Certain dates have meaning for all of us. They mark birthdays, anniversaries, and specific events. Looking back on them affords us an opportunity to reflect on their meaning, how we changed, how we grew, and sometimes how we survived.
The accident that resulted in my spinal cord injury was 37 years ago, but today I do not mark that significant day. Instead I mark the 7 year anniversary that I underwent a major surgery - the second one within 2 months - and a time where the continuation of my life (that included a small baby and 9 year old boy) was definitely in question. I hung on with the love and support of my family and friends, a dedicated surgeon, and medical miracles like IV antibiotics, and donated blood and bone cells, and with the fragile hope that I would survive in order to one day witness two things: see my son grow into a beautiful guitar player and hear him play "Blackbird" by the Beatles, and that I would be able to one day braid my daughter's hair. You might wonder why I would want to remember this time that was so vulnerable, tenuous, and filled with pain, chaos, and loss. Wouldn't it be better to regard an event such as this as the past, a time better left alone?
Maybe. However, I recently read about a woman who wrote her own obituary and one of the things she said was that she hoped her children realize that pain and difficulties are not obstacles on their life's journey, but rather, they are just the journey. This day marks part of my journey. It celebrates the fact that I am still here and that at least 2 of my wishes have come true. All of us mark the events of our lives, privately or publicly, and when you mark yours, whatever dates on the calendar they may be, my wish for you is a moment of reflection, peace, and beauty.
wishing you the beauty of a marked day,
hk
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