I Will Carry You

I heard a story on the news yesterday morning that made my heart feel good, so I wanted to share it. They shared this photo and the heartwarming story behind it.

This is a picture of former Marine, Jesse Cottle. In 2009, Jesse was serving in Afghanistan and was dismantling an IED when it went off, leaving him a double amputee. He's had his ups and downs, but has been able to recover physically, mentally and emotionally with the help of his family and his faith. He met his future wife, Kelly, in San Diego when she was in town for a swim meet. They hit it off and Kelly never thought twice about being with Jesse, despite his physical limitations. 

Jesse and Kelly got married last year. This picture of them the was taken recently when they were in Idaho spending time with Kelly's family. They were getting family portraits taken and the photographer had the family go into the river. Jesse took off his prosthetic legs and Kelly carried him on her back. This isn't something unusual for her, since she often carries him on her back when they go to the beach since Jesse's prosthetic legs aren't very supportive on sand. 

Anyway, the photographer took some pictures of Kelly carrying Jesse and posted them online. It didn't take long for them to go "viral" and they've been "liked" or shared thousands of times. Jesse said (regarding the picture), "It kind of symbolizes the kind of person that my wife is … The type of person that she is on the inside and out." 

Kelly sounds like a really special person. I loved this story and it reaffirms my hope that perhaps one day someone will be able to fall in love with me and accept me, despite my physical limitations. That's a tall order, I know, but I also know that with God, all things are possible.