It happens so fast

Grace will graduate HS in a month. It really is true that it happens in a blink of an eye. I hear so many parents complain and feel sadness at their children growing so quickly.
I think having a child with medical issues gives me a slightly different perspective. I can't say I don't miss those days of mud pies and swing sets. But those were also times of realizing our daughter had some issues. They were terrifying days of being misdiagnosed and the unknown was always around the corner. I think back to Grace's first serious brush with near death. She was so tiny and helpless, only six years old,thankfully God hid info in a previous muscle biopsy that when relooked at provided a few answers.
I remember Grace as an eight year old sitting on a huge horse. She loved riding and it provided needed therapy for her body. I wasn't sad that she was growing it meant she was living!
Before I knew it she was at her eighth grade graduation dance. It was a huge milestone for her. She had endured so much. Another brush with death, about ten weeks in ICU, a tracheostomy, and horrible back surgery in seventh grade. But she was living. She was strong willed and happy.
I just don't feel as sad as some parents. I know they're proud and happy for their children as I am also. Just not sad, but thankful for everyday Grace is living. Not all days are great but getting older means she's fighting, she's overcome more than anyone else I know. I'm thankful she's grown and yes, she's living!!