Celebrating Milestone

Already this morning, I’ve been to the pool with my bestie and retread my lips solving all of life’s problems; I’m a solid cup of coffee into my morning and feeling fantastic!  Over the weekend we moved our two adult children into an apartment in Indianapolis and our youngest is now basking in the glow of being “the only child.”  The youngest has already made a plan to take over her brother’s room and turn her own room into a teen hangout lounge for herself and her friends.  Kinda sounds fun, so I’m game!

This week our family is celebrating a major milestone.  Our 24-year-old son, Will is celebrating his 2-year birthday post stem cell transplant for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  We had a family dinner over the weekend and raised our glasses high reminiscing about the journey that started in June of 2018 and honoring his sister, Caroline, who was his donor.  Will’s journey has been a difficult one and we are so grateful for every day he continues to walk the earth. 

Interestingly, the medical journey while painful and full of suffering, may have been easier for our family than the mental health journey of the last two years—anxiety, depression and general challenges in adjusting from illness to wellness.  We’ve come a long way with the help of some amazing therapists and I cannot express my gratitude enough to those who have walked alongside us.  Right now, we are well and that feels amazing.

Each of us walks this earth with our own story and our own milestones.  Some are private, some more public and each filled with opportunities for celebration.  This week, no matter what you are up against, find something to celebrate about your journey.  It may be as simple as “I did not buy Starbucks today and put the $5 towards debt repayment.”  It’s honoring the wins along the way.  Challenges and suffering are guaranteed.  And so are the wins.  We just need to recognize them.