Thankfulness and a shopping adventure

Normally, I'm pretty...diligent, shall we say about keeping my posts in chronological order (a trait picked up from my Mom). This time, well - there is something on my mind that I have to share lest I forget. So, before I share our super-fun vacay to St. Louis, McKinley's very first haircut or a stair-climbing, cabinet/door/drawer opening fun-filled Thanksgiving, I simply must share something that really touched my heart today.

I would like to think that over the last 2 years of my life, and most of the rest of my life (except for that dark time of grief nearly 3 years ago when I lost Dad) I have remained a fairly positive person. I definitely try very hard to find the silver lining in things that happen in my daily life. So, it's not hard for me to express how very, very thankful I am for all the loving, caring, kind people I have in my life. I mean that. I'm also so very thankful for the gifts God has given me: Cary - my best friend, McKinley, two wonderful parents, fabulous friends, a roof over my head - the list goes on.

Today, however on a post-Thanksgiving Day 'Black Friday' shopping trip I discovered just how very thankful I am for my son's health and for this little boy and his brother, mom and dad. I have NO idea what the parents' names are, but I do know that these two little boys were named from angels and men in the bible - Gabriel and Ezekiel. Gabriel is almost 3 and when we were waiting for a table at Friday's with his Daddy today, all I could think about was asking God to help him.

Gabriel has an extremely rare form of cancer, somewhere around the eye. Only 300 cases have ever been reported, and thus far he is the only 'case' who has been reported to have a recurrence THREE times within his short little life. He has endured many surgeries, chemo, radiation and now a new form of radiation therapy that is still in development stages. All of this before he turns THREE.

I think I'm a strong Mom. No, no...I THOUGHT I was a strong Mom. No. Gabriel's Mom wakes up everyday knowing that she is going to have to wake her precious son and begin his day with a trip for his daily treatment. She also has to take his younger brother. Everyday she has to endure what can only be some unreal form of torture to have to put a smile on your face for BOTH children, while inside you are scared for every breath, every move, every test.

In talking to Gabriel's Daddy we could just see the fight they had in them. It was inspirational! 'Daddy' shared with us that on December 17th they will find out if Gabriel's rare cancer has been sent into remission by this new radiation treatment. Mom and I both promised to keep him and the entire family in our prayers. I think I'll light a candle for him at church. But, if you are reading this add this little boy and his family to your prayers - they could all use the extra communication up there. And if you don't pray, well...do it anyway.

My heart goes out to this family.
I hope that this Christmas they get everything they want on their list! A big, beautiful, HAPPY smile on their little boy's face when he finds out he is cancer free!

Lynn

P.S. Ironically, today I got my brand new Cookie magazine in the mail (thank you, secret sister!) and found a touching article about another little boy, 4 years old with cancer. His parents created this foundation to raise money for ALL childhood cancers since a mere 12 percent of cancer research funding goes to help children. Here is the website: Cookies for Kids' Cancer