Strength in Family

"You've got to know it will be OK. It may not be OK right now, but it will be," Madey Slaughter

This wise young girl had so much to teach everyone around her. Now, a week after she left this earth for a place where she could be healthy again, I look to her words for guidance.

My own little sister, Ashley, found out that she has a problem with her heart yesterday. This is not something completely new to my family. My little sister, Linzie, went through something very similar. However, I'll admit that I'm a little scared. I don't know any of the details. In fact, no one knows exactly what is going to happen at this point. My mom knows the most about this kind of thing and reassures everyone that Ashley will be fine. I don't see why anyone would think otherwise at this point.

I think this would be easier for all of us if Ashley lived closer, though.

As my mom said today in her blog, there have never been any "steps" in our family. Ashley has always been my sister as much as all of the others and Bill has always been another dad to me. We are a family through whatever trials we face.

It will all be OK, probably sooner than any of us thinks right now.

I know that Ashley will be all right. Whatever fears any of us have right now will be erased and

Revelations from 2010 & More

Revelations: 2010

There is laughter in mourning.

Sometimes, awkward moments become

fond memories.

No matter how old I get, coloring Easter

eggs is entertaining.

I could try harder to enjoy life.

Living in the moment is often more

important than planning the future.

Nothing beats the freedom of summer.

The future is bright.

Singing loudly with friends can

conquer nearly any sadness.

No matter how much you think you know,

there is always something that will shock you.

Dressing in silly costumes is not always

just for children.

I do not want to leave home

as much as I say I do.

Snow is beautiful.

I wrote this in my Creative Writing class yesterday. Basically, I chose one thing that I learned from each month and put it into a poem... I thought it turned out pretty well and that it is a decent representation of the past year of my life. 

My 2010 was pretty good. Sure, I had problems. However, I've had great cause to evaluate my problems and my life in the last couple of days. Compared to others that I know, my problems are nothing. There are so many other people out there who are dealing with issues that are so much larger then mine. 

I don't think that I could ever have the strength that the Slaughter family shows daily. Their daughter, Hillary, is a very good friend of mine who I have mentioned before. Since they discovered that her little sister, Madey, had cancer a year ago, Hillary has shown incredible strength. A week ago, they discovered that the chemo Madey has been going through is not working. Still, Hillary continues to show her strength. There are moments when I can just catch a glimpse of her pain but she isn't letting it consume her. She is my hero in every way, and  I love her so much. She is like another sister to me, and if there were anything I could do to help her family, I would do it.

For now, I make sure that Hillary knows that I am thinking about her and her family daily. In fact, while I was thinking about her in Creative Writing yesterday, I wrote this:

All our hearts

are broken, but

no one sheds a tear.

We look to you

for guidance.

Your strength

controls our fear.

Hillary, I don't know if you even read my blog anymore, but I just want you to know how much I admire you. Your strength through all of this is more than I could ever have. If you or your family ever need anything, know that my family and I are there to help. We love you guys and we are always thinking about you. You are such a good friend to me and I am so lucky to have that. I am so sorry that this has happened to your family. You are all such amazing people. You have taught me so much about life.

<3

"The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it."  

~C.C. Scott

"I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains."

~Anne Frank

"It's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years."  

~Abraham Lincoln