March 7 is International Women’s Day and I want to tell you
about one of the women I admire most in all the world, who also happens to turn
30 years old this week. She spent the first 18 of those years in our home.
Mindy entered Kindergarten with the same enthusiasm she held
for all of life’s adventures. She was eager to learn, make friends, and enjoy
each day. We could not have predicted what her first few days held in store.
After only two days of school, Mindy’s right eye began to
water, turn purple, and swell, until it had swollen completely shut. When we arrived
at the hospital, medical staff recognized a severe infection and were concerned
for her vision. What caused it remains a mystery, but they immediately hooked
Mindy up to intravenous antibiotics. That meant staying in the hospital, a
first for our girl.
My own tears refused to stay put as her one good eye pled
with me to stop the invasion. She could not comprehend the connection between
the pain in her eye and the needle going into her arm, nor why I allowed the
nurse to hurt her like this.
With the I.V. finally in place, however, Mindy began to
settle down and see the hospital stay as simply another adventure. She gladly
put on the blue and white striped flannel pajamas supplied and enjoyed the toys
and books in the playroom. By the end of the day, she was getting into trouble
for scooting too fast down the hallway on her I.V. pole.
That night as I tucked her into her hospital bed and said
prayers, I asked if she wanted me to stay with her overnight.
“I think you should go home and help Daddy take care of the
boys,” she said. “I’ll be okay.”
I thought she was a terribly brave little girl, but I didn’t
realize just how brave until I returned the following morning. I found Mindy in
her room, having breakfast.
“Mommy,” she said, incredulous. “I think the nurses stayed
here all night!”
She had thought the staff would all go home to their own
beds, leaving her all alone. And that, in Mindy’s mind, was quite acceptable.
I should have realized then what a courageous daughter God
had given us. In the years to come, she proved it many times. This young lady
went on to spend a summer of high school in Army Boot Camp, thriving while some
male colleagues quit. After high school graduation she went off to Switzerland
to begin work there as a nanny, though she knew no one, did not speak the
language, and had little experience caring for young children. She made out
just fine, and subsequently travelled to more countries than I can hope to
visit.
Today, Mindy is a bright and beautiful married woman (with
healthy eyesight) who brings joy and energy to everything she tackles. Between
studying for her Master’s degree in Counselling, she spends her free time volunteering
for a crisis prevention center and a home for pregnant, homeless women. She is
passionate about the fight to end human trafficking and works tirelessly to
defend the dignity of all women, offering hope and healing to the brokenhearted
and abused. Mindy learned early that life can throw harsh and unexpected things
at you, but a positive attitude, a determined spirit, and solid faith will take
you far.
I really hope I am more like her when I grow up.
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