Not Complaining

This story truly affected me, so much so that I got emotional and shed a few tears. It is something that has caused me to be truly grateful for all that I have been blessed with.

Here is a photo of an adorable 2 year old girl from India. I love this photo of her with her family because she is just so HAPPY. There is just pure joy on her face, despite her circumstances. For what this picture doesn't show is that she has 8 limbs- 4 arms and two legs. How is this possible? It turns out that her mother was initially expecting twins and one twin died while in the womb and the arms, legs, and some organs got incorporated to her body.


There is a photo/video of what she looks like with this but I am giving a WARNING because it is something that you don't see everyday- William said it was un-nerving for him. So I give you the luxury of choosing for yourself if you would like to see the story.

Anyways, just a few days ago, she had major surgeries to remove the other 4 limbs and additional organs and to construct a pelvis. Before the surgery, she wasn't able to stand or walk, which she should hopefully be able to do in time. The hospital actually was kind enough to pay for the surgery, since there was no way this family could afford it. It just warms my heart to see this kind of kindness extended to better the life of this little girl.

I was so upset to read that a "circus" (no further info) offered to BUY the little girl from her parents. How SICK is that. They were trying to treat this girl like she is a "freak" to make themselves money. This disturbs me because despite all of the kindness in the world, there are still so much that is just wrong.

I am so glad that this little girl was born in India because there, they have a very different view of physical deformities. They actually revere this girl since she looks like one of their many legged goddesses, so she is like a mini-reincarnate of it. That makes me so happy to know that the rest of the community immediately around them was so welcoming and embracing of her- not treating her as "an outcast" or a "freak" but truly making her feel special.

Of all these things, what hits me the hardest is the look of joy and happiness just radiating from this little girl. If anyone would be "justified" in deserving self-pity and being sad and angry at their circumstances, it is this little girl. Yet, the doctors noted that she is so playful and gets along well with others. This is what has caused me to realize that there are times that I have been so ungrateful for what I have. I would criticize that there was some flab here and there and that my acne is sometimes a bother and that this would be something that would make me sad or upset by all of these "difficulties". When the reality is, I can go running 6 days a week by myself, enjoying all of the beauty and great weather in California. I have two arms that I can type with, two eyes to read, and ears to hear all of the beauty around me. I have so much to be happy and joyful about, yet sometimes too much energy goes into criticizing and demeaning what I do have. I want to be like this little girl- to embrace my circumstances and BE HAPPY with my current situation- and enjoy EVERY DAY of my life and be so grateful for the things that I can do. And to also RADIATE this kind of happiness to those around me, just like she does.

Thus, I'm going to stop my complaining and begin my rejoicing in all that God has blessed me with.