Happy 9th birthday week to Carson & Kellen!!! And happy teratoma removal anniversary to Carson today (11.11)! These two have celebrated big {with friends and family} this past week!
This time of year I get caught up thinking back to the beginning of their lives & how far they've come {which in turn leads to gratefulness}.
* I get to celebrate the boys and how much their lives have changed mine…parenting is harder yet better than I could have EVER imagined. It has changed me in a million ways…I get to celebrate their lives and all that they are…their spunk, their creativity, their energy, their uniqueness.
* I get sucked into scrolling through pictures from the past 9 years and I’m laughing one second and bawling the next. Time goes by SO fast…while I wish for some of those little years back…I also can’t wait to see what’s ahead! We have been through times that I hope I NEVER have to relive but they make the good times all the better (just like today…9 years ago…I was surrounded by family but there was tension like you wouldn’t believe because we didn’t know what the outcome would be with Carson's surgery…yet today, Carson and Kellen went to school and had basketball practice like any typical 9 year old.
* I take a real look at what life is meant to be...because I used to think it was supposed to be fair and I have to realize through stories in the Bible and just living life that it was never meant to be fair. While I know I am blessed beyond measure, have a truly great life, and have actually witnessed true miracles in Carson & Kellen's lives...I also see Carson get the short end of the stick in many ways & sometimes suffer simply because of his beginnings and the teratoma. He definitely doesn't think much of it (and I try to see the blessings before I dwell very long on the unfairness) but I see how running is harder, talking is harder, he can't be heard at times with his friends, in class, in the gym, or when he even sometimes when he tries to talk to Alexa : ). That meals are HARD...that he doesn't have much appetite, that he spends tons of extra time chewing food and sitting at the table. That he can't be carefree around water, etc. That I lose my patience with him way too often. But again, that's not the point of this...it makes me remember that although life isn't fair, we can use our blessings and our experiences to then help others. That we can make lemonade out of lemons and that the successes are all the sweeter because you've worked extra hard to get there. Plus, real living includes all of the ups and downs and in betweens...it's finding God wherever we are, seeking him out, and making the most of what we've been given! Finding the purpose that is ours alone...that God created us to fulfill!
* But I think more than anything…reflecting on Carson & Kellen’s lives makes me believe in the goodness of God working through people. Their birth & months that followed was the first time, I couldn’t do it all on my own (or even with the help of Preston) and I saw people step up to fill in the gaps for us. Family changed schedules so they could come help or we could be home, friends were there, coworkers held fundraisers, people I didn’t even know wanted to help in any way possible. Thousands & thousands of prayers were {& have been} sent up for my family and we made it through! Although life isn’t what I thought it would necessarily be 9 years later…life is full of fun adventures with Carson & Kellen and for that I am so, SO very thankful!
As I told family today...there is no better feeling than knowing your family is covered in prayer and love. Thank you for the role EACH of you have played in that!
THIS is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad!
Psalm 118:24
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