Nicole

She's thirteen. She's beautiful. (Aren't ya diggin' the blonde highlights, compliments of her mom?) And she's going for knee surgery today.
My athletic daughter tore her ACL (ligament) in her knee playing soccer and now she has to have it repaired. Considering she was quite a worrier as a child, she is amazingly relaxed this morning. And...wow - I wish I had her determination and drive! Our physiotherapist friend taught her an exercise routine to do for pre-hab (so she'd heal faster) and she has been faithfully going to the YMCA to work out, often running up to 4 miles on a damaged knee. She is SO determined that soon she'll be back to playing soccer, and volleyball, and basketball, and... well, you get the picture. I marvel at her dedication/focus and look forward to watching where it takes her in the future.

Feel free to send up prayers on her behalf. I expect there will be some impatience in the weeks to come when she's unable to do the things she loves most.

Update: She is home and in good spirits. The nurses were rather impressed with how athletic/strong/resilient she is and so they sent her home early (tonight instead of tomorrow morning). The pain is manageable and we hope and pray for a speedy recovery so that she can return to the sports that she so loves.