Five Years!

So today I have been parayzed exactly five years! It's crazy to think that just five years ago I was walking around in St. George. Walking around and jumping. One of my favorite things was feeling air on my legs, like on a breezy day. Ahhh, memories.

People always try to compliment me by saying that if they were me, they'd never be able to keep a good attitude. Five years (and a day or two) ago if I had the opportunity, I'd have probably said that to someone in a wheelchair, too. I'm glad I never had time to think about it, though, and it just happened.

When I was in the respiratory ICU, someone gave me a small white board and a dry erase marker to communicate. I couldn't talk or anything and couldn't use my hands (for obvious reasons and also they tied them to the bed because they thought I had brain damage - I don't).But the marker was really hard to use and I only wrote once on the board because of the immense effort it took. I wrote that I was glad Heavenly Father chose me for this challenge.

And it was so challenging - everything about it was hard. But now (five years later!), it's not so hard, I never even cry anymore at all! It's not that I'm used to it, don't get me wrong. I still try to get up from the couch sometimes and every once in a while it'll dawn on me that I'm paralyzed, but I think that I'm tougher. Stronger. Better than I was five years ago.

And it still is challenging, but now that I'm on the other side of awful, I'm seeing that it's no better or worse than the challenges other people have. It's just different. And with anything new, it comes with more opportunities and people and insights, which make it worth it.

And that's my thought on my fifth aniversary. Written just before Whit gets off work and when I should be making dinner...

I remember when I thought I'd never get married. And here I am 'Mrs. Johnson'. Hmm. I take that crying thing back, I cry a lot actually, but only because I'm so happy!