Hope you are all well and safe wherever you are in the world. Been saying extra prayers for any friends in America who have been affected by the tornados! Sending lots of virtual hugs!
My last update said about how amazingly well Henry has been doing, and that his blood numbers are all good. Well, we got more good news towards the end of last week which I had to share! Henry's engraftment came back 100%!! WOOHOO! It has always been 100% and I can't express how thankful I am for this. Also been reflecting on this last year, and looked at photos of Henry this time last year, totally amazed at how far he is come!
I've made connections with lots of other families going through similar journeys, and their struggles and battles have been more than ours. Things could be so different so easily. I pray so much for all the little ones going through these battles, and the families at their bedside. They hold such strength and courage, it truly has me in awe. What they go through is unimaginable, and the fact they still wear smiles. How amazing. Please continue to pray for them all. Also for those who are still searching for a donor as their only chance at surviving cancer. I pray more and more people register to be a stem cell donor as you could save a life like Henry’s! Speaking of donors… we are allowed to send Anthony Nolan an email to pass on to Henry’s donor! They remain anonymous for 2 years after transplant, then if everyone is happy, we can contact them directly. I've always wanted to let them know how thankful we are as a family for the kind act they did amidst lockdown. Hopefully, eventually I can send them a photo of Henry so they can see the happy, loving, and thriving boy they have saved. I still don't know just how I will be able to express the sheer amount of gratitude I feel in words… but that's what I'll be putting together this week.
The other I read the following post from one of my favourite writers, Morgan Harper Nichols, and it resonated with me as I've been focusing on gratitude lately (something I should always be focused on!!)... and wanted to share it here...
Sow Seeds of Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is a way we can notice and nurture what is good so it can continue to grow.
Whenever you sow a seed into the ground or a pot, you are doing so much more than sowing a seed. You have created space for something new and beautiful to grow into life. The same is true of gratitude. Whenever we choose to be grateful, it’s not just a fleeting act that gets lost in changing winds.
To express gratitude is to sow a seed, which is one of the most important steps you need to nurture something beautiful to life.
The beautiful thing about sowing seeds of gratitude is that it can start with your words. It can start with the way you choose to think and speak. However, one challenge that we may face in daily life is thinking of and remembering all the many things that we can be grateful for in daily life. Below, you'll find a few phrases that I like to call "Gratitude Seeds" that you can sow in your life today. Of course, you can up with your own, but here are just a few to help you get started, so you can practice gratitude, and watch your gratitude grow, and so you can grow, too...growing in your awareness of what is good and beautiful right here where you are.
Gratitude Seeds: I am grateful for the breath I breathe. I am grateful for the wisdom I have gathered. I am grateful for grace. I am grateful for the beauty that is present right here and right now. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow, right here where I am. I am grateful for the doors that I have opened for me. I am grateful for the closed doors that still taught me. I am grateful for the lessons that I've learned. I am grateful when my basic needs are met. I am grateful when my deeper needs are met. I am grateful for my creativity. I am grateful for the people I call family. I am grateful that I am not alone in this world. I am grateful for the love that I receive and give. I am grateful for the chance to listen and be listened to. I am grateful for good laughs. I am grateful for warm tea. I am grateful for space to rest. I am grateful for time to sleep. I am grateful for the ways I've grown over the past year. I am grateful for the ways I've grown over the past decade. I am grateful for kind, generous, souls in the world...even the ones I may never know. I am grateful for people who act on empathy and take action in pursuit of justice. I am grateful for people who warm up the room with their humor. I am grateful for people who put time into studying and research. I am grateful for people in my community who care about making a difference. I am grateful that I get to be a human and connect with the world around me. I am grateful that I get to be a part of something bigger than me. I am grateful for opportunities to act on faith. I am grateful for opportunities to act on hope. I am grateful for opportunities to grow in grace. I am grateful for opportunities to grow in love. I am grateful for opportunities to practice peace.
This is not at all an extensive list, and you are free to add your own. These are the ones that came to me as I sat with the phrase "I am grateful..." for about 30 minutes. Whether you 30 minutes or 30 seconds, give yourself permission to say "I am grateful" throughout the day. And remember this: practicing gratitude doesn't mean we have to be grateful for every single thing in our lives at every second of the day. Practicing gratitude is a way of being present to our lives in a way that helps us notice and nurture what is good so it can continue to grow.
Here's to practicing gratitude, one day at a time.
Have a lovely Christmas!
Thanks for all the continued messages and prayers. It truly means so much to me and you all feel like an extended family to us. We hope you all have a lovely, and safe, Christmas. Love you all.