Day 21

     I have dreaded Scott going back to work.  It has been so helpful and comforting to have him home!  However, life and duty calls, so Scott went back to work today.  Little did we know, he would be back at the hospital tonight, with our 15 year old, Nathan.  Nathan is on the wrestling team at the high school and he came home from practice a couple of days ago with a mat burn on his hand.  When he came home yesterday, his hand was swollen.  Scott took him to Twilight Pediatrics and got topical and oral antibiotics for him.  This evening when Nathan came home, his hand was worse, so Scott took him to the ER.  We are still awaiting test results, but they are saying possible staff or mersa.  Nathan has been admitted and they are staying the night.  Isn't that crazy!?
     That would pretty much sum up 2011 for us - CRAZY!...I know the year isn't over yet, I guess I am just hoping the tide will somehow shift, with the New Year.  We are feeling pretty worn down.  When this whole cancer ordeal started with Katie, our "gas tanks" weren't exactly full......shoot, who am I kidding?  We were running on fumes!  (I will save those of you who are unaware, any of the details, but suffice it to say, if someone had made a movie of the year we had, you would say it was to over the top and so far fetched and unrealistic that it was not believable - except that this isn't a movie, it is our life and it is all very much real).  In light of it all though, I must say that Katie's cancer, and facing the possibility of loosing our sweet daughter, has put everything into focus and shifts things back into "what matters most".  Us.  Our faith.  Our family.  Although that doesn't negate any of what we have gone through, (because it has all been unbelievable hard and painful), but it has narrowed our range of focus.  Our other troubles and challenges haven't let up, but there are things in life you can control and things you can't control.  We no longer have the time or energy to focus on anything else but the things we can control - which isn't much - so we have had to turn everything over to the Lord and put our lives completely in His hands.
     Romans 8:35 - 39  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword (or Leukemia, or craziness, or mersa or staff)?
 "...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
     We are firm in our faith.  We pray daily for our strength and faith to be renewed.  Our family is a miracle in progress.  We are making it through, even though we started this with our "tanks" on empty.  We have been blessed and strengthened!  We are grateful and acknowledge the Lord's hand in our life.  Thank you for your prayers in our behalf.  Our Katie went through another round of chemo today.  What can I say about that?...It's hard.  Today I am glad for Christmas lights, music and movies - all have added joy and delight for Katie and Conner - and when they are delighted, so are we!