In case you've been living under a giant copy of the U.S. Constitution, the Broadway show Hamilton is on everyone's must-see bucket list, if they can get tickets! Not surprisingly, the buzzworthy musical cleaned up at the Tony Awards on Sunday, including a win in the Best Featured Actress category for Renée Elise Goldsberry.
During her acceptance speech, the 45-year-old actress put her success into perspective, however, declaring that her kids are her real award. Clutching her Tony, she said, "I would just love to say that if you know anything about me you know I have spent the last 10 years of my life but some would consider the life blood of a woman's career just trying to have children. And I get to testify in front of all of you that the Lord gave me Benjamin and Brielle and he still gave me this."
Chills. Because sometimes I also feel too lucky. I have the children I've always dreamed of, a supportive husband, and a great career.
*Pinches self*
Meanwhile, yes, successes in your career do mean a lot—after all, it isn't easy being a working mom, to put it mildly—but as Goldsberry revealed to People.com, "People have been saying, this is a dream come true. And it is a dream come true. But in a different way. What I did pray about for the last 10 years is my family. Because I used to always say, if at the end of my life, I'm surrounded by Tonys and Oscars and Emmys, I don't think it's going to feel as good when I [pass] as it would feel as if I'm surrounded by a lot of children and grandchildren."
Exactly. A job can't hold your hand on your death bed. Said less dramatically, children can cuddle, and kiss, and love, and laugh; you tickle them, hold their hands, and feel their sweet breath on your cheek. None of those things can be said about any job.
Goldsberry says not only have her children put her career success into perspective, they also made worrying about her body postpartum seem rather silly. "And maybe by the grace of God, it was challenging for me," the actress admitted, adding, "It didn't come so easily, which is probably a good thing, because I would have spent too much time worrying about stretch marks. I didn't have the luxury about being stressed out about superficial things, because I knew very early on when we started trying that for us to have children it was going to be a miracle."
Well, miracles do happen. Congratulations, Renée Elise, on everything.
Melissa Willets is a writer/blogger and a mom. Follow her on Twitter (@Spitupnsuburbs), where she chronicles her love of exercising and drinking coffee, but never simultaneously.
