If the Shoe Fits....

I remember when Chloe was just an infant in my arms, I would talk to her and tell her all about my wishes for her to have a beautiful life. I would look into her eyes and wonder what they would see and how they would see. I traced her lips and wondered what wonderful words of wisdom she would share with me. I touched her hands and imagined what those hands may hold and how they may touch the lives of others. And I would squeeze her sweet feet and wonder where those little feet would take her.

We've been on quite a journey in just a few short years, her eyes and lips, her hands and feet.... Oh how disappointed I once felt and how surprised I've been almost every day to see how a seemingly "broken" body could see and speak and touch and go so many unexpected places!

If you had told me three years ago that Chloe's little feet would one day be in ballet shoes ready to hit the stage for a dance recital, I would have either laughed, cried or just been angry. I thought that was not to be for my Chloe and her little feet.

How wrong I would have been....


Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the directors of the dance company may have had Chloe in mind when they came up with the theme of the recital:

"If the shoe fits, DANCE."

She participated in two routines and even had a costume change!




She and the other six girls on her dance team each had a "shadow" to help them onto the stage and help them with whatever moves they may not have been able to accomplish on their own. Chloe was lucky enough to get a handsome shadow!



They performed with about 12 other dance teams in a fairly large venue. I'm sure when Chloe wheeled onto that stage, all the other parents in the audience probably felt pangs of sorrow that Chloe was in a wheelchair. It didn't take her long at all to show them that there is SO MUCH MORE TO HER than that chair or her disabilities, and so much more to all the other girls than their walkers, braces, spastic limbs and other disabilities. Chloe was all smiles and seemed to soak the spotlight into her skin... she radiated and sparkled! By the time the first number was done, there was not a dry eye in the audience and they gave a standing ovation. That was one of those moments in time that seemed to stand still, when every single thing that had ever happened into my life was just a building block to get me to be able to experience the feelings I had right then.... the pride, the joy, the love, the excitement for a bright future with Chloe and my handsome hubby. It was perfection.



There is a 2nd performance tomorrow, so stay tuned for more pictures and video that is sure to bring a smile to your face!