Saturday, January 30, 2010

Stop. Rewind. Play.

Have you ever wanted to hit rewind on your life? Maybe go back in time to a different day and start again? That's how I have been feeling lately.

So where would I rewind to? December 29, 2007. That's the day we brought Nate home from the hospital. It was two months exactly before Tyler's leukemia diagnosis. It was eight months before I broke both ankles and spent six months in various casts and braces. It was before Brent got sick, before certain other personal trials, before life got totally crazy.

Now I'm not naive enough to believe that we would have zero trials if we were to rewind to that day and start again. Life is about trials. We can't know the good unless we know the bad. I get that. But some days I wonder if we were to rewind if the trials would be the same. Would it all happen exactly as it did? If so, would we handle it differently?

Don't get me wrong. Not every single day has been horrible. We've known a lot of positive these past two years. Brent and I have grown closer as a couple. Tyler has taught us what it means to be strong and to fight. We've had so much help, from so many people. We've met friends that we would never otherwise know. No, it hasn't all been bad.

But some days -- days like today when Brent is sick and in bed and Tyler is fighting a fever and making me worry and Emmalee is struggling to stay in control of her emotions and my house is a disaster and the laundry is planning a hostile takeover and I have a head cold that refuses to give up and all I really want to do is take a much needed vacation -- it is these days that make me wish I could rewind.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Anna's Wish

I need to update....I have pictures, stories, etc. But this post is dedicated to Anna. Anna lost her battle with cancer on January 2. She was five years old. Anna was so courageous and fought for sixteen long months. Her parents are, of course, devastated.

Anna loved helping others and loved making people happy. She truly loved giving gifts to other people. As a way to honor her and her giving spirit, her parents have come up with a way to help other children who are also fighting cancer. They have created Anna's Wish.

Anna's Wish will collect donations throughout the year and will use 100% of those donations to purchase Christmas gifts for cancer patients and their siblings. What an awesome way to honor Anna!

Please consider donating to Anna's Wish. Please help keep Anna's memory alive.

God Bless You, McKinney Family!