Today went so well!! Brooke made it through the 8 hours without food or drink without a single complaint. The lumbar puncture and intrathecal chemo went off without a hitch, and her chemo infusions were uneventful. When she woke from her sedation she was ravenous and thrilled to discover that the wait was over, and she pretty much spent the rest of the day eating. The steroid appetite has definitely kicked in and BBQ chips are once again topping the list of preferred foods. I have also lost count of just how many chicken soft tacos she’s put away this week.

This morning, as we were coloring together, Brooke told me again in a sweet, casual voice that she was going to beat this cancer and that she would do whatever she had to do to beat it. I know she was wishing she could eat when she said this, but rather than complain about it, she opted for this angle. And she didn’t say it to get any kind of reaction out of me – it was just a genuine comment while she was coloring. Incredible.

There are moments when I feel like the luckiest person I know to be going through this. To have such a clear and important purpose of guiding, supporting, nurturing, and learning from this beautiful spirit. All of a sudden my life has such meaning!

I know there are hard days ahead. Today was not one of them. Today was a blessing.