Often times I thought if I held on to hope of walking or hope of full recovery, that somehow I wasn’t accepting my disability completely.  However, I have grown to learn that no one else can define acceptance except me.  And I define that as living a very full life.  From being a wife, a mother, to a painter, to the things that I love, just every day having a fulfilling life.  To me that is acceptance.  It’s to not let this injury keep me from doing things.  Do I have hope?  Absolutely.  Why do I have hope?  Because it makes me a better person, a happier person and a healthier person.  So, yes, I believe that you can have hope in what’s to come and hope in what’s now.  And accepting your abilities is all about cultivating a very happy and healthy life.

Leslie