Day after day, I now carried out my plan to chat with those who I felt would be comfortable around me. It seemed to be working as the number of glares and stares became fewer and fewer and the number of classmates who greeted me daily became greater and greater.
I was somewhat thankful when my mother decided it was time for me to ride the bus to school. It gave me the opportunity to meet other students from my new neighborhood. Of course, when I was maneuvering down the aisle of the bus, there were always those few who would stretch out their legs or slide to the aisle so that I wasn't able to sit next to them. My sixth sense just reminded me to put them on the "ignore" list. The majority of them were very nice, though, and eventually became good acquaintances or friends.
Jacque (my "true" friend from grade school and junior high) and I still did our sleepovers, but not nearly as often. I loved them, though, because she was attending West High School and would spend the entire evening just catching me up on all the gossip about my former classmates. I honestly did want to keep in touch with all of them, but it was really hard at the moment, especially now that I had a "clunker" on my left leg. I just didn't want to have to explain it; and besides that, it would be gone very soon.
February was here before I knew it; and for the final time I rode the train with my mom to Spokane. I didn't pay much attention to the doctor visiting with my mother because I was concentrating on the nurse who was removing my brace and replacing it with a brand new pair of Oxfords. I'm thinking to myself, "THOSE will be heading to the back of my closet. Patent leathers here I come!"
The farewell was much sadder this time as I made one final tour of the hospital, knowing that I would never return. Even though I had displayed my "ornery" attitude at times while a patient, I was so thankful for everything the staff had done for me. They had definitely changed my life for the better and for that I will always be grateful.
I learned two valuable lessons in life during the past nine months:
I need to learn patience regarding God's plan for me.
No matter how hard life becomes, I will be thankful because there are many people whose lives are much harder than my own.
To be continued...
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