Abby update - February 9

It must have been a long day, because I'm having a hard time remembering what this morning was like...

Oh yeah, now I remember--the big news is that Abby skipped in PT! No, she didn't skip PT; she skipped in PT--you know, "We're off to see the Wizard..."--that kind of skipping. That may not sound like much, but skipping is one of the more complicated leg movements, and mastering skipping may mean that running is not very far behind! After the last couple of sessions, we can see that Abby's PT is serious about getting her back on the softball field, and Abby's all for that. In fact, recently we were telling Abby that the Texas A&M softball coach had invited her to come watch a game and meet the team (see A Circle of Love below). Abby was excited about that news, but said "That's great, but I'd rather be playing instead of watching..." She's motivated, this girl is.

After therapy we had another good riding session at AWARE. Abby's looking so comfortable on a horse again, and her posture has really improved since she first rode two weeks ago. Then, this evening we made it through the first half of Gone with the Wind before calling it quits for the night. With Abby's love of historical fiction, I've always wanted her to read Gone with the Wind, so maybe the movie will one day inspire her to do so...

A Circle of Love - Thinking about softball made me realize that I should share with you a really heart-warming series of actions that precipitated from one selfless act of love for Abby. When our friends were looking for items for the silent auction at the Taylor and Abby benefit in Wimberley, one of Abby's High Voltage softball teammates, Grace, decided that she wanted to give a very special item. It was a softball signed by the UT softball team, including Cat Osterman, who also pitched on the U.S. gold medal Olympics team. Grace said that she was certain she wanted to give up the ball if it might help Abby. We were very touched and then were happy to learn that another of Abby's Ultimate Force teammates had the winning bid on the ball, so it got to stay "in the family," so to speak. Then Grace's mom decided to use some good ol' rivalry to invite the Texas A&M softball program to get involved, and, as a result, the Aggie girls sent Abby an autographed practice jersey, along with an invitation to attend a game this season and meet the team. Then, six weeks later I got an email from the Aggie coach, Jo Evans, asking for Grace's address. (All I can figure is that Coach Evans read Abby's blog and figured out how to get in touch with me. ) Anyway, Coach Evans had not forgotten what Grace had done for Abby, and had managed to get Cat to sign another ball for Grace. About a week later I had a really excited message on the answering machine from Grace's mom. Grace's initial act of generosity opened the floodgates of generosity, and it spilled back on her again. The whole cascade of caring and giving makes me cry all over again, just writing about it. Again we see a glimpse of things God would let us learn through this difficult experience, and our hearts are increased...

May all of you, who have blessed us so much, be covered with cascades of blessing as well...
Love,
-the Linams