Be more like a cup of coffee

My dad sent me this and I really loved this in light of all that has happened this year.
Danielle

May you never look at a cup of coffee the same way again!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."


"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its richness and savored its aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get even better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you;to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendships you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life. May we all be COFFEE!

The spinal fluid is clean!!!!

No tumor cells in the spinal fluid!!!!

Clean MRI

We met with the doctors yesterday. Mason's MRI came back clean. Optimal results, the best we could have hoped for.

Mason had a lumber puncture this morning. If there are no cancer cells in the spinal fluid, as the MRI would seem to indicate, then we will choose whether to radiate or not. If there are cancer cells in the spinal fluid, then the choice will be made for us - we will have to radiate.

A Busy Week

This week is a big one for all of us. Monday, we will meet with the NIH doctors to talk about the possibility for the the need for radiation. Tuesday is the MRI that will tell us if the chemo has worked. Wednesday is our meeting with his treatment team to talk about our plans and their recommendations for further treatment. Friday we will go to NY and meet with the team at Columbia for a second opinion.

On a lighter note the boys are really excited for Christmas and going to Albany for the holidays. Mateo and Mason are talking about snow and I hope the weather delivers. mason sings Christmas songs and Mateo is in charge of the countdown of days until Christmas.

Everyone send positive energy this week and think " NO CANCER " on Tuesday morning-(and every day really) We'll try and update the blog when we can.

Another visit to the hospital.....

Well it was expected so last Wednesday- the 6th- we went to the hospital with a fever. We wound up staying 5 days and just got out on Monday morning. He had a bacterial infection. But some interesting things happened while we were there: a visit from Laura Bush to the floor, two holiday concerts, and presents galore. He played video games with his 19 year old roommate. It was very cute and Mike was a good sport about this little guy climbing into bed with him and playing Super Mario.

One sad thing, a little girl went into cardiac arrest and had to be brought to the ICU. The floor is small and there was a lot of action in the room next to us. I tried to take Mason to the playroom to distract him. I thought I had done a pretty good job of diverting his attention. On the way home from the hospital that day he said to me, "See Mommy, I didn't die. I didn't need oxegyn. I got to go home" Boy oh boy- what in the world prepares you for that coming out of his mouth???

A visit to Santa

The night we left the hopsital from chemo Mason insisted we go get the Christmas tree and decorate it. It was nice for Arden to be with us and share in decorating our Charlie Brown tree.

We went with the boys the weekend after chemo to visit with Santa. Mason proceeded to pull on Santa's beard to check "if he was real" Thank goodness Santa had a real white beard and a good sport about it!