A pocket of sunshine

Here is a few pictures I took during our camping trip. We survived the unpredictable weather! Actually I felt like we were in our own pocket of sunshine. Every time we go camping or travel we meet people that are extraordinary. This camping trip we camped with some friends. (There was 20 of us within 2 families) Most of all our friends are other adoptive families so it's nice to reminisce with a familiar topic. Adoption. We do talk about other things - my husband was able to stay and enjoyed discussing his redneck stories. I had to remind him that it was adult conversation sometimes! After all, we don't need our children pulling their teeth out with a set of pliers! Both our families swam, played in the near by park, played games and even occasionally hiked to a little waterfall. It was really sweet watching our five year old son connecting closely with their six year old son, it was like two peas in a pod! "Hitched" We even celebrated our littlest daughters first birthday with us, she turned four! It was really nice for my Father and Mother (his wife) to join us during this very special occasion! They brought cake and presents for their new Grandchildren. Not only do I appreciate, I am grateful they want to be a part of our forever growing family. What has been lodged into my mind after this trip was meeting a lady who felt compelled to share her family's life story with me. She was very eager to approach to first compliment on all our children. On how excellent they were. They enjoyed watching all our children interact kindly. Of course we received questions on how we do it?.....meaning on how we raise such wonderful behaved children! It's nice to hear these positive comments but I did quickly state to continue watching, our children have moments like any other child! My biggest response to any question concerning our family is having routine, structure, repetition and consistency. It's a "must" while raising many children that need black and white instructions. Even a family with only two children need some of these attributes for success. After the compliments she continued to share her family's story. 24 years ago her daughter at age 21 was in a horrible car accident. A head on collision from another that was drag racing. Her daughter in the accident has a identical twin and was engaged to be married. That day, that accident changed their lives forever. Her beautiful daughter remained in a coma for 7 months, she under went numerous surgeries to find out she was severely disabled and brain injured. The Mother who was explaining their story expressed her life changed forever. She quit her career to care for her 21 year old daughter who is now 45 years old. She only has a short term memory, blind in one eye, feeding tubes, she wears depends and can barely walk. Once to be married now has a restricted and fully dependant life. Instead of being institutionalized, this Mother cares for her 24/7. I was introduced to her daughter while out camping. This extraordinary lady touched my heart, she remains in my mind. A lady that mentioned I should have the Mother of the world award while she was out camping with her severely brain injured daughter and has been caring for her for 24 years. I explained that you're the Mother who deserves an award. As much as her story is extremely sad, has changed her life, her family's life, she's been giving her daughter more then anyone else would. Life. Experiences regardless of her health situation. This woman is amazing and so caring, regardless if it's her daughter or not, she dedicated her life to care for her. We hugged each other. I was really touched and honored to hear her story and what her daily life entails. This is a woman that will be fondly remembered in my heart forever. She might not know this but while she shares her life, she is creating changes within others. It's a reminder that within a split second life can change forever. To remind us to live every day as if it were our last. To continue living, experiencing regardless of any handicap, continuing fighting if we're ill. To remember that if we're having a difficult day, others have it more difficult with a smile. To take one day at a time, enjoy life even through the trials. Not only did we camp in a pocket of sunshine, we were able to leave valuing life. It was a great camping trip with our friends, our children had a great time with their children and we left even more empowered by being reminded we can and should experience daily life as if it were our last with nothing stopping us! Which makes me question, "What does tomorrow bring?"