Soul surfer

So, this blog has nothing to do with Disney, but I feel like i have to say something.
I'm sitting in my apartment right now watching Soul Surfer with my roommates, waiting for my phone interview with Disney for my professional internship. We're about half way through the movie, and I've had tears in my eyes for at least the last 20 minutes.

It's very strange to watch this movie, and i know that my experiences are not in any way the sames as Bethany Hamilton's, but i can't help but feel so much of what she's feeling. There's a scene in the movie where she is at the grocery store and there is a little girl in a cart with her mom and she says, "mommy, what happened to that girls arm?" I completely lost it there and when she asks Carrie Underwood's character how her loosing her arm is a part of God's plan. I had many kids ask their parents the same question about my legs and asked that same question countless times to my family, my friends at church, and God. I'm watching this almost feeling like I'm watching myself and it hurts.

People have told me throughout my ordeal and continue to tell me how strong i am, but i am not nearly as strong as Bethany Hamilton is portrayed in this movie. I know that she had hard days too, and that this movie is not showing everything, because the truth is, any handicap is so much more than what can be put in just a couple hours by a movie director. Everything she says has been something that I've said numerous times. She kept her faith stronger than i ever did. Part of me wishes this movie had come out while i was dealing with my ordeal. Maybe i wouldn't hurt as much as i still do now, inside.

If you ever had a moment where you wondered what i felt like, watch this movie. This is my story too, even if i wasn't attacked by a shark while surfing and i still have my limbs. The story is the same, the pain is the same, and the emotions are the same. Soul Surfer is an incredible movie that i would highly recommend to everyone I meet. If you know someone with a disability or who has dealt with a handicap, this movie will be very enlightening for you.