been right there every step of the way. When we first thought she had ADHD/OCD/Anxiety you listened to me as I tried not to turn into a tearful mess before you discussing how I was unsure she could continue in classes without it appearing she wasn't trying or didn't care. But you knew; You knew what was best for her in your dojo. When you came to the hospital to visit when she was being confirmed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, I cried so many times at home after that. Olivia knew at that point that at any time she could come to you and confide in you, or hold her Haleigh-Teddy when she was in pain or scared (which she still does just FYI!). You have made this experience so amazing and powerful, and to know that you and your family still pray for Olivia and us and you keep an eye on us just helps me to know that we're not alone in this here. I have not been a following Christian since I was a teenager; I follow the path of Wicca and the Goddess. Yet I believe that God is speaking through you as you help children who need that extra hand in their lives. I truly believe that the work you do is by God's hand and will, and I know that you bring that love to our daughter. Olivia is strong, confident, sure of herself, and that is because of the power you have given her to believe in herself even when medically she can't be sure everything will be alright. Thank you Ms. Haleigh, for everything.

To those in the Texoma area, who want to have something special for their child: Check out Arnold's Martial Arts in Sherman. No, I am not sponsored for this statement, nor is it affiliated with this blog in any way. I am merely a mother of a soon-to-be purple belt who has crawled from being a bullied young girl and a medically misdiagnosed child, to a strong and confident young lady with Epilepsy who knows she has family inside and outside of our home. Thank you Arnolds. 

Elizabeth is a wife to her wonderful husband, a work at home mother to her beautiful little girl and a blogger for some time now. When she isn't spending time with her "Livvybug", or laughing with her husband, she is looking for new review opportunities and writing or singing along to classic rock and pop music!