Choosing Hope

I came across one of my favorite quotes today.  Christopher Reeves, who I admire for his courage and strength, said, "Once you choose hope, anything is possible".  Hope is one of my favorite words, and yet often I forget to practice it.

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the phone calls that need to be made and the appointments and referrals and therapies.  Medication, orthodontics, homework, and stretching routines.  My job, college classes (what was I thinking!), and elderly parents.

 I am grateful for the team of people who teach, care for, and encourage Miss Angela.  There so many!!  When I am distracted, they are not.  I am humbled when I receive phone calls, texts, and emails about something new that Angela's school team wants to try.  It is almost always a strategy to give her more independence and to advance her ever-growing skill set.  And, it is almost always something I did not consider possible for her.  It happened this week and I had to consider whether I have been holding her back. with my distractions and my concerns.

I don't mean to limit her, I really don't.  I, of all people, know how incredibly amazing she is.  How far she has come.  I just think of her as needing a lot of help.  In some ways, she does.  But it is time for me to realize that she is very able in so many ways and she wants to be independent.  This weekend, Toby and I came downstairs to find she had made us coffee!!

I thought that I was pretty progressive and well-informed about Angela's needs.  Now, I realize that it is time to stop worrying about regression and the return of seizures, or worse.  Time to hope and time to celebrate.  And to be grateful, so grateful, for the people who ignore what could be and focus on the girl in front of them who can do pretty much anything she decides to do.