Songs of Hope and Encouragement, part 2

We have added to our original list of songs that bring us hope and encouragement through their lyrics. Songs are chosen because they might be...

- a song of friendship
- a song of finding hope in hard times
- a song encouraging you to push past difficulties in life
- a song of faith
- a song of turning to God for strength

The first one is the song Dancer Girl has chosen to use for her very first competition solo this year. The rest are either recent finds or rediscoveries of old favorites...


We hope you find that some of these speak to you, offering encouragement in some small way.

"Unwritten"                                    Boyce Avenue with Diamond White  
"A Beautiful Life"                          MIKESCHAIR                            
"Home"                                          Phillip Phillips
"Do Life Big"                                 Jamie Grace         
"Firework"                                      Katy Perry
"Where I Belong"                           Jenny Simmons                           
"Glorious Unfolding"                     Steven Curtis Chapman                
"He Knows My Name"                 Francesca Batistelli                      
"You"                                             Britt Nicole                                  
"Hands of God"                              Francesca Batistelli       
"Fighter"                                         Jamie Grace                                  
"Just Be Held"                                Casting Crowns                           
"Run to Jesus"                                Francesca Batistelli                      
"I Look to You"                             Whitney Houston                          

Scoliosis International

One very interesting thing about doing this blog is that we can see where people are finding our site from in the stats section.  It turns out the search for information about scoliosis is an international activity.

We have had searches find our site from 20 different countries all over the world just in the past month! (Make that 21 - just added Poland to the list!).

Australia    United Kingdom

Singapore             Oman             Serbia

India            Germany            Cyprus

Canada                  Finland      Malaysia

Philippines              France          Honk Kong

Turkey            The Netherlands             Romania

Saudi Arabia            Taiwan

Poland               United States

By far, the most hits have come from the US, with Finland and Romania coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Canada, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, and the Netherlands are all close together in 4th, 5th, 6th, & 7th with the rest getting only two or three hits per country.

The most popular posts appear to be about fashion - what to wear both over and under the brace. The next most popular ones seem to be those related to dancing with scoliosis.

We are pleased that our blog makes its way onto the list of many blogs out there that offer some great advice on these topics and share personal experiences with others to help them through this part of their lives.

I know we have found a number of very helpful sites (our sidebar links you to some of them) and are thankful to those who posted and have helped Dancer Girl deal with some of the daily pains and logistics of wearing the brace.

The Boston brace - our basic info

Some friends of ours recently commented that they are never sure when Dancer Girl is wearing her brace and couldn't think of a time when they noticed her in it.  This means she has managed to find clothes that help conceal it.  But, it also means that many of our friends have very little idea about just what it is Dancer Girl is trying to hide because they have never seen it!

Each brace will look a little different depending on the individual's bracing needs, but the basic frame of a Boston brace is similar from brace to brace.  It is essentially a solid plastic body that wraps around the torso. Cut-out areas are created to allow for relief of pressure and to create some give in order to be able to get it on & off.  Often those cut outs are covered with a stretchy fabric to provide some support.

Dancer Girl's goes up into her armpit and down below the hip on one side.  The other side is essentially at her hip and stops below her armpit.  It falls in the mid-pocket area in the back so when she sits down it is just above the chair. Similarly in the front it sits just above her lap when she is seated.

The front is fairly smooth with a few contoured lines that could produce a small bump in a tight fitting top.  The back though is the tricky part to hide.  There are three large velcro straps that do not lie nice & flat, especially after repeated use.

She wears a seamless tank top underneath since seams can create areas of skin irritation and then another fitted tank over it to keep the straps as flat as possible and protect her clothing from the velcro.  We have a number of posts about various clothing items she has found that work well over the brace. If you are curios, just click on the Fashion tab at the top of the page, or click on a photo on the left side bar.

Cute tops over the brace

Fall is here and so different clothes are in order.  Most of what Dancer Girl wore last year still fits although she has outgrown some of it so needed a couple of replacements. The trick with this time of year is that the temperatures can change a lot from morning to afternoon to evening so lightweight long sleeves, or 3/4 length, and layers are alway good.

This first top we found at T J Max and is a fun, casual hoodie style that is not too heavy.  The pattern really hides the brace lines in the front and back but the style still retains some figure to it's form.  It hangs down past the hips and the shirt underneath and the patterns on the back pockets help hide any brace lines on the pants.

The second one is also lightweight and we found this at Nordstrom's Rack.  It is a looser fit and a little shorter but not quite a crop top. Dancer Girl can get a casual sort of style with a tank over the brace without revealing any of the brace. Because of the loose fit it hangs in the back in such as way as to hide the brace lines.

She is wearing a Sugar Lips seamless tank under her brace with both tops.  She is also wearing Everyday camisole from Kohl's over the brace to protect her clothing from the velcro straps and give the layered look.  That exact style is no longer available but this is similar, Women's Apt. 9 Essential Seamless Camisole, and is seamless so might work under the brace for some.

She actually fits the top of the brace in between the camisole and the shelf bra which ends up hiding the part of the brace that fits under her arm as well as providing a bit of protection for her underarm - very clever, I thought. These come in all sorts of colors and are often on sale so stock up when you have the chance!

Also, check out the latest fashion posts on "c-ing curves differently"

- she's got some great ideas for clothes to wear over a brace!