Steve and I attended a wedding last Friday evening. As we left the ceremony and drove to the reception we passed Nationwide Children's Hospital. It was a dark stormy night, which made the illuminated heart that graces the building stand out brightly against the horizon. The windows of the hundreds of in-patient rooms shone softly, making me wonder what stories lay behind each one.
 |
| Early morning sun peeking in the window on my sleeping boy. |
As I stared silently, Steve glanced to his left catching sight of the building. "A beacon of hope," he stated. I smiled at his words, realizing I had been thinking more along the lines of "the valley of the shadow of death."
 |
| Reading a Bible story before bed. |
I have met a few precious children on the halls of the hematology/oncology unit who are now safe in the arms of Jesus. That is something I will never be able to forget. My heart sank at the news. During our last hospital stay the patient in the neighboring room was surrounded by 30 visitors, faces somber. I stopped wide-eyed an hour later as I passed the room. It was empty. Everyone was gone. The faint smell of chemical cleaners escaped as the door stood open to reveal the room was being cleaned.
 |
| Painting a dinosaur chosen from the "Art Cart." A therapy activity sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. |
Steve's words shook me from my daydream. Funny how many feelings and memories can run concurrently in a moment's time. "A beacon of hope." He's right you know. For every heartache there is a story of hope, of beauty from ashes, of healing and faith and rescue. Even in the middle of this journey God is consistently gracious enough to offer a change of perspective to a realist like me.
 |
| Chatting with his massage therapist. He LOVES her :) |
This verse has been a constant inspiration to us: Luke 11:33-35 “Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you
live in wide-eyed wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If
you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dark cellar.
Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and
murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.”
 |
| He loves ordering his meals by phone. |
I don't have to look any further than my strong hero, Blake, to find the power of this verse at work. Thankfully he's gotten used to this whole hospital thing. However, I know that when these days are behind us I want to have a visual record. During our last five day stay I brought along the camera and a heart determined to allow God to adjust my perspective.
We've three months to go on this journey of treatment. We've a lifetime to go as a family. I'm sure I will keep this time in my heart forever. I wouldn't have it any other way. But, I know life will move on. I know there will be days when we don't even think about cancer, or chemo, or blood counts. My prayer is that on those sunny days, years from now, I'll catch a glimpse of Nationwide Children's Hospital out my window and smile because I see, "a beacon of hope."
