Its so hard to believe that its been 5 years since I started this journey here. 

5 years ago this weekend, I was experiencing my first chemo treatment.  Crazy to think how far I’ve come in that time.  How far my heart has been stretched, how much I’ve grown, the new friends I’ve made and the new journey I’ve embarked upon.

Last Friday I had my 5 year appointment.  I must admit it was very uneventful.  Not really the moment and fanfare I guess I expected.  I’m not sure if I thought trumpets and birthday horns were going to arrive for a party, but it was just one of those…well everything looks great and I don’t have to see you for another year kind of appointments.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that’s the case, I just had waited…well, 5 years.  When you end chemo, you get to ring a bell and the nurses are awesome about celebrating with you.  It really reminded me what this experience must be like for Dr. M.  He sees a person and tells them the worst news ever and goes next door and tells another person the news they’ve been waiting 5 years for.   I think we forget what this process is like for our medical team too.

Thankfully, my family came in and we played a couple days.  We hit the First Friday Food Truck festival in downtown Little Rock and of course an afternoon of retail therapy.  What would an oncology trip to Little Rock be without that?

I think more that the amazing spring trees that were blooming served as a better reminder of where we are.  Each spring these trees come back in full bloom and show what they are made of.  No matter how harsh the winter is or how much they bear when their leaves are all pulled off, they come out on the other side in full bloom.  Tulip trees and Bradford Pears are my favorite this time of year.

It was a fresh reminder that I have nothing but opportunities in front of me.  Nothing but the possibility to use the experiences I have had to make the days in front of me even better than the ones behind.  I love the fresh reminder of these blooms and commit to claiming Genesis 50:20 for the
coming days.