"In My Daughter's Eyes"

In our lives we all have people who make lasting impressions on us that forever change us. I think for most people it is someone older and wiser than they. For me it wasn't, it was my daughter, Kayla. She has had an outlook on life to reckon with at times and other times to die for. She is strong willed and determined-- to a fault sometimes. (I wonder where she gets this?).

When Kayla was 11 she began stumbling and being unnaturally clumsy. We thought it was just adolescence. It wasn't. It was something much more serious -- two of her vertebrae had collapsed on her spine. It was devastating for me. The thoughts of my child having to face the surgeries, the outcomes, the challenges that this unfortunate act of nature would present were almost unbearable for me.

I assumed at her age she couldn't possibly understand and practice a faith in which God would carry us through the ordeal. How very wrong that assumption was. She faced it all with unbelievable strength, courage and faith. She taught me through this experience together what the true meaning of love for God, life and each other is. She stood strong, when I was weak; She laughed when I cried; and she spoke hope when I felt deep despair. She showed me what it means to live the faith everyday as she endured two life threatening surgeries and immeasurable pain.

It is a deep bond through pain, suffering and brokenness that Kayla and I have walked as mother and daughter over the years-- not just with the surgery but many other devastating life challenges that came soon after the surgery. This experience was just the foundation for fortitude that we continue to have for finding the joy and love in all we do. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". I almost think Martina McBride wrote "In My Daughter's Eyes" for Kayla and I.

"In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I want to be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes
Everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light
And the world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me Gives me strength when I'm weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough
It's givin' more when you feel like givin' up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am
And what we'll be
And though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family

When I'm gone I hope you'll see
How happy she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes."

Kayla has grown and she no longer "wraps her hand around my finger" but "I've seen the light It's in my daughter's eyes". For me, it has truly been "what life is all about".