Ninety Nine Days Of A Life

I was watching a program that was doing follow up on particular individuals that had made an impact to others.  Through the course of this interview, they highlighted a mother and father of a young child that was born with substantial disabilities and as a result had very little prospects for living.  Although the situation was quite grave from the beginning of this young child's life, the parents decided that every day that their child was alive would be celebrated in their own way.  The father began making a video diary and would speak to his child about how old he was on that day.  He would proceed to speak about the many wonderful things that existed in the world outside of the hospital that his child was confined to and offered beautiful descriptions of what those were.  The young baby boy lived far beyond his original expectations and managed to survive for a total of ninety nine days, before it was time for him to be free of the unhealthy body he had to contend with while he was alive.  I was mesmerized by the story as I am sure many people were.  I could not fathom the prospect of bringing a new life into existence only to be told at the onset that their time would be almost non-existent.  What was extraordinary in this story was the attitude and resilience that was showcased by these strong parents who were faced with such monumental circumstances. Their decision to celebrate in the midst of what was occurring, I am sure was part of the reason that their child outlived the given by his doctors.  Although their child is no longer present, the many things that they learned about themselves in those ninety nine days was a lesson of a lifetime.  In addition, their plight is now something that many other people can use as an example of what to do in the face of such a trying experience. Many of us have far surpassed the ninety nine day mark as it relates to our lives and the question then becomes what is our own legacy to others that we could share about our own great experiences?  We all have lived through our own share of situations that may have shaken us to the core.  I believe that part of our duty of surviving such things is to share with others how we got through those and to be a beacon of light to those that need it.  The next time you find yourself feeling like a victim of your circumstance, remember the story of those ninety nine days and that young child that made such an impact to so many in such a short period of time.  Once you put things into perspective, you will find that it is only a matter of time before you carve your way out of that darkness and into a more sunnier existence.  Perhaps with a little help or entirely on your own, either way you then become the great example for others to follow.