THERE IS NO GREATER GIFT UNTIL WE MISS IT

I know I take for granted too much in my life. My wife and kids, my health and my talents no matter how limited they are. But God forbid I should lose one of these and I will become lop-sided and lost. Stopping to smell the roses is always a great idea, taking time off from everything that dominates your life or dictates what you must do, refreshes your outlook as you stop to look around.

Years ago when I met my wife, I found her so special I wanted to be with her every day, seven days a week. Once we married things had to change, the want was there but there was no practicality to it, life took over. I got up, went to work and came home dog-tired from the day of commuting and working, of competing and trying to advance to provide for her. She was and still remains the center of my life, but there are ties I don’t think about her as often when life takes over.

In January, my daughter Ellen with multiple disabilities fell and broke her leg. Not only was it upsetting, and distressing for all of us, after a while I missed her being able to walk. As the months passed, she slowly came around and is now walking again. In my heart was broken all that time because she owns a tremendous spirit and will, she is stubborn as her father and more determined than anyone I ever met. With her disabilities, she has taught me that in life you take what they give you and use it to the best of your abilities. She can’t talk, she has the verbal and mental capacity of an 8-month old. But she finds ways for me to understand her and I try to anticipate her every need so as to not have her get frustrated.

A few days ago her agency came to the rehab house she recovering in to evaluate her progress and see if she could go home after all these months. The staff and I went up to her room and waited while the PT staff from the rehab center went to get her.

Well when she entered the room, I almost lost it. She walked into the room, and an explosion of joy rippled throughout the room, the five people from the agency not expecting her to walk in. She has made the most difficult journey since she was born, she won!

I missed her walking because her not walking depressed me. She so very little in life as it is, but to take her freedom away from her, her ability to walk just killed me