Everyday Miracles

The days come and the the days go.  The sun keeps coming up.  That's a good thing.  With each sunrise I see new possibilities and opportunities that I didn't see a year ago.  We are coming up on two months without Charlie.  And we are drawing ever closer to Brendan's "cancerversary" on October 8th. (I just learned they have this name for the diagnosis anniversary.)   

 Each day I'm seeing the everyday miracles.  My eyes are open to so many new things.  Tears still come just about every day, but, as Shaun describes, the sorrows are gaining a bit of sweetness again.  They are "sweet sorrows" now and are beginning to lose their sting.

 The kids and their friends returned to Primary Children's Ronald McDonald Family Room to prepare breakfast on Labor Day.  I've seen the miracles that happen at Primary Children's Hospital, but I hadn't stopped to consider the miracles happening as the kids serve here.  Healing is happening on both sides of the counter.

 Sweet memories returned as Aaron found the Candyland game we received at "Give Kids The World."  We remembered Mayor Clayton (the bunny mayor) and we got stuck (just like real life) at the Ice Cream Palace eating "all-you-can-eat" ice cream.

 Here I find the greatest peace -- especially as I attend with loving family and friends.

 I uncovered the tostada shells sent home with Brendan from Camp Hobe.  This was all he ate there -- tostada shells with melted cheese.  They became legendary there.  I had to eat one just for Brendan.

 This scrap of paper resurfaced recently -- a torn off piece of paper from one of Brendan's many blood count results.

 Brendan had left this note on the bathroom counter for Shaun back in April.  Finding it again was even sweeter.

 We finally made it to Lagoon!  Brendan's GKTW passport gave us passes to many parks throughout the world, including Lagoon.  But, more than that, we had to go -- for Brendan.

 All through treatment last winter, as we stayed in Farmington and overlooked Lagoon, he and his Aunt Angie had made plans to go to Lagoon this summer.  They agreed they would ride Cannibal together.

So it was bittersweet.  Fun times -- but it was hard to be there without Brendan.  A few tears were shed.

 Angie and her kids came and we all rode Cannibal -- whether we wanted to or not!  We couldn't help but laugh that Brendan figured out how to get out of riding the thriller roller coaster ride.

 The hard times come and go, but are helped when we remember Brendan and laugh about all the good times we've shared.

Reminders of Brendan surround us.  I'm grateful to see his life around us daily.  (Thanks, Spring Creek, for sending his school file.)

Brendan's life was an everyday miracle.   It's fun to see how he grew and learned and became.  We are all in that process of growing and learning and becoming.  Hopefully we can all figure it out as well as Brendan did.