“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein

If you are reading this, congratulations. This means you have eyes that can read, and a brain that has the ability to comprehend the written word.

Now, I know what you might be thinking……. Peanuts. Crumbs.

Considering the fact “I am confined to a wheelchair”, merely speaking or reading is a useless set of abilities. Or insert any number of things you can’t do.

If I am honest, this can be my tendency as well. However, the more I do what I do, and meet people who are wired differently, my tendency is slowly shifting.

It started many years ago when I met Bill (name changed for privacy).  Bill was in his mid 50s and had suffered a major stroke confining him to a wheelchair. This seemingly catastrophic health crisis forced him to retire from his job that he loved. More than that Bill’s wife was forced to get a second job AND take on the role as caregiver. Yeah, a real pickle…..to say the least.

I will never forget the day Bill arrived to therapy immediately following a stroke support group. With slightly down cast eyes, he told me a story about a stroke survivor he had met with aphasia (the inability to speak).  He went on to express how fortunate he was that he could talk. I imagine Bill watched as this other survivor walked into support group unassisted while Bill sat in his wheelchair. As the introductions are being made, he sits and waits uncomfortably as his leg goes into a full on spasm. And then it happens….. he is filled with immense gratitude as he realizes his fellow stroke survivor has it “far worse”. Bill realizes he dodged a bullet. That HE experienced a true miracle.

I often write about the patients who are in a mental vault of “unforgettable”. These patients are the ones who were told they “can’t” or “won’t” and yet they did. “Bill” is one such patient. Bill was told he would never walk or be able to be left home alone. Yet I can proudly say he did walk. More than that he regained full independence taking a sizeable burden off his wife. But more than that, Bill was always smiling. Always happy. Willing to do whatever I suggested.

I don’t think Bill’s attitude was an “added feature” that allowed him to succeed. I think it was his outlook that shaped his attitude that undoubtedly fueled the engine of the sailboat into the head winds.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein

“The google” tells me a miracle is “an event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God”

I confess I LOVE predictability. My second love is reliability. Add to that measurability and my life becomes “manageable”. Yes, the beautiful laws of nature. A world where an object in motion, stays in motion and they ALWAYS return to earth.

Enter “miracles”.

Throw “miracles” into the mix, and I must confess my brain becomes a little uncomfortable. In these moments I “power through”.

You see, I DO believe miracles happen.  There are events throughout my life that can’t be explained. And the more I see, the more I believe.

More than that, the more I believe, the more I see.

I can’t say for sure whether or not “Bill” believed in miracles. The only thing I know for sure is that he chose to believe something prevented him from having what he perceived as a worse outcome. And for that we was grateful. I could see the gratitude in his attitude and in his actions.

As dark as your circumstances might seem, maybe you also “dodged a bullet”. Maybe there is a power working for you and not against you. And maybe, just maybe the more you see, the more you will believe. And the more you believe, the more you will see.

And then again, maybe I am wrong. And maybe every event that happens to us is merely the “laws of physics”.

And to this, I might ask, are you better off believing everything is a miracle or nothing at all?