My mom recently sent me a link to a Client Spotlight video that is posted about her at the the Project Walk website. Project walk is a physical therapy program specifically for people with spinal cord injury, and my mom has been going there for therapy for almost a year now. I’d explain it all, but really it is better explained by the video, you can watch it HERE.

I watched it this morning, and I teared up a bit. I really wanted to write a whole thing about how it made me feel to watch it, how I feel pretty much every time I see her working, persevering, thriving really…. but as I sit down to do so, for once words pretty much fail me.

Most of the time it is easy to forget I think how much the accident has affected her life, because, well she hasn’t let it affect us – she is still the amazing mom and grandmother, she is still encouraging and selfless, and she still does all the “normal” things she used to with us, she’ll meet me to go shopping or have us for dinner, she’ll hold/cuddle/change her grandbabaies, even drive to my house and takes my kids for the weekend with out a second thought. But then sometimes like now just hits me how hard she works just to live that “normal” that we all take for granted. How much she’s been through… how we almost lost her…

…it makes me feel sad – as i soak it all in…. I know that in reality paralysis has profoundly changed my moms life, I know that she struggles, I know she’s in pain… and I know she’s protected my sisters and I from feeling the burden for that.

More than anything though, I feel proud. My mom is the strongest person I have ever known, and it is amazing to think about how she has really prevailed, over all the negative, and how she is working so hard, not losing her drive to be better (she’s always had that by the way) and how she is getting stronger and stronger. How she hasn’t let it make her bitter or angry, how she is… her…

Words just don’t seem to capture it all well enough – but I thought maybe all of you could use a little inspiration, a reminder of the strength of the human spirit, and the amazing grace of God, and I was thinking that my mom deserves a post, just to tell her that she amazes me every day….

I love you mom.