Sometimes it takes an 'in your face' kind of moment to make you realize just how good you have it. My friend and I have started walking in the mornings, and after our walk we were sitting having a bottle of water by Tim's (that's a coffee shop for you non Canadians). I saw a man in his 50'd shuffle/limp up to the counter to buy coffee and when he walked away realized that the reason for his exaggerated limp/gait was his one foot was clearly turned completely in and he was walking on the outside of his ankle. Clearly born with a club foot just like my Diggle, I took a minute to look at the man and the way people looked at him and treated him. He had an air of rejection, he was unkempt and came across like an outcast to society. My heart broke a little. What sort of life could he have had with today's medical advantages with his deformity? Surely he would've been a different man?
I look at Diggle, jumping around with so much energy and it brings me to tears. He's determined to try out for the volleyball team again this year and last year managed to get a ribbon at Track and field day. Yes his leg and foot get sore if he overdoes it but he hikes and climbs trails with us that leave me barely able to walk afterwards. He can do anything he wants with his life and society will never look at him and say there goes someone who was born with a birth defect or think of him as any different.
Today I am grateful.
