How Is Christian Doing?

There are moments when big realizations hit you, and maybe it's something that you have known for a while, but are suddenly made aware of.  These moments may not take up much time, but they are huge, nonetheless.  I had one of these moments today.  A friend came over for a visit, and we were sitting in the back yard, talking about our kids.  Of course.  She asked me a question that I get asked almost every day.  "How is Christian doing?"  Sometimes people ask this with a little hesitation, like they are worried I might say something bad.  Sometimes there is a hint of pity in the question, which I try to ignore.  And sometimes, especially from the people that know Christian well, it is simple curiosity over the progress of his therapy.  This friend's question fell into the last category, and I was happy to answer.  I told her how strong he was getting, that he was gaining confidence more and more everyday.  I said that his progress was still slow, and it might not seem like he was doing much, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  I said the biggest difference was that when I thought about his progress now it was without feeling... And then I wasn't sure how to finish.  "Hopeless?" my friend offered.  And I realized that she was right.  That all this time I felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness when I tried to think of the future.  I couldn't picture Christian any way other than struggling.  I don't feel that way any more, I feel confident that he will surprise us all.  That moment of realization was uplifting, empowering, and overwhelming in its beauty.