Look How Far You've Come

I had a long conversation with my grandparents tonight. It was outside in the dark, but it meant so much to me.

They were asking about my health and I shared with them that I am still doing well, but I was a bit discouraged about the number of pills I'm on (7....) .

My grandma then almost broke into tears. She said something like this, uninterrupted. I am not quoting her directly, because it was a long speech and I obviously don't remember it word for word. But this is what she said, paraphrased:

"Honey, I will never forget the day we came to pick you up from Thanksgiving break. It broke my heart to see you the way you were, and I cried all night that night because I could see how much pain you were in. You have no idea how much it hurt me to see you struggling to walk, so frail, pale, with an overall look of sadness in your appearance, attitude, and face. You hardly spoke at all that night, and that was what concerned me the most.

Then, we thought things were getting better, but we were wrong. While you could walk again, we still knew you were very sick. It seemed like the odds were never in your favor. And then I heard about how your friends treated you and disrespected you. No human being, but especially someone who is sick, does not deserve to be the way those 3 have demeaned you and tried to bring you down. How dare anyone try and blame you or make you feel that way after what you were put through!

But look how far you've come. You are the happiest I have ever seen you. There is confidence in your walk. You did what we thought was impossible- you survived second semester, and you came out on the top of your class. Look how far you've come. You laugh so much, you are so fun to be around, and you bring so much joy and hope into people's lives around you. Dylan, I don't care if you have to be on 7, 20, 25 pills. If it makes you feel better and keeps you this way- do what you have to. You deserve to be happy, and you should be so proud of yourself for what you have overcome. We always knew in our hearts you would be stronger and that you would overcome this. And you did."

I love my grandparents, and all of my family so much. Their support has been overwhelming.

And a sense of pride and confidence overwhelmed me when I heard that speech.

Blessings
-Played a great service today

-Got my car cleaned, wiped, and vacuumed out

-My grandparents also gave me a huge, HUGE tub full of teacher resources, books, posters, borders, etc. this evening!

- I also went to Pizza Hut with them, it was great!

-That speech from Grandma... it was just the boost that I needed.

- I also helped them clean out their window well, and I got 3 lizards and a frog, which, I am happy to say, are now preserved in a jar!

-When I came home, I knew my sister and her boyfriend were watching a horror film. So I crept up to the porch window, and banged on it furiously and screamed. They jumped so high! (Okay, I really am a nice person, I just like to have fun!)

:)