Perseverance

Today's gift is perseverance.

Every day my daughter is very persistent in her actions.  She pushes along daily in everything she does despite the difficulty or the obstacles she faces to prove herself.  I admire her determination and will.

I have mentioned in past posts how regaining her strength to walk again had been a challenge for her over the summer.....actually since December.   In March we started physical therapy at a new location and by May she was walking again....and now running!  Everyone who sees her is amazed!

She has not seen her orthopedist in six months and today was our check up.  The last time he saw her, she was walking hunched over and was walking with assistance.   He told us in April...it will take time.  Time...I thought....what time.  She had surgery in September, shouldn't she be walking now????

I never thought her recovery would be as long as it had been.

Throughout my complaining for not having "my" daughter back to the way she "was" before surgery.........you know who never complained.....not once........my daughter.

It was today at the doctor's office when the nurse lit up when she saw my daughter walking down the hall....all....by....herself....when my light bulb went off!  They asked me, who the "magical" physical therapist was....and at this moment, I realized it was my daughter!

Yes, it was also her PT team for not only believing in her, but pushing her.  However, if she didn't perform and continue to perform outside of physical therapy, we would not be where we are today.   She was persistent....she wanted to walk again...she wanted to run again....nothing was going to get in her way.   She was stubborn and had every right to be!

I wanted "my" daughter back, not really realizing all the hard work to get her back to where she needed to be, was work she had to do....not me.  I was not the one in physical therapy twice a week being stretched beyond my comfort level.  I was not the one learning to walk again, let alone with a brace on.  I was not the one who was fatiguing easier as I was working double time.  I was not doing anything other than driving her to therapy and being her cheerleader.

She.  Did.  Everything.

And just like the doctor said....it will take time.  It did, but also thanks to her perseverance.

Here are some quotes for today...

Permanence, perseverance, and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak - Thomas Carlyle

Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance- Samuel Johnson

Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th- Julie Andrews

Never, never, never give up- Winston Churchill