That’s a Wrap

If you look in Aiden’s sunglasses you can see Ben’s reflection. You can see his bright white coat. I’m so proud of what this man has gone though for our family.

I posted pictures last week and received so many kind words from so many of you.

We’ve heard a lot of “that went so fast”. It did? I’m sure it seems that way but to our family it’s been such a long ride.

Six years ago, that’s right … six, God spoke to Ben and I at the exact same moment. We were in a vulnerable spot. My cancer diagnosis was new. We didn’t know where that would end. All we knew is that in one of the most fragile points in our marriage, we had to seize the day.

Life is too short to go through the motions.

Four and a half years ago, my treatments were over. My cancer was gone, or so we pray…the thoughts of it returning is always there.

I push Ben to start this long process. He fears taking the risk. It was such a big risk.

To all of you, we seem brave. Some of you had told us you don’t know if you could have done it. We’ve been given a lot of credit. We’ve made it look so easy.

I’m writing this piece to tell you it was not. The pictures we’ve posted have only shown the successes. I have an entire book I’m working on to show you the failures. I’m not doing it for sympathy, I’m doing it to help you. To help you know that life is not easy, and you can’t do it alone.

The first few months after Ben quit was exciting. We were doing it. We were taking this huge risk and showing others we weren’t afraid.

At first we weren’t.

But then life happens. It’s too much to tell in a blog but there was depression, failure, jealousy, doubt, anger and fear to name a few.

I have no doubt in my mind that God was the only reason we got through it all.

We were sent many angels along the way.

The picture below is Ben and his advisor Susan. She became like a mother to him. Whatever Susan said, Ben did. She told him to move closer to the school or he would never make it. It was one of the hardest things he ever had to do but he did it.

She yelled at him when he tried to fix everything for everyone. She told him he had to put himself first for once in his life or he was never going to get through it. He listened, not completely but he did learn to let others help him for the first time in his life.

She told him he could get though this, so he did.

I can never thank her enough.

This is my cousin Debbie and her husband Cliff. They graciously opened up their home to Ben. They made sure he had a safe place to stay and a warm meal to come home to after a long day. They encouraged him and loved him.

I can never thank them enough.

This is Ben’s sister Linda. She would come over to stay with the boys at a drop of a hat. I would go down to visit Ben in the middle of the week and she never hesitated to come over and spend time with the boys.

I can never thank her enough.

This is after the ceremony. The three men in my life. I wonder what thoughts are in their heads. I hope they remember this day forever. I know I will. All the hard work, the frustrations and the joys. I’d do it all over again. The lessons we’ve learned because of it have been priceless. it has brought our family so much closer together.

This is the ride home. It has been a long journey boys. I’m tired too. Life isn’t supposed to be easy. We don’t learn from easy. We don’t grow from easy. We can rest now.

I hope this journey of ours inspires you. Take the leap. Listen to what God tells you. Be honest with yourself. Take help from others. And when all of that fails…continue to pray…God will see you though.

To all of you who have supported us and prayed for us.

We can never thank you enough.

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On to a new chapter, we don’t like boring around here…to be continued. 😉