So, a blog it is…

Everyone has battles to fight. Some are hidden well, while others are marked blatantly with scars and loss. Personal struggles can deplete our will and our happiness and our health; but in most cases, there is at least some small thing that remains in our life for which we can be grateful for. I may not always feel balanced and sure, but I can always find some small moment to appreciate or some new way to be well.

Wellness by definition is not a goal; it is a process. And although the tenets of emotional, physical, social, vocational, intellectual and spiritual awareness create the framework for a model of wellness; each person's goal is unique, and the paths can vary greatly.  I am all about finding workable routes on those individualized paths. For 25 years, no matter my occupation, I have aspired to help others learn on different levels.  I believe I was born a teacher, but I have officially taught Behavioral Health, Wellness, Nutrition, Yoga, Communications, Language Arts and Aromatherapy.  My current area of study is Integrative Health.

Last week, life led my career out of a beloved, concrete-block classroom and back to my humble home with my husband and two sons.  Keeping a job while caring for my youngest, medically fragile child was no longer in my family's best interest. For two years, I have cared for my eight-year-old son, Abraham, as he battled brain cancer.  He was diagnosed at six during his final week of kindergarten.  Up until that point, he was a healthy, strong and active child. Then our world shifted into survival mode. As Abraham transitions to recovery after two years of treatments which included five brain surgeries, six weeks of a chemo-radiation combo, and then straight up chemotherapy for an additional nine months, I am recovering, too. His prognosis is still unclear, but with each stable three-month MRI, we celebrate. This blog is my outlet to simultaneously deal with my "new normal" while building my own version of a positive, happy existence.

I hope others will benefit from the intended transparency of my family's journey, too.  Even though the online haters will bother me, the technology will challenge me, and my time to work still comes in waves, I want to share our story.

I may always prefer pencils to pixels, but I try to live in the modern world where some of today's best helpers write blogs.  I may not have a classroom anymore, but I have a computer, basic internet service, and a desire to continue educating others on ways to find harmony amid the chaos of our singular existence.

So, a blog it is.