Perspective...

We were watching the finals of the men's moguls and a Canadian won gold.

Their first gold on home soil...

then there was some backstory....


I really wasn't paying close attention to the pre-run stuff...

I was pretty excited about the Montanan in place to win a medal...

but remember the commentators saying something about Alexandre Bilodeau...

wanting to dedicate his run to his brother.


Turns out his brother has cerebral palsy...is in a wheelchair, can walk some...but skis.

Alexandre talked about his brother being an inspiration for him...that he doesn't complain...

even though, according to Alexandre, he has every right to.


Sarala had been put to bed...and even though it is Valentine's Day and all...I figured I would take the pics off my phone and download to the computer.

I hadn't pulled any of the pictures I've received via text...figured it was time to put them on the computer.

Crystal had sent a pic by text that I had forgotten all about...

a simple picture...

but one that brought back a storm of emotion.


This is an amazing picture.

Simple...yet beautiful.

Full of joy...

a small child that looks for joy in everything she encounters.


This was taken last Spring...right after another visit to Children's.

This is when Sarala was first diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

We had left Children's...

had some lunch at Blueberry Hill...

and Sarala wanted to see the penguins at the zoo.



Though this was something that we had anticipated...prepared for...as much as we could, it was still tough...

and can be tough at times still...

to acknowledge the reality of her situation.

It is mild cerebral palsy, but most people see it as cerebral palsy...plain and simple.

It's irritating...causes anger that this label...diagnosis...could be used to define her...even if you've never met her.

We just had an underwriter for life insurance reject her due to cerebral palsy.

Dumb.

If you met her, and most of you have...she's normal.

She has problems with her legs every now and then, but really...we have been blessed in the mildness of her condition.

After her birth...looking at all of her issues, complications...we knew that we could deal with something someday.

Though miraculous things had happened all through the time she was in San Fran...the time she spent in the hospital...we knew that it would be smart to keep an eye on her.

We just decided that we would take everything as it came...there wasn't any use worrying about it...just acknowledge it and move forward.

God had already done some amazing things at this point...and is continuing to do things that can only be attributed to something bigger.


The diagnosis has caused some things to happen that wouldn't have happened if she didn't have the diagnosis.

She is receiving physical therapy as a result...and is making beautiful progress.



I hate that she has to wear these things...but they aren't that invasive...and Sarala thinks of them as her boots.

She loves running around in them.

So...I look at these pictures...

and it reminds me of a God who we can only describe as

loving...

merciful...

awesome...

powerful.


I leave you with this...

God's love...what reminders are present around you?

God's love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
slips through the cracks.
Psalm 36:5-6