ryan, 23 year old female, with cerebral palsy. ryan is as social as they come. and although she is 23 she stands about 5 foot tall with a thin frame, built like a 5th grader. in addition to having cerebral palsy, ryan is legally blind. but this doesn't stop her from having one of the most beautiful smiles and amazing personalities. i held ryan on a horse today as she practiced motor skills - using language to get the horse to go and stop, muscle direction pulling on the reins to turn the horse, and balance as she lifter herself onto and off of the horse. within 15 minutes she grabbed my heart and will never let go...as she stood next to me on the mounting dock and grabbed my hand in anticipation for her assigned horse for the lesson - patton - to arrive in front of her. i don't think a smile left my face for the next hour as she told me how great she was doing, and laughed at little things she said. she was adorable and i can only hope that my path will cross with other people like ryan...if i could only be so lucky. i consider myself extremely blessed to have had the opportunity of spending just 1 hour with her.

it's moments like these that make me further realize how precious life is and how a simple smile can change your day!