April 10th, 2011 - He's come a long way

Luke continues to do well. We're thankful for that. Here's Luke scaling a very tall wall, without help, and without fear...at least no fear on his part, plenty on ours.

It's been one year!

We can't believe that it has been one year since Luke's diagnosis. We are so thankful for this child that God has blessed us with. We recall one year ago when we hear the horrific news and not knowing what the future holds. Luke has gone through so much that we can't even imagine any 2 1/2 year old going through all that he has in this past year. He is such a courageous child. He has gone through high doses of chemo, loss of hair, being homebound for months, and taking so many medications. Through it all he has given us as parents the strength that we needed this past year. Many people told us God doesn't give you what we can't handle. We feel like God gave Luke the gift to be able to handle more than he could. He is such a sweet and loving boy who is always thankful for God's healing love. We are truly blessed by the amazing support of family, friends, and strangers who have made this year bearable. We look forward to the next 2 years and 3 months and trust that God will answer our cries out to him. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.(Romans 8:28)

Karate Kid made me think

I was watching the "new" Karate Kid with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith yesterday, for probably the 5th time. In the original Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio movie, there's a scene where Mr. Miyagi is drunk and sad, and it was due to his memory of the passing of his wife and son. It looked as though it was a ritual, where he dressed up in his own military uniform to re-live the moment. In the "new" movie, Jackie Chan (Mr. Han) basically rebuilds a car through the year, then destroys it on the anniversary of the day where his wife and son were killed in a car accident.

Why am I mentioning this? It just hit my brain when Mr. Han mentioned the date when that happened. June 8th.

For us, the significance of June 8th marks the beginning of Luke's chemotherapy. On June 8th of this year (2011), God-willing, Luke will complete his 1st year of chemo, with 2 years and 3 months to go after that to complete therapy.

As I reflected on the Karate Kid movie, I was thinking about how a wise instructor like Miyagi or Han would take time through the year to build up to what appeared to be a destructive moment every year. Then again, maybe, as Han rebuilt that car through the year, maybe he was reflecting on life, etc.

For us, the year anniversary of Luke's chemotherapy and recovery marks a period of miracles, mercy, love, and grace. What's different from the movie? We look back, not in sadness, anger, rage, or guilt, but rather, with thankfulness of the past, and hope for the future. Into His mighty hands do we commit Luke and our family. May the Holy One be with all of us. WIth our family and friends and well-wishers, may His face shine upon you!

Luke likes playing video games?

Thanks to Uncle Manoj, Luke seems to have developed an interest in playing video games. For him, it's not about winning, it's about playing the game. It's really fun to see.

April 27th - thankfully, another good day

We're at the clinic today for IV Vincristine. Luke's blood counts continue to be good. We're really thankful for that.

Another reason for the good day is that Luke's grandparents are in town from Philly :) .

Here's Luke refusing to pose for a picture :)

A story to tell

Sometimes we look at Luke and wonder what he's thinking. It is always good to step back from everything and give time to thinking about things. So often folks do not take the time to do that. What will Luke remember? What will Luke share in the future?

We laugh together, we cry together, we hope together, we pray together.

Quilt

When Luke was initially diagnosed with leukemia, I gave my friend Jonathan a call. He shared our trial with his folks. His folks upheld and continue to uphold Luke and our family in their prayers. They extended several acts of kindness to us over the last several months. A few weeks ago, we received this quilt from J's mom. She made the quilt with 22 squares, representing the 22 families in their prayer chain for Luke.

When people say you can't see God, I say, we see God everyday. Through His creations, and also, through His people.