Perspective

Three of the 5 biggest stressors in life are supposed to be moving, losing someone you love, and having surgery. Caitlin has experienced all 3 of those in less than 3 months...

Only instead of just moving to a new house on the other side of town (or the state- or even the country), Caitlin moved to a whole other continent, leaving behind all that she knew. She lost her home, her culture, her way of life... everything. When we move to a new house, we at least (usually) keep our furniture and precious belongings. Caitlin left her home with absolutely nothing but memories.

And instead of just losing a loved one, and having friends and family to lean on to get you through the tough times, Caitlin lost EVERYONE she kenw and loved- and had NO ONE to lean on but Paul and me, two total strangers to her.

And then she had major surgery, and on top of the pain and confusion that caused, she also lost her ability to eat her favorite foods and suck her beloved thumbs (her method of self-soothing) because of it.

On top of all that, being so young, Caitlin doesn't have the ability to comprehend why it's happening!

(I've been using this analogy to try to explain Caitlin's situation to those who don't understand. It seems to help, or at least it seems to make people think.)