Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012

Ella’s life reminds us to be grateful

A little more than a week ago, I felt my eyes fill with tears as I read the email from Renae Newmiller sharing the news that her 8-year-old daughter, Ella, had “danced her way to heaven.”

Although I only spent a little more than an hour with her, Ella Newmiller touched my heart in a way that words simply can’t do justice.

I learned of Ella’s battle with a rare brain tumor shortly after she was diagnosed almost four years ago and followed her journey through mutual friends. Last fall, I had the honor of writing a story for this paper about Ella’s “pink sparkly” wheelchair and finally got to hug the little girl who had been on my prayer list for years.

During the past few months, I have tried to keep Ella’s sweet spirit and determination with me whenever I found myself feeling frustrated or impatient. I often thought about how even though they knew their days were short with their daughter, the Newmiller family told me many times that they felt very blessed by the many gestures of kindness shown to them during Ella’s illness. And it made realize how often I get so caught up the daily grind that I forget to see the big and little blessings in my life, especially two healthy children.

When I got to the end of Renae’s email last week, I realized that my keyboard was wet with tears. I turned off my computer and got up to go hug my kids.