As I begin this, I have 40 minutes left to get a post in for May. Joy has been on the other side of the sadness this month. I have been surprised by how fervently joy has been abiding with me despite my attempts to discount it as being trite or forced in the face of sadness.
-My friend Janet (www.helpingjanet.com) found out that the percentage of leukemia blasts in her body had increased dramatically since her last round of chemo–but she was accepted to a clinical trial that will hopefully improve the quality and duration of her life. Though she has not found a bone marrow match, she and her team have raised money, awareness, and matches. She and her partner share a love that amazes me, and though she is a plane ride away from her entire community, including her parents and their livelihoods, she is never alone.
-I had a virus that put me out of commission for a week and a half–but I was elated to hear that I had a virus and not a more systemic problem. My symptoms disappeared just in time for me to avoid the kidney-toxic treatment that was recommended for me. I recovered by baking cookies (pictures to follow) and having a flurry of visits with people I love.
-I was able to be with my family to enjoy a baby shower for my brother and sister-in-law. My family is such a blessing and the blessings seem to only increase.
-M & B’s baby Morgan was diagnosed with multiple severe food allergies–but he has two of the most loving, patient, and capable parents I can imagine, as well as a magnificent big sister and community of people who will watch out for him in person and in prayer as he grows up.
-Amendment One passed–an agonizing loss for all the citizens of North Carolina–but the work to defeat it showed the true solidarity and good work that we are capable of. Many individuals and organizations had courageous conversations and spoke out when they could have remained silent. The road to equality and reason is being forged despite the result of the vote.
The summer so far has been humbling and hope-inducing. I feel as though I am moving forward in a new way, a way I have not known for years. Difficult news, personal and political, has made me fear loss. I feel that as I grow into my life and reclaim what was threatened by my illness, there is increasingly more to lose. But I am also better prepared and very certain that I can, and we all can, make it through anything if we remember to look to each other and care for one another. Community and love are really so profound…
ADD JOY 