Reflection, Final Chapter

Confused? Read Part 1 and Part 2.

In September, we had our family pictures taken. We have been wanting to do a superhero theme for a few years, but never got around to finding or making shirts. We found shirts for Lot, Drake, and Konnor and I made shirts for Chloe and I.

We were not thinking about the past year when we used this theme. It hadn't even come up until after I posted the pictures on here. We have been compared to and called superheros this year. Friends have been in awe of us and wonder how we do it all and still remain positive. I can't tell you how we have done that because I am not sure myself. I guess it is just the fact that our energy would be completely wasted to be negative about it. There is nothing we can do that we have not done already. Our future with Lot is dependent on a not-yet-known selfless person who is willing to give up a kidney.

There have been more days than I can count that I have been sick of it all. I am tired of all the beeps from the machine, making sure someone is home when a delivery is made, having boxes everywhere, going to Walgreen's on what seems to be a weekly basis, doctor appointments, modifying meals to make them fit into the dietary restrictions, putting up with high and mighty doctors, and not being able to be away from home after 8 so that Lot can get hooked up to his machine and off of it at a good hour the next day. It is difficult for him to run errands when there is 3000mL of fluid sloshing around in him (Bonus! He just found out this morning that if he does not turn off the machine in the morning, he can hook up to it and have the machine drain everything out instead of doing it manually with a drain bag).

While the past year has been difficult and stressful, and I WOULD NOT do it over again, we are where we need to be and going through the things we have been asked to. This life is a test and our test is totally different from yours. It is not true/false, fill-in-the-blank, or even multiple choice. It is a series of short and long essays. (I have always hated essay questions, by the way). What is a hard question for some, is an easy answer for others. I like to think that we are currently writing one of our hard essays and that by the end, we will have it figured out and an intelligent answer written, that the Teacher will deem correct, and we will move on to the next page of questions.

It has been such a hard, trying year and we are still writing our essay. Instead of all doom and gloom, there have been little, and some not-so-little rays of hope and sunshine in our lives. There is a new shed, which cleared a ton of stuff out of the house, a deep freeze that I thought we would have trouble keeping full, and thanks to some great sales, it is always full. The kids have been able to see both parents help around the house and free to help them learn how to ride bikes, write their name, and say new words. I have been very blessed to start a job that I love and Lot is enjoying being home and having one-on-one time with the kids.

I hope we get an 'A' on our test, but until we find out, we will try to enjoy our ride on the roller coaster that has become our life and scream and laugh when we need too:)