Last summer, when I was injured, my sister moved here to help me care for Elisabeth (since I couldn't lift anything heavier than a soup can). At that time we started a little tradition of cheering for Elisabeth whenever she would wake up from a nap, or when she would get home from school.
For example, the big girls and I would be in the family room and when Jennifer would carry her in after she woke up we would shout,
"She's up!!! Elisabeth's up!!!"
And begin whooping and clapping.
Or...if she was just getting home, we would start celebrating as soon as Jennifer carried her through the front door,
"She's back!!! Elisabeth is back!!!"
And we have kept it up all these months. Oh, how we celebrate...it's like a ticker tape parade! Elisabeth smiles and bounces with excitement at the shouts of joy.
Can you imagine how that must boost ones self-esteem? Having a group of people burst into applause every time you enter a room? What an awesome feeling it must be - and that's exactly why we do it. We want Elisabeth to feel like the most important person in the world.
Which leads me to this past Thursday evening.
As we pulled into our driveway after the two hour drive home from Spokane (and after Elisabeth's 23-day hospital run), there was a huge sign on the garage door that read,
She's Back!!!!
And - as you can imagine - when we carried Elisabeth across the threshold, it was our biggest celebration yet. For minutes on end we stood there cheering - and oh, you should have seen the look in Elisabeth's eyes! After what had been the most exhausting and painful experience of her life, she was home, and things were normal, and her family was gathered around her celebrating her return.
It was a moment that will forever be sealed into my memory; one of those moments where you think, this is what life's all about.
