A kangaroo might not be the kind of animal you'd expect to meet in a forest, but I want to tell you about the one I met in my forest.

At the age of 14 she had been walking on a pavement when she was hit by a car driven by a fifteen year old.  She suffered horrendous injuries and wound up in hospital for fifteen months.  Despite being told she'd never walk again she left hospital on two feet.  At the age of nineteen she was a rear passenger in a car involved in a car crash and sustained further serious injuries.  Now in her early thirties, she was undergoing surgery to improve her injured leg, and this was something like operation number 55.

The surgery she'd had meant she couldn't put her foot to the ground so she hopped around the ward with her arms held out for balance making her look like a kangaroo - hence the metaphor.

She was (is) a remarkable and inspiring young woman devoid of bitterness or self-pity, with no anger towards the driver(s) whose actions had caused her injuries and unending, fulsome praise for the NHS.  As is the way of remarkable people, she seemed unaware of how inspiring she was (is).

Her surgery involved just overnight before she bounded out of the forest and into her future.  A great girl/woman whose beauty goes far deeper than the fleeting outward looks of youth.  I pray she will continue to progress physically and enjoy the fullness of life she so richly deserves.