stressful september

life has been crazy.

not only has this past month been the typical
"back-to-school"
"back-to-routine"
"back-to-soccer-filled-saturdays"
stuff,
it has also been one filled with
uncertainty,
lists,
rain,
job-filled stress,
lists,
flooding,
meetings,
lists,
emotion,
and did i mention, lists?

my kids' first day of school was delayed
a day due to heavy rain and flooding
and my year began with a 2 hour delay.
i love my job, i really do.
but with recent cut-backs in my district,
the number of reading specialists in my building
was cut from 2 to 1 1/2.

that probably doesn't sound like a big difference,
but when you're the 1 of the 1 1/2, it is.
because the 1/2 is primarily being utilized as a teacher
and is not a team player.
therefore, the job that was previously done
by 2 has fallen on my shoulders.

i don't think anyone realizes how annoying
it is to keep track of 400 kids' reading placements
and the ever-changing lists that it takes to keep track.

however, that's not what's really important.

what's important is that my mom
just came home yesterday from a 10 day hospital stay.
she's amazing and i love her.

for those of you that don't know,
my mom was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago
with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. 
basically, that means when she was diagnosed,
she already had tumors in her colon, liver, and lung.
she shouldn't be here.

she is a miracle. 
she has not had any traditional treatment.
no chemo.
no radiation.
no surgery.

so 2 1/2 years have gone by without many issues.
yes, there have been good days and bad days as
far as how she feels, but this past 10 days was really
the first "blip" on the radar screen of her cancer journey.

she really does have cancer.
it really is there and growing (slowly).
and it's not going away.

she had to have a colostomy,
which to some people might be devastating
or embarassing
or horrifying.

but my mom has maintained a positive attitude
and solid trust in the Lord.
she has been a beacon of light
to each and every nurse and doctor
she's come into contact with, often making them
laugh or smile.

it has been an emotional roller-coaster watching
my parents face this head-on.

it puts things in perspective and
those lists somehow don't seem so important.
life is precious.
hug the ones you love
and hold them tight.

i love you, mom.
higher than the sky.
thank you for the example you set even in the face of cancer.