A story from JOSIE

The best thing about my day is how easily all these children smile.

They are so full of joy, despite the obstacles they have been born with. It's never a dull moment!
Philip and Aaron are from the same foster family, and they come in every morning for physical therapy. Aaron has a cleft lip and palate. Philip has Spinea Bifida and Hydrocephalus, with limited movement of his lower legs, and a little larger head than normal.

Both boys bring so much life and energy into the room.

Due to his cleft lip and palate, Aaron has a little "lisp" and some of his pronunciation is hard to understand. His foster mother was trying to get him to say "Ayi," meaning "auntie," which is what the kids call the women who work in the foster home. But his pronunciation was so cute, his foster mother and I started to repeat how he was pronouncing it. (Yes, even us adults like to act like kids!) He kept yelling "Ayi" at us like we were the ones who didn't know how to say it. Finally, he just ended the entire episode by laughing, shaking his head and saying, "You are crazy!"

Philip likes to look in the large mirror in the physical therapy room because he enjoys calling himself "Big Head" and laughing. He will look into the mirror and say, "Ah, I have a big head," and completely lose control in a adorable giggles. You can't help but laugh along with him, especially when he stops and looks again into the mirror with surprised eyes and a goofy face, and then cracks up again!

These children embrace their set backs with tremendous acceptance and happiness in life. They aren't ashamed to be different and approach their uniqueness with joy and humor. It's so encouraging to see how happy they are and loving they are. Just the little simple things they do can make your entire day and always bring a big smile to your face.