What an absolutely incredible summer this has been. I cannot help but reflect upon this time last year, straight out of rehab, Marc and I took the kids on a vacation.  At that time we needed help from our full-time nanny. At that time I celebrated pushing Liam’s stroller, using the washroom not made for me, and being free with my family. At the same time I mourned the loss of the connection with my son. He thought the nanny was his mama. And I remember sitting on the beach as I watched Liam swim with his Nanny, and Cienna swim with her daddy, and wonder why God would take my favorite thing, swimming in the lake, away from me.

But this summer… As a result of the changes we've made within our house, the amazing people who taught me to swim, and the incredible leaps and bounds we have taken over the last year, Marc and I and the two children - alone - went on vacation. We managed to get around in a 2-storey cottage with 18 stairs up and 12 stairs down!  I swam in the swimming pool with the two kids freely, and all by myself, on a grassy ledge I swear was made for me, removed my legs and entered the water to swim in the lake with my family.

It is amazing how you can truly appreciate the gift that you have been given when it has been taken away and handed back.

There is not a day that I do not try to look to the sky and say thank you.  I hope the rest of my days are spent being appreciative of these beautiful gifts.  For in that lies true freedom.