Thankful for a Good Example

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!! I'm taking my gratitude post a different direction this year. I think you'll see why.

Can you believe it's been over a year since my mom had that double knee replacement? Indeed it has been. A year ago today, Ryan and I were up super early with my carefully crafted hour-by-hour timeline to begin cooking the Thanksgiving foods so we could host the holiday. Mom was still in the rehab hospital, though she got a day pass to celebrate with all of us.

During Mom's two week stay at the hospital, I visited often because, well, there was a therapist down there that I hoped would ask me out on a date. :) He was so handsome, I couldn't stay away. (For those of you who might be new and very confused, it's Ryan.)

But I would often go to Mom's therapy sessions so I could document her progress for my out-of-town sisters. While I watched Mom, I also met a lady named Cindy. I didn't know much about her because she couldn't tell me any of her story. She really couldn't do much of anything. She was so sick that just a few weeks earlier, the doctors didn't have any hope she would live. But she did. And she recovered enough to come to the rehab hospital, and though she couldn't talk or walk or even stand up, there was a determined spirit in her heart. I couldn't see it (yet) but it was in there, fighting up a storm.

Cindy was Mom's inspiration. Just in case you're not sure, a double knee replacement isn't exactly a picnic. It's not even that common in our county. (Mom had to talk the surgeon into doing it, is what I'm saying.) Rehabbing 100% of her knees at one time was hard work. At times, discouraging and exhausting work. And more than once, she wanted to give up. (I probably would have felt the same, so no judgment.) But every time she wanted to quit, she'd look across the room at Cindy, fighting to do the simplest thing, and she'd say to me, "If she can do that, I can do this."

And so it went. Mom powered through rehab partly on her own hard work, partly through the wisdom and direction of the therapists, and partly through the inspiration of a lady named Cindy.

Mom went home, but Cindy was still there, working hard every day. The first time I saw her stand (while Mom was still there), it took five people to stand her safely. Five people and a carefully crafted sequence of safety gear.

As I visited the hospital over the next few weeks, I discovered Cindy standing with fewer and fewer people on hand to assist. And then I caught a hint of a smile. And then some words.

She was captivating to me. All these things I do every day without thinking twice, were real milestones for her to accomplish for the first time. She celebrated every one, and as her personality emerged more and more, those celebrations became actual parties.

So its been a year now since I first met Cindy. She's still recovering, still working hard, still doing more than what is asked of her every single day. Still determined to blow everyone's mind. (Which, by the way, she did a long time ago, but she keeps on keeping on with that goal.)

She'll holler across the room when I walk in and ask me to come give her a hug. She knows the name and story of every person in that building, and I'm pretty sure she loves them all just like family. People are drawn to her because you can't help but love her. She has a giant smile, a huge laugh, and a gigantic heart.

This week, during Ryan's work's Thanksgiving dinner (which they generously allowed me to crash) Cindy sat next to me. I asked if I could get a picture with her, and then I asked if I could share it with you. I told her I'd say nice things, and she said, "I don't even care if you don't!" LOL! As if it's even possible to NOT say something nice about her.

So this is Cindy. She was my mom's inspiration last year, and she's been mine FOR the past year. This lady is a rock star and the model of perseverance and a positive attitude.

Every year, I do a big old list of things I'm thankful for, and that list tends to stay pretty consistent. You know what I love and how thankful I am. So today I wanted to give thanks for Cindy and her good example to me.

Everyone needs a Cindy. I'm thankful for mine.