fooey.

you know, sometimes life just knocks the wind out of your sails.  it's decidedly up to you to make what you will of the situation.  it doesn't mean it doesn't suck, it just means, we need to regroup.

i opened up cjane's blog today and found four fantastic pieces of advice:

" From Bryn- We are a family that works. When my children wake up they know we will be working (housework, school work, gardening, etc) and they have a choice, to work along side me or find something to do by themselves. When the work is done we play, but I don't entertain my kids all day.

From Sarah- When life isn't pleasant there are only two things to be done, make a change or change your perspective.  

From Sarah (again)- Our children have it good. Really good. Stop worrying whether or not you are giving them enough, especially when you have to get things accomplished not involving their immediate happiness. They are extremely blessed.

From Kathy- If the baby is crying and your kitchen is a mess, let the baby cry and clean the kitchen."


with the wind out of my sails this past weekend, i needed to change my perspective.  Sarah, you, my unknowing-friend, are brilliant.  

last week we were told my father-in-law's cancer was back.  his latest pet scan revealed new undeniable growth, something we always knew would come back, however, something we didn't know would return so soon.  it was Easter weekend last year that he was first hospitalized with extreme jaundice, ending in a determination that he had pancreatic cancer.  it was Easter this year that he was rushed back to the hospital for two blood transfusions --- he had been loosing blood at a rapid rate, so much so that he was down three pints in the last month.  

he was very disorientated, short of breath, and agitated, all of which lead to him slipping into a bit of a depression over his state and the unknown future he was about to learn of.  thankfully, two transfusions later he stopped thinking it was the very end and he started thinking he would be more open to other cancer treatments than previously decided upon.  

without knowing it, we did exactly what sarah mentioned in her first point {highlighted in red} above.  we changed our perspective.

we were grateful.  it was an unfortunate reawakening and call to reality reminding us that we cannot take time for granted.  we are on this earth for but a short time and it is up to us to make the most out of that short time.  i can't do it for you.  you can't do it for me.  these are decisions you or i make.  for ourselves.

i choose to change my perspective.  i choose to live my life being positive about my father-in-law's state of health.  he didn't expect to be alive last Christmas, yet he was.  not only was he alive, he was told there didn't appear to be any new signs of growing cancer in his body.  it was a miracle if i ever saw one.  and while yes, it did come back, every day is a gift and i am grateful that i have received far more gifts this year than any of us ever expected.

my father-in-law is a great man and today  i choose to be grateful.