Monday, August 16, 2010

Reflections on the Past 20+ Years

Taylor at Erics Taylor’s 21st birthday is fast approaching…just a few more days.  Her upcoming birthday has had me reflecting on the last 21 years.

We went from a baby we thought was perfectly healthy to a baby who had less than a year to live.  Obviously, she showed the doctors never to underestimate her desire to live in this world.  Though we are in an uncertain time concerning Taylor’s health, her seizure activity continues to take more & more of her abilities, I will never discount Taylor’s will to live.

I would love to say that the past month has been fantastic but it hasn’t been.  Taylor has more and more days that are one seizure after another.  Those days make we want to just curl up, hang on to her, and cry.  But we don’t do that because no matter how many seizures, Taylor smiles.  At the end of the day, Taylor is happy and really, that’s all any parent could ever hope for.

I read the blog of a mother who recently lost her daughter.  Her daughter was just a few years older than Taylor.  The grace & beauty with which she is handling her grief is what I would strive to do. Click here if you want to read her blog firsthand.

My journey with Taylor has been filled with many, many ups & downs.  There have been many close calls when we gathered to say goodbye to her , only to have her once again, smiling & happy.  I would never wish those hard times on any parent but I would wish a child’s smiling happy face no matter the situation to ever single parent out there.  To those that have special needs kids and those that do not.

 

3 comments:

MY LIFE WITH BOYS! said...

Happy Birthday to Taylor!!

Becca said...

Happy early birthday, Taylor!!

I'm sending many, many hugs to you, Dawn. Having to deal with Taylor's seizures but still having the strength and ability to recognize that she's (most importantly) happy, is no easy feat, and I applaud you for that. Taylor's got a wonderful life with you.

Trudy said...

Happy Birthday Tay. Hope you have a great day. Don't drink too much.