9. Enjoy the little things.
8. Every child I interact with is someone's "Henry."
7. To be a mother is to watch your heart walk around outside your body.
6. There truly are angels on earth.
5. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle we know nothing about.
4. Time is a gift.
3. Death is not the end of a relationship.
2. You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.
It's been awhile since I have blogged about the lessons Henry taught me. Over the last few days, and even since Henry got sick, we have had so many people tell us that our strength inspires them. People tell us they don't know how we get out of bed each day...how we haven't turned to drugs or alcohol to cope...how we continue to live our lives. For us, it's simple. Henry showed an amount of strength not seen in most adults. Therefore, we are carrying on his legacy...and his strength.
When people ask how we do it, the answer is really pretty simple...what choice do we have? Sure, we could stay in bed every day...drink our breakfast lunch and dinner and pass out early and hard. We could shut ourselves away from everything and everyone. But if we do that, what kind of life do we have?
I didn't ever want to be this strong. I didn't want to be someone that people looked up to. I just wanted to live my life. But then again, that is what I am doing. I am living my life. I am getting out of bed. I am doing things. I am interacting with people. Does it take more energy than sometimes I feel I have? Absolutely. Are some days much harder than others, for no apparent reason? Very much so. Could I dwell on what I don't have and forget what I do have? Sure. But I have chosen to carry on. I have chosen to be grateful that I have a loving and supportive husband...that I have friends and family that don't give up on me, no matter how many times I say no to doing things...that I have a job that I enjoy and coworkers that are willing to let me be me (whatever that may be on a given day)...for the community near and far that has rallied around us and continue to help us to carry out Henry's legacy of strength, love and caring.
It may be true that you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. I hope that very few people have to know a strength like we do. And I do hope that our strength can inspire others. To those that are fighting battles that seem insurmountable...keep fighting. To those who have friends or family that are struggling, be a source of strength for them. We never know what battles someone is fighting, or what something as simple as a smile can do to brighten someone's day. Look for the silver lining, even if it seems invisible. If Henry could smile even as a deadly cancer was attacking his body, I can get out of bed each day. I will carry his strength with me until the day I get to hold him again.
1. Motherhood is the best job I could ever hope for.
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