It's Not About the Why, It's About The Win

The Fire

November 22, 2011 at 12:50 am | Posted in 11/2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve been following the story of Laura Triem — locals, you may have heard her story.  Earlier this month, 21-year-old Laura was hit by a light rail train in downtown Denver while walking across the tracks on her way to work. She survived. “Survival,” though, isn’t that simple. I saw an interview on the news with Laura’s mom, and she described what it was like to watch her daughter struggle to recover from serious head trauma and other injuries. In the interview, her mom said, “I know someday I’ll see her smile again.”

From one mom to another, those words sounded awfully familiar. The brain is a crazy thing, as is the heart. Just when your brain tells you you’re past something, your heart reminds you that you’re not. That’s okay, though, I think the heart really is in the right place. Whether it’s an illness, an injury, a loss, or another challenge, these scary dreadful things that invade our lives are not meant to be forgotten. To forget them, I think, takes some credence away from the original experience.

So, especially on Thanksgiving, I will not forget. I will not forget the day of Michael’s accident and the days, weeks, and months of healing that followed. I will not forget the day Andrew was diagnosed, and all he’s been through and continues to go through to fight the evil that is leukemia. I will not forget the kids who are still fighting unspeakable battles just for a chance to grow up. I will not forget the people in our lives who have been lost, or their families who must learn to live without them.

On a Facebook page setup to support Laura Triem, someone posted this poem:

 

I do not define myself by how many roadblocks have appeared in my path.

I define myself by the courage I’ve found to forge new roads.

I do not define myself by how many disappointments I’ve faced.

I define myself by the forgiveness and the faith I have found to begin again.

I do not define myself by how long a relationship lasted.

I define myself by how much I have loved, and been willing to love again.

I do not define myself by how many times I have been knocked down.

I define myself by how many times I have struggled to my feet.

I am not my pain.

I am not my past.

I am that which has emerged from the fire.

Today I am grateful for both my boys who have each walked through fires no child should have to face. Today I am grateful for my husband, family, and friends who have helped me walk through mine. As for the fire, someday I will be grateful for the scars it has left on all of us, because someday those scars will be all that is left to remind us that we did emerge from the fire, and we are stronger and better because of it. Not today, but someday. Today, we will simply be grateful we have another day together. Because today, and any day, that’s all we really need.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

 

Related posts:

A Change in Gratitude

Thanksgiving