We had a break in our Wisdom Wednesday guest authors today, so I wanted to share with you a new blog series that is starting this week and will take place on Tuesdays.
Monday was our son’s 100th week in our third phase of cancer treatment. In case you are unfamiliar with our story and his journey, our youngest son Gabriel was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) Leukemia on December 29, 2016. We were sent by ambulance from his pediatric office to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It was a whirlwind of uncertainty, change and scary for us all. Gabe started chemo immediately and within fifteen days went into Remission! For his type of cancer, there are three phases. The first phase, lasted approx 6-8 weeks. The second phase also lasted 6-8 weeks and had very intense chemo and multiple hospital stays. You can read about our journey during these phases in the archives section of the blog. The third phase is the Continuation phase, and it lasts 120 weeks. This week we hit the 100th week! Which means we only have TWENTY weeks left of treatment!
We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we are so excited. There are still some bumps in the road as Gabe is dealing with leg pain and has to wear braces. But we can see the finish line. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for us. As I mentioned in another post, I haven’t been feeling well, and then this week at St. Jude we had a long appointment day and car problems. We had to stay an extra day in Memphis and a long time sitting around waiting for our car to be fixed.
Have you ever had one of those days where everything that could go wrong, does?
I was starting to feel like that. We’ve had quite a few ups and downs throughout our cancer journey as a family. It’s been incredibly difficult. It’s tried our patience, and zapped our joy many times, so when more things happen it just seems to pile on and ultimately be overwhelming.
Last night, I messaged my husband the Midnight Dad devotional post and added a few personal words to the message. I know he needed to hear a few things and I needed to say a few after the frustrating forty-eight hours we’ve had.
But it sent my mind racing, and I realized something. Those couple of short sentences of encouragement was not only true, but I knew it was his love language. He enjoys words of affirmation. I knew it would mean a lot to him, and I was intentional in taking a few moments and sending him something that would lift him up. What if I was that intentional with the ones that were the closest to me? What if I found out what would make the most significant impact by doing something small for my kids? To my sisters? Parents? Best friend? What if I took a few moments and did something on purpose for the ones who are the closest to me? I could play a video game with my oldest son because he loves to play games. With my daughter, I could do something artsy, because she has seemed to inherit my love of crafts. With my youngest, I could watch him play a video game or play with him. He’s five, so I will have to be a little bit more creative. But you get the idea.
What would happen if I did this once a day, for a week? Or a month?
I can tell you this. When I took this very frustrating couple of days and focused on how good Gabe is doing with treatment, how supportive my husband is, how I had friends that said they would come to get us, and family that helped take care of the car situation, my frustration was gone. I didn’t go to bed upset and down last night. I was grateful for these relationships.
I know I’m not alone. You may be reading this right now and going through some of the same things. Everyone’s situation is different, but we all struggle. Everything that could go wrong may be going wrong in your life right now.
I get it. I see you. I understand.
Relationships play a huge part in my series, The Kalila Chronicles, and really, they should be important in our own lives too. What about joining me on Tuesdays and let’s get more intentional and hold each other accountable? Sometimes it’s good to have others who are going through similar things to help you to remember to look for the good when you are in the middle of a situation.
#BeStill blog will be on Tuesdays, and I will have discussion posts on my author accounts on Facebook and Instagram. You can comment and interact on either the blog or social media. Use the hashtag #BeStill to find the posts. Next week, I will dig deeper into why this phrase means so much to me and my writing.
Ready to jump in with me and list five relationships or areas where you want to be more intentional? Or maybe you’re having a bad day, and you need to find the good in the situation. In that case, list five things you’re thankful for. Post yours in the comments sections on this post or the social media post. I will post mine in the comments too!
Hugs,
Erin
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