Gabrielle Giffords bids an emotional farewell to Congress

The recovering — but still shaky — Arizona Democrat announces that she's stepping down from Congress, but that, one day, she will return.

Gabrielle Giffords has resigned from the House with a standing ovation from her colleagues, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. The Arizona congresswoman formally resigned after a series of tributes from her

Gabrielle Giffords on Capitol Hill in Washington prior to delivering his State of the Union address on Jan. 24, 2012. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) President Barack Obama arrives for his State of the Union address before a joint session

One day before her retirement from the House of Representatives, Rep.

Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) walked slowly to her seat and offered a wave. The claps became cheers, and the cheers built to a roar. And the joint session of Congress actually felt, for a few moments, like a gathering of co-workers.