My name is Marissa, I am 29 years old. I learned to do everything as any other child and now I can talk with others like myself who have these limb differences. There is no glory for myself, it was God who whispered in my ear not to lose hope that it would all come full circle and make sense.
Self-pity, resentment, depression – I would say are the chains that come with these hand, feet or any other limb differences always at different stages of your life. Honestly, for me, it would always creep in and try to hurt me when I was succeeding, the moments when I was actually proud of myself. I know that should be the happiest time, but anytime you are rising up from the dirt there will always be something that tries to knock you back down – sadly it will be your own mind sometimes that creates negative thoughts about yourself.
Let’s move past WHY and get to WHAT!
- What can I do to change what I do not like about my situation?
- What can I do to help someone and I will not focus on just me?
- What is my purpose in this world, how can I leave my mark?
I used to never show my hands in a picture that people would see or may notice. I thought that if someone saw my difference they would judge me as ugly or weird. I now realize that this was foolish because 80% of people I meet never noticed it until months, even years after knowing me!
We were created, each with things we consider flaws or things we are working to change, but in the process never lose sight of the fact that the moment you were born you were loved. Loved by God and your family, who treasured you for the jewel that you are and I hope that you overcome every obstacle with a grace and great joy along the way. There will be days that we are frustrated for legitimate reasons as we have to train ourselves to do things that other people take for granted every day. Let’s show them, even remind them so that they will appreciate those limbs by our stories.
