Sunday Sentiments: WEEK 10



Wow... long time no posts, huh!  Sorry about that.  It's been a wild ride at our house, particularly the last 12 weeks or so.  Thanks for being patient while I was away - and for being so supportive to me and my family.  I have gotten the most heartfelt and genuine letters of encouragement from many of you - letters that I will keep and always treasure.  You all have been a huge part of my support system and I appreciate that so much!  Many of you know that I have a FB Page where I've been sharing our Cancer Journey (HERE)... and about a week ago I shared the beautiful, clear picture that's been forming in my mind about life and this quote summed it up perfectly.  Plus, since I tend express myself graphically, after all... MY computer IS my canvas - this is what I made.  Monumental - actually, as this was the first thing I've designed in forever and let me tell you... IT FELT SO GOOD TO BE BACK AT MY COMPUTER!!  As soon as I designed it, I knew immediately that this quote would fit in nicely with my "Sunday Sentiments Series" and thought that posting the image here might be a nice way to begin easing back into designing and blogging again.

Here's what I wrote on Eric's "411" Page...

Hi, Friends... My sister and mom have encouraged me to share a few things I've learned and experienced in hopes it'll help our friends and family understand a little bit about what it's like to ease into life after cancer. I think the easiest way to describe it - is before Eric got sick, we had a huge plate of commitments, tons of activities dawn to dusk (and beyond) and were a very busy and involved family. When Eric was diagnosed, both the first time and the second, we were forced to strip and cut all unessential things in order to cope with and juggle the heavy and unpredictable load that lay ahead. We re-prioritized every detail of our lives. We had to let go of a lot of worthwhile and great things, but also got to purge the unnecessary activities that diverted our focus and re-focused it all on THE most important things - which was Eric, his care, our fight and each other. Where we stand today, in emotional recovery as a family, it's been a very euphoric experience for me particularly as I re-evaluate life with a new perspective. I look at my plate, which is now filled with all the best, most important things with intense gratitude. I know what's important to me, I have new ideas on how to best spend my time, I have set new goals and have a new vision on how I want to move on and grow from this experience. I love Eric and our kids more than ever, I have a fine-tuned respect and love for life and what our purpose is here. It's difficult to describe, but it's a clarity like I've never had before - and possibly one of the greatest gifts after experiencing an intense fight for life with a loved one. I now want to fill my plate back up in a more thoughtful and intentional way. What a beautiful opportunity this is to carefully choose what we, as a family, and myself individually, allows back onto our plate. And you know what, maybe it won't be with all the old regular stuff. Longing for our old normal is not healthy, we'll never get back to that - it's impossible, cancer changes you too much. Some of what was important before seems less important now. What we will evolve to and find over time is a new, but better normal. One that hopefully reflects what is most important in life and one that is not clouded with glittery distractions and unnecessary crazy. Eric's physical recovery will take time, lots of time - but as he rebuilds his stamina and strength each day, I feel a great desire to make sure that when he's finally able to emerge into his own new normal, that our family will be strong, focused and ready to move on to great things together. 


Get the full "Sunday Sentiments" Collection {HERE} - there are over 40 now! 

Much love...


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2 comments

  1. It sounds like things are looking up. I'm so happy for you and your family! Thanks for sharing your insights. I could do some purging of non-essentials, too, to make room for much better things. :)

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  2. You and your family are amazing! So glad that things are trending in a more positive direction and we will continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers!

    ~Amanda and Andee Hughes (your couponing friends from Las Vegas!)

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