How did I get so lucky?

Julianna during treatment

Sometimes I look at Julianna and wonder, how did I get so lucky? She is such a GREAT kid - seriously! She will stop whatever she is playing with and help me if I ask her to. This morning, I decided that I wanted to move all of the toys from what is supposed to be my formal living room (though we've been using it as a "play room") and move them into Jamison's room. She was right in the middle of watching Madagascar, but she stopped and helped me for three solid hours. She worked SO HARD. I kept telling her that it was fine with me if she went and watched her movie or whatever, but she was happy just helping me. She is always so giving to others.

I remember when Stewart Investments sponosored our Make a Wish Foundation wish and they had a cocktail party for us on the top floor of a high rise building in downtown Dallas. They presented Julianna with literally a MOUNTAIN of Disney related toys. It was enough for 10 kids, but most of it was for her. There were a few gifts for Reagan and Jamison too. She didn't know that at first. She was 3.5 years old at the time of the party, and while I was making a speech and thanking everyone for their generosity, Julianna was making three piles of toys. I finally asked her what she was doing, and she said, "Well, this pile is for Reagan, this pile is for Jamison, and this pile is mine!" Yes, her pile was a little bigger ;) but can you believe that she was sharing without even being asked? She didn't even need to share because her siblings already had gifts. What a sweetheart.

When she was four, she got up before everyone in the whole house on Easter Sunday and hunted all of the Easter eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden. She came into my room and proudly announced what she had done. I kind of shrugged and thought to myself, Well, I guess I will need to hide some of those eggs so that Reagan and Jamison can hunt a little, but when I went into the living room, on the coffee table sat three Easter baskets - all of them full of the hunted eggs. She had evenly distributed all of the eggs into all three baskets! FOUR YEARS OLD!

I hope that she always stays this giving. She has such a kind heart, and I think it will carry her far. She has been through so much in her short life, and you'd think she'd be somewhat jaded, but she definitely isn't. She knows that she was sick - she remembers. She just chooses to look to the future instead of dwell on the past.

Sounds like a good plan to me.