Conquering Obstacles (Part 1--An Angel)

No matter how hard a person might try, what seems like insurmountable obstacles become a way of life whether they are financial, psychological, physical, emotional, marital, behavioral, medical, or unfortunately, a combination. No two people have identical lifetime experiences, nor do they handle similar situations in the same manner; but that's what makes each of us unique.

My father was a gruff-sounding, hard-working fellow that would give the shirt off his back to a perfect stranger, or loan money to a co-worker in need even though he himself was not wealthy by any means. He was outrageously opinionated, while my mother was a soft-spoken lady who made friends easily and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Everyone loved them both dearly.

Following my father's return from World War II, they became the proud parents of a bouncing baby girl--that would be ME! Weighing in at 5 lbs., 15 oz., I grew into a giggly, naturally curly-haired toddler who was undoubtedly their pride and joy. But within a split second, the obstacle struck like lightning, not only changing my life forever, but theirs as well.

They watched over me as I lay in the hospital, stiff as a board, for the next six weeks, while the doctors resonated to them the fact that I would never walk again. The befuddled doctors didn't know what to do--it was an epidemic--with no cure. Every case appeared to be different, but in my case after six weeks with still no change, they gave no hope. My mother reiterated to them, "You are WRONG! She WILL walk again!"
The next several years of my life are like pages ripped from a best-selling novel. What happened during those years, I still didn't know except what I learned from a small number of photographs that my mother didn't share with me until years later. All she ever told me was that I had to learn to walk again...
I always thought that my parents were in some sort of denial because my illness was something that was NEVER mentioned. It was as though I was like every other "normal" toddler, but now I know why.
Six months before my father passed away , he told me the story of how one night he was tucking me into bed, when he looked up and saw an angel over me. He knew then that everything was going to be okay. God was watching over me.
To be continued...