Bumps & Bruises

Megan took a spill at school last week.
A doosey.
The school nurse called me at home to say,

"No alarm, Mrs. Burns...but Megan has had an accident. She was running at recess and fell. Scraped up her face pretty good. She has some prominent bumps and bruises, some blood...but says she wants to go back to class. She's one of the toughest little kids I've met! Just wanted to let you know."

Um...okay?
I used the lame excuse of a forgotten library book to go check on her.
Cause I know first hand about being tough when I need to be...
But breaking down once my Mommy comes to the rescue.

To my surprise, she did not break down.
She really did want to stay at school.
Also to my surprise, she really was quite banged up.
Her upper lip was swollen bigger than I expected and it was shiny and sticky with a fresh wound.
So was the tip of her nose, the palms of her hands, and the caps of her knees clean thru her leggings.

I hugged her and asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?"
I couldn't get a good read on how she was really feeling.
She said she was fine...
But there was no smile, no spunk, no bubbly Megan!
"You just don't seem like yourself," I said. "Are you sad? Are you embarrassed?"

Her next words made me laugh and tear up at the same time.

"Mom, I'm totally fine. It just HURTS to smile or laugh! Why would I be sad or embarassed? Even with this big scrape on my face, I'm still Megan. I'm the same girl as before. I don't care. I just want to stay and play."

Sometimes it takes falling down to learn how really stable you are.
(or at least to teach your mommy so!)
It made me smile to see her pick herself up so easily.
And it did my heart good to know, that in her heart, she knows
What you look like on the outside does not make you YOU.

Four days later I took this pic.
All the swelling was gone, but you can still see the scrapes.
I love in her eyes, you can see couldn't care less.
In her smile tho...you can tell it still hurts a bit!

MJ and MollyB, I love you. Your beauty, inside and out, takes my breath away. ~Mom