Beautiful Struggles

Today is September 1st which in it of itself brings so many wonderful things. The start of football, which is just absolutely perfect, the start of pumpkin spice everything, and the start of Spinal Cord Injury Awareness month. This month is something that honestly up until four years ago I had no idea existed, but four years ago we joined a very rare club and our lives have looked different since. Over 200,000 people live with a SCI in the United States and Kaleb is just one of them. The next month my goal is to share my side of Kaleb's injury, Kaleb's side of his injury, the road to recovery, and where we are today.  November 10th 2012, the day our world changed forever. This was one of those days that I will remember every moment, every detail, and every emotion. I had just turned 21 five days prior and was still living in the birthday celebration glow. That morning was busy with trying to get things done through out the day so that I could head to a family member's ho...

Tonight I sit and write as we make a trip that we made once before five years ago. Tonight we make the trip from Philadelphia to Cape May to attend yet another Coast Guard gravitation. As I sit here knowing my heart should be filled with pride for my youngest brother in law, it is instead filled with heartbreak. See my world looks a whole lot different than it did five years ago. See five years ago we were beginning our journey with the Coast Guard. I was a proud girlfriend in the crowd watching my handsome boyfriend pursue his passion. He stood proudly as he graduated from basic training. He was so excited for the adventures that were to come. He could not wait to report to New Orleans for his first station. He has every intention to follow his heart's desire to become a rescue diver. And for me, I knew that I had signed up to someday be his loving Coast Guard wife.  That dream was quickly shattered three years ago this week, and tonight on this car ride I sit res...