We made it.

That’s it. This is the last blog post before we head back to Memphis for Jennings’s annual check-up. Eleven posts with no chimerism results to speak of and only one visit about halfway through with a plain Jane CBC to report. No cancer-related news, updates, or results for an entire year.

We have always been apprehensive when the check-ups and chimerism results start to space out, but I would say we were both especially uneasy at the thought of going a whole year without confirmation that he was good. Once you get cancer into remission, confirmation that it is still there becomes almost like a drug. But honestly, making it this year hasn’t been too bad. We have not been overly anxious or overcome with worry. That is the grace of God right there. We have come to realize through this journey that God gives you the grace for what he calls you to walk through. This is just more evidence of that.

That’s J in his Iron Birds uniform. The league went all minor league teams this year, so makes for some interesting hats and names. This is the first year of kid pitch and the game is beginning to resemble something close to actual baseball. Jennings has fully subscribed to the Look Good, Play Good philosophy. He does his own eye black crosses before every practice and game and typically wears two necklaces - the rope you can see and a chain that L gave him with Joshua 1:9 on the cross. ♥️ Next over, Henry is back on the soccer field this spring where that game still looks like a bunch of kids and a ball all held together by some other worldly force while they move around the field kicking whatever is directly in front of them as hard as they can. Henry enjoys it though, even if he is looking a little more like a hockey player these days. Charlotte has no sport right now, so Jennings gets a bonus pic in the sports collage. I took him to play his first “real” golf at the small, dirt track par 3 course near us. He had a blast. Didn’t seem to care one bit that the tee boxes were heavy on the bare dirt to weeds ratio, the grass on the greens was longer than my hair, and the cup was big enough to putt a volleyball into. Last, a cool action shot of Caroline that Lauren got at her most recent meet. That’s her coming out of her squat-on on bars.

Here’s a few non-sports photos from the last few weeks 👇

That’s Caroline and I right before I took her on a date to celebrate her birthday. We matched - with no attempt at coordinating it. She is now 12, trending more grown-up than kid and probably as grounded as most adults I know, myself included. Beside us is Small Bear, who decided she would pick up allergies as a past time this spring. She’s never really been bothered by it before, but she’s been called out of school twice now because she gets so uncomfortable. We pick her up and find her eyes puffy, red, and half swollen shut, looking like we failed to teach her to keep her gloves up. Next, she is obsessed the “claw” games and is willing to spend every last dollar of her arcade money on them, which usually results in a prize. She is quite strong-willed and has an ability to outlast the odds. Disturbing, I think, is the best adjective for finding a giant stuffed Luigi in your seven-year-old’s bed being used as a body pillow. Last, that’s the boys at the previously mentioned gymnastics meet. It was in Mooresville, “only” 45 minutes away on a Sunday afternoon so we thought it would be fun to take the whole family. Turns out it was a $100 entry fee for our family…for the boys to play Lego and eat snacks with their backs to the competition. Not sure we got our money’s worth.

Well, we are in what is typically our busiest season of the year. The month of March has been a whirlwind. All four are in sports or activities, which occur on three separate weeknights, Saturdays, and (unfortunately) quite a few Sundays. We are grateful that those have at least been late enough to not conflict with early church. We’ve also thrown in a church membership class every Wednesday night and several other one-off events that leave the weeks flying by in a blur. We’ve become quite good at sharing responsibilities and are used to communicating lots of critical logistical information in very compressed timeframes while at least two other little humans repeatedly call our names. All good stuff, but whew. 😅 Oh, and we’re still trying to corner our addition / renovation project and wrestle it to the ground so we can actually get started. The design is basically finished now and we have been meeting with and talking to contractors most of the past month. Spring Break anyone?

That’s up for us in a couple weeks. Hopefully we can unplug a bit, enjoy some time away as a family, connect with our Memphis friends, and get a clean report from St. Jude. We’ll be back in about a month to let you know how it goes. Until then, I’ll be doing my best to find rest + peace + gratitude amongst the busyness.

I’ve been encouraged by how He has met me over this past month, giving me just enough energy for each day and then renewing it for the next. I’m still reading Heaven (shocker) and it’s been a help to my thought life amidst the chaos that is our schedule. I am being pulled ever so slightly away from complaint / frustration / irritation closer to joy and confidence in His promises. The springtime renewal all around us is a visible reminder that certainly helps, along with the longer days and warmer weather.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:5-9

#allinforjennings