finally, rest for the weary

july 2011 was our 15th anniversary.
we planned our first
week-long trip
without kids.
we were going to new york city!
we made arrangements with grandparents,
we coordinated and planned.

less than a week before the trip
chloe was diagnosed with cancer.
it is a phone call
we will never forget.
when our pediatrician called
to send us to devos,
she gave kip all sorts of details.
she told him to plan on spending
a week to two weeks in the hospital.
at some point, he said,
"but we are going to new york next week."
the doctor replied,
"no, you are not."

fortunately, our trip was refunded
in full.
after many conversations this spring,
we realized that we were not up to
a busy trip in a big city.
we opted for somewhere more low key.
we spent the last week in
playa del carmen, mexico.

we truly relaxed.
we divided our time between
the ocean,
the pool,
the hammocks on our patio
and occasional walks into town.
it was truly what we needed
to refill our empty tanks.

back home, our parents took on our roles
driving kids to activities,
playing games,
going out for ice cream
and making things fun in our absence.
for this we are thankful!

sometimes i think that
one of chloe's purposes in life
is to tell us to slow down.
five years ago,
life was getting kind of busy for us.
then chloe was born.
i took 3 years off of teaching.
we slowed down as a family.

chloe's cancer slowed us down, also.
maybe in a different way.
we focused on what was truly important.
our anniversary trip was the same.
instead of covering every mile of new york,
we sat on the beach,
watched the sunrise
and listened to the waves.

maybe we have learned our lesson.
maybe we can slow down,
sit more,
watch more,
and listen more,
without an earth shattering reminder.

maybe...