Almost a Whole Year Home!

This is a big week for Bella - she will get to celebrate Gotcha Day on the 12th and her Homecoming on the 14th. As the dates get closer, I'm finding I am more emotional about them than I thought I'd be. I was looking through last year's photos, and decided to take a photo today and do a side-by-side comparison. Just look at her! When she came home, her legs were tightly scissored, feet were twisted, and her arms were bent and tucked tightly against her body most of the time. She couldn't raise them above her head. Her hands were clenched in tight fists most of the time too, and although she LOVED being outside, the sunlight hurt her eyes (even in the shade) for weeks. You can see the pain in the grimace on her face - I remember that day. She badly wanted to be out doing what the other kids were doing and was fighting through it. It was sad. That's what happens when you spend every single day for years on end lying in the same bed - eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom on the same mattress 12 inches away from your bed mate. You become so badly damaged that things like movement and sunshine cause pain. But God preserved her spirit, and now the rest of her is being restored to her fullest. She will never even remotely resemble most of us in terms of physical ability, but I am willing to bet most of us will never remotely resemble her in terms of joy and contentment . I am so proud of her.