Perspective

Yesterday was my 37th birthday.  I am getting closer to 40 than 30 that is for sure, but cancer has changed my perspective on birthdays.  I am just so thankful for each day I am blessed to be here on this Earth.  I could care less that I have some "fine lines" around my eyes, things are not exactly where they used to be after nursing three babies, and I have to go see my favorite hair expert/hair colorer Victoria more than my wallet would like for  me to to keep my "natural color."

Birthdays and life are to be cherished and celebrated and yesterday was not exactly a stree free day in our household.  I was blessed to have lunch with some dear ladies and our children and all the facebook messages made me smile.  I am a blessed woman with friends and family in my life.  But like life, my birthday was not stress-free.   I got a nail stuck in my croc that caused some drama, preschool was a challenge yesterday, and  I forgot David had a field trip yesterday that required a packed lunch as we were walking out the door. Sigh. 

Last night instead of eating out as a family we ordered food in and had a quiet night at home.  Then this morning when I got up I checked my email I saw some devastating news about one of our UVA cancer warriors-a ten year old girl named Alyssa.  Her new doctors in Houston have sent her home due to cancer lesions on her lungs that grew from her bone cancer in her leg.  This little girl has already lost her leg and chemo has not been successful in her very aggressive cancer.  Her family is a wonderful christian family and please join me in praying for them to have meaningful and magical memories in their time left together. 

Sadly it hit me this morning that all the stress in our lives right now due to Mike's crazy job seems so pointless.  We are one bad scan away from a bad prognosis for our sweet David and that gives me perspective to all this crazy drama and stress.  Children are dying from cancer every day and sadly our child could be included in that group.  Our son like so many cancer warriors may not make it to their middle or high school years so we must focus on enjoying every minute we can with him and our other children.  Childhood cancer is ripping apart families everyday and that makes my heart hurt. 

So today I hate childhood cancer but I am thankful for the perspective it has given us on how life, truly drama-free life, is a precious gift to be treasured.