There are often times we find strength in places we never knew we could pull from.
Late nights that come after a long day of work. Sick children. Dirty house. Empty fridge.
It’s never-ending some days. Yet, as moms, we find the strength.
As Moms We Find Strength
In fact, some days take more out of us than others. When my mom was diagnosed with Lymphoma six years ago, every day became one of “those” days.
Our youngest was only 5 months old and Jaden was starting kindergarten.
I still had the oldest two at home doing homeschool and Jaci, just 4 years old, to take care of. All this in addition to working a low-paying online job for extra cash.
It was because of this job at home that I was able to take my mom to her doctor appointments and be one of her primary caregivers.
Whether we had to go see a specialist in Houston or her primary care doctor locally, I made sure she didn’t miss an appointment.
I sat through every chemotherapy treatment and even learned to give her chemo at home.
Her at-home treatments required us to start the medication and then wait for a few hours. They ran overnight into the wee hours.
I would nurse the baby and put her down before heading to my parent’s house for the treatment. Then, it was a dark drive back home to a quiet house, where I would crawl into bed for a few hours.
Morning came and it was back to my mom duties. I had to be strong for my children.
Even when my mom was fighting a battle we were not sure she would win, I had to let my kids think I could handle it. Being strong for them was paramount.
They didn’t see me crying in the shower.
They didn’t know I survived by the hugs and pep talks Colby gave me every night.
They also never saw me argue with my mom when she was tired of fighting and I told her we were not giving up. That one scene took every bit of strength I had in me to get through.
I had no choice but to be strong. For myself. My kids. And my mom.
She had nursed me through sickness, heartache, and the trials of life for 36 years.
It was my turn to be courageous. It was my time to pull from the strength I had learned from my mom. To turn the tables in the circle of life.
When it was all said and done, I was tired. My mom was weak. She fought a tough couple of battles, but she won the war.
She has been in remission now for several years. We, as a family, were resilient in our efforts to win.
