- my husband: I can't begin to describe how thankful I am to have him in my life; he has so many things going on in his heart and life right now and yet he's always willing to sacrificially give more... with everything he's endured in his life, I am amazed at and blessed by the man I get to call my best friend and husband; I feel like I can handle life's ups and downs better with him next to me
- my 8 month old boy: even with his cough & snotty nose this week, he has woken up each morning with big smiles and lots of happy noises; I'm thankful he can handle a little sleep training while being sick, can play by himself when mommy is tired, is learning new things every day, is a voracious little eater (if he's like this now, the teenage years are going to be brutal!), can light up a room with his smile (no matter what time of the day or night it is)
- being a wife and mom: I handled being a wife and mom for the week "by myself" (cooking, cleaning, poopy diapers, waking up at night, each of us having a cold, etc.); it's good to know that I have the strength to do it, support when I need a rest and a husband who knows when and if I need help
- my parents: they're coming back today and I'm grateful (hope they were able to rest up 'cause I have their most adorably active, youngest grandchild waiting for them); I'm grateful to family who will uproot their lives to walk our dog, do night feeds, drive me to appointments, change diapers and laugh and cry with me; I've missed them this week
- a card and CD from a special family member who has been and is in my place... the card read "when there are no words to soften the pain may your spirit be touched by the love that surround you and slowly... may the healing begin"
- a card from a colleague and mentor who is also facing challenges in her life... this card has a picture of a dog on the front and says "As they say in obedience school... HEAL!"
- phone calls from a friend: it's good to be needed (instead of being the one in need)
- sharing joys and sorrows with my massage therapist and being ministered to through her hands, heart and conversation
- groups & meetings: I've gone back to doing some of the "normal" things that I did prior to my diagnosis; it feels good to know that priorities I had previously are still priorities now and that I have the energy and desire to reengage
- laughs... and lots of them: wig parties, my giggling boy, my dog trying to retrieve a stick that's quite big, me trying to throw the stick that's too big for him to retrieve
- walks: the four of us had the energy to walk for McFlurries on Sat (6.8km total) but I didn't have enough to get around the block on Wed; no matter how far or short, it's good to be able to get out of the house
- the ladies at the lab who take my blood and the nurses who fill my veins with chemo: I'm truly thankful for the care you put into your jobs and also thankful that I'm able to be in your care
- my crazy haired friends: I'm so glad we were put together; it's good to be learning from each other and to have each other in each of our circumstances
- my dog: he's still crazy and energetic and even a little better behaved (at times); I'm thankful he fits into our family so well; it brings me joy to watch my 8 month old "chase" him around the house... Matias will army crawl the length of the house just to be around his big friend (JR is usually fine with being chased but ocassionally needs his space; he escaped by going up three stairs to the landing of the staircase... Matias can't get there yet... but he's working on it!) ;-)
- soft kleenex (especially the menthol scented ones from Kosova): for tears, snotty noses, bloody noses & little pukes (my boy's... not mine); my nose would have been much more raw if I had to go through this with the stuff we offer at work
If I didn't have cancer, I would not have had many of these experiences or had the opportunity to see the incredible people in my life in this way. For this, I'm thankful.
Always inspired by your perspectives Krista....Gods peace! Sharon LeBlanc
ReplyDeleteYou are truly amazing, always thankful, always aware of the good things in life surrounding you, always full of hope and optimism. As I say truly amazing.
ReplyDeleteI can so relate to this in so many ways and completely agree with your last statement about if you didn't have cancer. Love it, glad I found your Blog. Blessings to you Krista,
ReplyDeleteRachel Bode (fellow fighter of breast cancer and above all wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend)
Krista - my parents have been keeping me up to date on you through the grapevine that is Leader Alliance, and just last week passed along your blog to me. It has been so long since we've connected, but I wanted you to know that you are on my heart often these days. My husband and I also welcomed a little boy into our lives this year (baby Arthur is just a few months younger than Matias!) and so your journey as a new mother with this profound challenge is what I feel led to offer as my prayer on your behalf. May God give you strength in this and much more. Take Care - Sherri Trautwein
ReplyDeleteI can imagine you and your surrounfing family filled with love and deep concerns.
ReplyDeleteYour friends also reflect who you really are.
You are courageous fighter who encourage fellow fighter including those who need inner healing.
May God always be with you on your journey like with "Footprint ".
James, Esther; your neighbour
Hi Krista. I have been following your blog for years now, since the start, and you have given me such strength. I wanted to share something with you to show you this.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, I did something I never thought I could do, and I credit you with it. I had never flown on a plane in my life and I had serious fears of flying. I had geared myself up to do it by thinking of you and your struggles. I would say, "If Krista can go through what she is going through with such strength and determination, then I can do this". Well, as you know, 3 days before my flight, there was a GermanWings crash. That scared me to death. I thought of it as a sign that I was not meant to fly. I told my wife, "We are cancelling the tickets!!".
But in that moment, I thought of you. And I stayed strong, and didn't cancel the flights. Once on the flight I had some moments were I was scared, and I would think of you. I would pray for you. I would pray for your family. Whenever I was scared, if I just thought of you, I'd feel better.
You don't even know me and that's how powerful your story has been. You inspired me to do something that I never would have done otherwise.
You and your family continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. Lots of Love.