Suchajourney : Stop. Slow down. What really matters today?

This month I have been busy, almost too busy. I love busy, when I can get everything done. And although the business has brought me joy and each event we have been involved in has been important or a really good cause, I wonder sometimes how I get to slow it all down from here. Our society is too busy in general, we are so connected that we rush around so we don't miss anything. The holidays are the very proof I needed to realize we are doing too much. When I don't have even a day to just stay home and get something done, I've realized I'm over-booked. I know I've ranted about this before so it means I find myself here quite a bit. This month however has given me a somber reminder as to why I need to slow some things down. First off, I was ranting and throwing a mini tantrum about something, it was either a lost shoe, a messy living room, unfolded laundry...you get the idea. When one of my lifelong friends called me to tell me her cancer was back. My world just stopped. It was only three years ago that she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She beat it and has been cancer free, newly married, raising 2 teenage daughters and planning her future life. When out of the blue, she's feeling horrible and she is diagnose with Acute Myloid Leukemia. This cancer is a side effect of the chemotherapy that saved her life the first time. Hard to imagine that's even possible. So she's been in the hospital 22 days, it has not gone very well for her. It has been painful. And throughout these 21 days I have made an attempt to slow my schedule down and really, purposefully begin to appreciate life, my friends, my family. This is the reason I started blogging again. I want to look back and know that as life whips by and all around, that I took a few moments to sit down, drink coffee and pay tribute to the things in my life that matter.

Wednesday, we celebrated my husband's birthday with cake, presents and dinner and then Thursday, Daniel and I went to the hospital to cut My sweet friend's hair. This is the second time I sat with her and watched her long red tresses fall to the ground. It's a wicked and tangible reminder that the body is sick.

It would be easy to get buried in the sadness that this epidemic has brought upon us. Two women in homeschooling circles of friends that I have known and taught with, have lost their lives this year from cancer. It should be that constant reminder that life is short and fragile. It has reminded me that we have no control over the things that we hold most dear. This morning I woke up ready to take on the day and get everything done, now as I write, my goal is to hold my people close, love them with all my heart and not worry so much about the small things. I am thankful today that in the midst of all these things tragic and joyful, we have a loving Father that is able to envelope me in love, even in this broken world, and instill a message of hope into my heart.