Just What the Doctor Ordered

As Bob and I were sitting out back having our daily cup of  coffee yesterday morning we decided to do something fun as a family. It seemed like it had been forever since we had done something that didn't include preparing for home schooling, getting the house ready to put on the market (which by the way it will be going up on September 12th), and worrying about Sarah. We were frustrated that our lives have seemed so out of control for so long (Bob finishing grad school,the stress of waiting to see if Bob's company was going to transfer us out of state, Bob's temporary job assignment for 7 months in Chicago, Sarah's diagnosis and three hospitalizations...). It has been a little over 3 years that all of this craziness began and we are so tired of feeling as if our lives are not our own.

So, we decided to quit the race for the day, and step back in time to be together as a family doing something relaxing. No painting, no preparing, and no worrying. We took the kids up to Edge Water Park in Cleveland. I have never been there before, but Bob took the kids once this summer. (I was always told that the beach there was very dirty which is why I never ventured up there, but it is actually pretty adequate. Definitely not a 5 star beach by any means, but it did the trick, and was just what we were looking for.)

My kids enjoying each others company.

It finally dawned on me as I was sitting with my toes just at the waters edge (I find that I have my best moments when I am in or near nature) that I have been a fool for allowing my worry over Sarah to consume my life lately.It is okay to worry for her and about her, but not in the way that I have been. My worry was sapping the moments with my family and myself that I have now.It was consuming me. Right now, Sarah is not in the hospital. Right now, Sarah's vision is adequate. Right now, we are all together as a family. Right now, Sarah is a child whose only troubles with MS are her vision problems and fatigue. She doesn't have memory loss, she doesn't have bladder issues, she doesn't have tingling sensations anymore, she hasn't lost the ability to use her legs, she doesn't have seizures. I need to stop worrying, and enjoy what I have right now. As usual, once that thought hit my brain, and I acknowledged it my whole mind/body were like, "Well of course that is as it should be!". And so, I had a great day with my family. We all had a great day. It was so much fun to see all 4 kids play together, and have fun, and laugh together. They ended up swimming in their clothes because our bathing suits are packed in a box and out of the house, but I brought extra clothes for them to change into when they were done. It was so great to play with them, and to see them play with one another. It was an afternoon that I will not forget for a long, long time.  It was just what the doctor would have ordered because when we all got home we felt relaxed and cohesive again.

I am very glad that we took the time to BE together. I am glad that we showed ourselves that life will only slow down for us if WE get off of life's fast track, and slow it down ourselves. We kept waiting for life to slow down first, and then we would have been able to relax. What we should have been doing these last 3 years is getting off of the fast lane ourselves. I am glad that we figured this lesson out now because it is one we will not forget.

One tough young lady.

Relaxing - Elizabeth style.

Me and Sarah.

Elizabeth and I burying her feet.

The kids trying to jump over the waves.

Wave jumping.

Andyman - he is becoming a young man more and more each day. 

My goofballs.

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They LOVED these waves.

Andy after conquering a wave.

Coming up with a plan to get the next wave.

My girl braving it alone.

Josh freezing his tushy off.