My Thoughts

While we were at camp amidst great people and having a super fun time, I said to Brent..." I just want to get in and out of this community as fast as I can. I want to be on the other side." The side that we've been on for our previous life where I am the caregiver and we are the camp counselors. It had nothing to do with the people or the place just the circumstances of our life. And now I realize we are not leaving this community any time soon. I had avoided getting to know families at camp and here in the hospital to a certain degree because it is too hard to hear their stories. Yesterday in a moment when it seemed that there would never come a day without fear and worry and pain, I walked out in the hallway and saw a family I recognized from camp.
She greeted me graciously recognizing I was having a hard time and encouraged me with their story. She reminded me how precious each day is with our children. Next came out the parents of a little girl struggling with her cancer and we all talked about camp, our families, the huskies, life. They seemed like people I had known for years. Their is a bond with those who have walked through the fire and even a joy in sharing the knowledge of what is really meaningful in life. This kind of suffering cannot be explained or understood, but God does reach out His hand and offer hope in unexpected places. I met a friend at camp who was serving as a volunteer there. She had lost her son to cancer 2 years ago. I asked her one day, "Laurie, how are you here? You don't get to choose whether or not you go through a trial like having a child with cancer, but you don't have to be here." She said, "sometimes the best things in life are the hardest." I think that's true.