Hey, thanks to all of you who offered up your opinion that the journal could actually be publish-worthy after all. I counted, and I think eleven people offered to buy it. If I could talk my mom, my sister, my college roommate, and my husband into buying one, I’d be at an even fifteen! Hey, even Oprah’s Book Club authors had to start somewhere, right?
And especially thanks to all of you who are taking the time this week to sign the guestbook. It means a lot to our whole family (but mainly me, since I am the one who is pathetically, obsessively on this computer all day long) to have those notes and well-wishes for Kendrie and our family. And hearing from all of you during this very special week makes it even better …. So sign if you haven’t, and sign again if you’d like!
Now, we’re down to two. And I’m *thiiiiiiiiisss* close to saving the best for last …. but tonight’s list runs a close second: Kendrie’s Two Biggest and Most Important Supporters Throughout Her Leukemia Journey.
Brayden, thank you. Thank you for doing such an excellent job helping your Dad and me take care of Kendrie. Thank you for bringing her blankets and pillows when she needed to rest, for giving up your spot on the sofa when she was whining that she couldn’t see the tv, and for (usually) being a good sport about letting her have her way when she was being obnoxious. Thank you for not being jealous when she slept in our bed. Thank you for running for the barf bucket when she needed it and for always coming to tell me, no matter where I was at the time (potty, shower, etc.) Thank you for reminding me to give Kendrie her chemo before school and for sticking up for her that time at the park when those girls were being rude and making fun of her for being bald. Thank you, also, for letting me know when you had had enough, which usually meant Kendrie was pushing things a little bit farther than she should have, and thinking she would get away with it. Thank you for understanding that spring when you couldn’t play soccer. Thank you for helping her look for “Elephant” every time she lost him. Thank you for not turning up your nose when I served mac & cheese with dinner seven nights in a row trying to appease Kendrie’s steroid craving. Thank you, even, for that one night when you announced, “Don’t worry, I’ve already given Kendrie her chemo tonight!” Frightening, yes, but heart warming just the same to know you were so vested in her care. I love you, and Daddy loves you. I credit you with a large portion of Kendrie’s well-being and hope you are always proud of the job you did.
Kellen, thank you. Thank you for being such a fun big brother to Kendrie. Thank you for not ignoring her or avoiding her, even though she is younger and smaller and slower and not always able to keep up. Thank you for including her in your games and adventures and rough-housing, even if I yell at you guys all the time to knock it off. Thank you for sharing a bedroom with her and never complaining. Thank you for (sometimes) giving her permission to wear your clothes. Thank you for introducing her to Super Heroes and trading cards. Thank you for the extra attention you gave the dog when your Dad and I just couldn’t find the time. Thank you for being the sort of older brother that Kendrie could look up to. Thank you also for fighting with her and arguing with her so she never forgot she was still part of a normal family, and that there were expectations for her behavior. Thank you for teaching her how to surf Playhouse Disney and helping her work puzzles on the days she didn’t have as much energy. And for the days she did have energy, thank you for being such a cool brother, so she was motivated to get off the sofa and try her hardest to keep up with you. I love you, and Daddy loves you. I credit you with Kendrie’s get-up-and-go and her physical stamina; she was trying so hard to hang out with you that I think sometimes, she forgot how really sick she was. Thank you for that gift, I hope you are always proud of the job you did.
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I’ve been updating the journal each evening after Kendrie takes her meds and we count down another day. So even though after Wednesday evening we will be down to ONE DAY TO GO, I will wait to update the journal until Thursday night so I can include pictures of those final few pills being swallowed (I promise not to take a photo of the grimace she makes every single night …. Totally not attractive.) And I’ve already got updates in mind pretty much daily through Christmas. I can’t quite make up my mind about this journal …. Do I end now, at the perfect stopping point, and let our family live Happily Ever After? Honestly, I’d love to keep writing and keep the site as a tribute for those kids who successfully complete treatment without any major problems ….. a "Good News" site, if you will. Heaven knows new parents could use the encouragement.
But honestly, if she’s not on treatment, what on earth would I talk about? I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my kids arguing, or leaving their dirty laundry on the floor, or the dog barfing in the dining room, or any of the other mundane things that happen around our house on a daily basis. (Well, not the dog barfing … thank goodness that’s not a daily basis!)
Hmmmm. We’ll see. I think I’ll keep it going at least until I investigate the possibility of printing the journal …. Otherwise, how else would those eleven people find out where to buy the book?!?
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FUNNY COMMENT BY KENDRIE TODAY: “Mom, I know all my vowels, wanna hear? OK, there’s the I’s, and the nose, and the ears, etc.” It took me a minute to realize she meant EYES, not I’s, and she was talking about senses, not vowels! (OK, maybe that was one of those “you had to be there” things.)
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