The Countdown begins

Mon. June 1st....last Monday before Madison gets here. It's hard to believe that in a week we will start our new journey.
I suppose I should explain why I titled this blog "Because you Can." Most of you know I had a son that battled and lost the fight to Cystic Fibrosis when he was 19 yrs old. What he never knew is that he gave me words to live by. For the most part, he was able to lead a relatively normal childhood. His passion was baseball and he was so fun to watch. The hardest thing for me as a parent was watching him when he was a freshmen in High School and just found his next passion...playing football. To see him struggle with those infamous 2 a day practices was heart wrenching. He had such a hard time breathing at this point in his life and watching him coughing and wheezing when they ran them hard always brought me to tears. He was able to play in a few games and then there were just too many hospitalizations that ended the season for him. His sports days were over. That following spring, I was playing in a women's softball league. I had had a long day at work and was "whining" that I was tired and didn't feel like playing that night. That's when he spoke words of wisdom to me and what I now try to live my life by. He said (very sternly) Mom....you'll go play tonight and do you know why?? BECAUSE YOU CAN.

Watching any child suffer is hard. Watching your own child can take you to the brink of insanity. But you find ways to be strong. Sometimes humor was the best thing that got us all through. Even up to his last days. He was quite a character and "cuttin-up" was his specialty. So if at anytime I seem to be making light of a situation, all I can ask is not to judge, because as the saying goes, "You've not walked in my shoes."

I hope that what I have learned from him can help me be a better parent to Madison. One day when she's old enough, I'll be able to tell her the stories of her "Big brother Craig" and the hero that he is to me.

I also hope in making a journal of our new chapter in life ahead of us, we can all learn that anything can be done when you have your health to do it. Don't take any day for granted. When you feel too tired or stressed to do something.....do it anyway......BECAUSE YOU CAN.