Smile and take it all in, you know I will be…

Time sure does fly. It can creep up on you like a five year old child, when you east expect and catch you by surprise. I am not one for surprises to be honest. I have had enough surprises over the past few years to last me a life time.
Last year at this time, our family had just started our new journey. Max was six months into chemotherapy. He had no hair, was bloated, nauseous , yet he still maintained his sense of humor and valor. I was doing the best I could. As long as Max was well. I was okay.
I remember sitting around the Thanksgiving table. I was grateful. I was grateful for my life, my family and the food we were about to eat. I was grateful for our troops. I was grateful for my strength and the courage of my family. I was grateful for God.
You see, on April 27th of 2007 at 5:00 in the afternoon, Annemarie, and I took Max and Alexander to the playground on the side of my building in Manhattan. Max fell as he rounded the bases. The fall caused a tumor in his arm to pop through the bone. He was in pain. You and I have no idea, what pain is. I saw it in is eyes. It broke my heart. Think of a wisdom tooth coming in. Now think of someone giving you an upper cut to the jaw. Pain right? Well that fall at that time, was a blessing. It was that fall that resulted in us taking him for an x-ray. It was that fall that saved his life.
I was then thankful for that fall and continue to be today and will be for the rest of my life. Had he not fallen when he did, we would have not caught the cancer. Who knows, to this day, had that not happened, Where would he be?
Our journey is far from over and may never end. But, that is okay. As long as we have our family, and Max is doing well, the obstacles are only temporary. Nothing comes easy for anyone of us. And, if you think it does, well you are only fooling yourself. With the right attitude we can overcome the hurdles that lie before us. Don’t let them define who you are- let how you overcome them define you.
I wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Smile and take it all in- you know I will be…………………….