She came to our family reunion on the Jersey shore last week as my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary. 2 parents + 6 children + 6 spouses + 25 grandchildren + 1 great grandchild. And one girlfriend, Erika. She and my son Zachary are in the Air Force together and stationed in Las Vegas. I had not met her in person yet, but Mom had, my husband Paul had and my sister Amy. All of them had been in Las Vegas visiting.

So when Zachary got the approval from Granny and Papa to bring her along to meet the gang, I asked him if our sheer numbers would frighten her. His reply was that if she couldn’t handle our family, then that was a problem, because we have a big, loud family. Luckily, we were staying in a 13 bedroom, 7 bath, 2 kitchen convent one house from the beach, so anyone could escape if need be.

Erika’s dad and brother were both in the Air Force, and she followed suit. Last year, when she took leave to go to a family reunion in Iowa, she was in a terrible ATV accident. Her left arm was so badly broken that it was held together by a few nerves. There was talk of amputation for this young woman whose job consists of needing 2 hands. She broke a femur, had pelvic damage, injured her spleen. And yet, her attitude was so infectiously optimistic that the staff at the hospital loved her. She loves life, has a quick smile, loves to learn. Wants to do fashion blogging and website design and oh, by the way, let’s add in some photography too while we’re at it. Don’t know how to do something? Look it up. Ask questions. Smile and be grateful for life and happiness.

Some of the traits of an inspirational person, according to Inc.com, are:

  • Purpose
  • Giving back
  • Gratitude
  • Beliefs and values
  • Empathy
  • Energy

Erika seems to be all of these. Her arm is damaged and legs are scarred, but her heart is not. There is a zest for life that I can imagine some people envy. I feel grateful that I have Erika in our family’s life. And so to all of us who complain at life’s simple yet boring tasks, take heart. Suck it up, make lemonade and live life’s dreams.