Hope Floats

Right out of college, I stayed in Austin and worked in property management. I was working at this really nice apartment complex...so nice that Gena Rowlands and Sandra Bullock were staying there while filming their movie, Hope Floats.

A couple of nights ago, the movie was on. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. There are so many nuggets to take away from it. At the very end, "Birdie" says this.....

Frankie's beginning was definitely scary for us. For the longest time, because she weighed only 3 pounds, I wondered if she would actually grow. Would she be able to walk? Talk? Thankfully, I waited to have the MRI of her brain don't until after her first seizure at 5 years old, despite the doctors telling us to get one. We were treating the symptoms, going to therapy a few times a week and seeing doctors routinely. We didn't need a crystal ball to tell us what to expect in the future and we didn't want to expose her to anesthesia when there wasn't a dire need. Had we decided to have the MRI of Frankie's brain when she was 6 months old, I don't think we would have pushed her as hard as we have. I may have thrown my hands up and listened to the docs that would have probably said, she would never walk or talk. 

Her cyst, for those of you that don't know, covers 2/3 of the left side of her brain. It's a freakin' miracle she has come this far. I owe that to our faith in HIM, neuroplasticity (the brain being able to rewire itself,) and all of our angels  including therapists, doctors and teachers, that have held our hands throughout this journey.

Let me fast forward to 3rd grade and being 9! So, Frankie needs braces soon-this time on her teeth. We have a few orthodontists we are consulting with. I will be honest...I was a little worried when we arrived to our first doctor's office after seeing that there were only 3 other patients signed up that day. I don't want to say much more about all that, but I'm doubtful we will move forward with that doctor. We have another consultation in two weeks...(good sign it took 3 weeks to get in!)

Today I sit here and Frankie has been home for 3 days now from school. It's not the flu, wasn't strep---but something viral. At least that's what they are telling us. Is it bad that I was secretly hoping for strep so we could get meds!!??

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I have to say I was pleasantly SHOCKED on Monday when I discovered this colorful bird after sitting in our pediatrician's room waiting for lab results. Up until recently, Frankie had a very hard time coloring in the lines. Now? She's coloring this? I showed this to Mark when he got home and he was in disbelief. We both were.

So, today we've been home ALL day. Thankfully, Frankie is in great spirits and we have major cabin fever...so much so that I took her to the mall earlier today. Yep. I sure did. She desperately needs shoes to go over her new orthotics before we fly down south this weekend. The Billy high tops we just bought her don't work because apparently they defeat the purpose in having hinged orthotics. The hinge part of the brace needs to be able to move and high tops restrict that so, we were on a mission to find low-top, wide, & CUTE sneakers..uv course!

I think we tried on 7-8 pairs of shoes.We began our treasure hunt at Nordstrom and ended up at Journey's. I could tell Frankie was tired after the 8th pair so we quickly headed home...that is, AFTER we found some shoes!! YES! Thank you, Converse! They might be leopard too. ;) Is leopard-on-leopard a fashion faux pas? Who cares but the struggle is real....finding shoes that fit and trying to get them on!!

HOPE definitely floats and lingers in our home! We are looking forward to seeing family& friends in South Texas soon. Wishing all of you a happy & healthy Thanksgiving!!

Confidence is the best outfit

Let's see, it's been a year since I posted. Life got in the way. Priorities shifted and I wanted to spend this time focusing on a new project of mine. I also wasn't sure I was going to keep this blog site or switch to another. My journaling has continued...without that, I think I would be lost.

Rather than backtrack a whole year, I'm going to jump in and shout, God is good!!! A few years ago, the thought of writing a book to give Frankie a voice entered my jumbled mind. So often, I would hear Frankie's peers ask questions about her condition and I struggled with how to answer them...with an appropriate delivery of course. How much should I tell them? What should I NOT tell them. This is when I knew I had to do this.

Fast forward to 6 months ago. A friend told me there was a publisher coming into town and was having a workshop for people that wanted to write a book. It was on a Saturday, so I could swing it with Mark's help to watch Frankie.
After the workshop, I spoke to the publisher and told him what my manuscript was about.....at this point, I wasn't ready to show it to him or anyone else for that matter. After a few weeks of completing it, it was time. I realized I had found the perfect publisher. Thomas Freiling was HIRED and I was FIRED up!!! Was this really happening?? Could this happen?? I SO badly wanted to get Frankie's story out there and this was my chance to do just that.

Rewind:A few years ago Frankie was gifted a beautiful painting on her birthday by a dear friend. The painting was of Frankie's favorite things...Corduroy, Moana, Candyland. It was placed in a shadow box and gifted to her--it has been one of our most cherished keepsakes. I would often stare at it in awe thinking about all the detail in it. The artist is obviously over-the-top talented....she happens to be  my dear friend's sister. All of a sudden, something clicked. I knew SHE would be the one I would ask to illustrate my book. The passion she had for Frankie was so apparent in her artwork and it was a no-brainer that she would be AMAZING. The next step would be to ask her if she would take on this project. It would definitely be a time-consuming job but one that I knew she could do.

So, I asked my dear friend if she would mention it to her sister before I picked up the phone to call her. Yup. I feared rejection....I was pleasantly surprised she would be interested. After a few conversations with her, it was a sealed deal---she would be the one to create masterpieces for Frankie's story.

Here we are...the bones of the book are done and the sketching is in progress! I'm really not sure what to expect in terms of book sales. The main reason I'm doing this is to help educate other children, even adults to recognize and accept children that are uniquely different. According to Dr. Phil (yes, I watch his show!) we all strive for acceptance above everything else in life...including love. I will admit I have re-occurring dreams about being excluded from outings with my friends that took place in junior high and high school. YES! That ugly feeling STICKS with ya. Exclusion and rejection will happen tho- it's inevitable; although people with challenges, whether mental or physical tend to struggle more, I think.
Oh, I how I wish we could bubble wrap all of our children and protect them from the pain that rejection will bring. We can certainly help educate them at home, and in our schools to help build their confidence so that they too can have GRIT and be over-the-top proud of who they are.


I close with this!

PSALM 139:13–14

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.