The Reality of Emily's Situation

It came to my attention today (thank you Ellie), as someone was asking me about how Emily's tests went last month, that I haven't really divulged the full magnitude of her situation. I have felt like I've relayed it in varying degrees, but realized that I haven't really conveyed the sentiments of the neurosurgeon's outlook or diagnosis based on what he saw from her MRI. His words were to me that day after viewing the MRI were that he particularly saw no reason for her to be standing, much less walking, running, playing and on top of that, with no pain. He said that everything he sees makes him believe that she should be paralyzed and that the only thing we have to go on is her present condition. The fact that she is such a happy child, laughing, singing, going about with little or no impairment, except of course what is, or at least can be, obvious to those who observe her walk. It's truly a perplexing place to be not knowing if we should be frantic that her condition can change at any given moment, like that time of her last surgery of untethering her cord, which left her paralyzed from the waist down and unable to urinate on her own; and then the second day were were home, she begins returning to normal. We left there with the physician truly believing she was paralyzed for the remainder of her life. Needless to say, we're thankful. And though we don't really want to consider this fact, but her condition could change at any given point. I guess, in reality, that's the same for all of us and we don't need to be suffering from a medical condition to realize it. Our circumstances can change in an instant. Reminds me of a clip I saw just last week as I was flipping channels from a ridiculous sci-fi movie in which some aliens (don't ask me how I caught this) were making an observation of earthlings stating how they couldn't rationalize how we had "such a disregard for practical matters." I can truly attest to this and how aggrevating it is to realize how much time I waste with "impractical" things. We live in a world that distracts, detracts and keeps us busy with nonsense. Oftentimes, it's not until we're on our deathbed do we realize what we've been wasting. Real opportunities thinking about the needs of others, relationships. Rather than thinking about all the reasons that make us different. The circumstances are grave. We'd do well to think of excuses of getting together with others we might disagree with rather than sitting justified why we don't. Off of on a tangent, no doubt. The reality is my little girl's life, as all of ours, is in His hands. I'm thankful for that.