The 3-Year Countdown Begins!

One exciting thing about today...this officially marks the day when Brayden's 3-years of treatment clock starts! He's been wanting to get to this day for a while. We're certainly viewing it as a celebration. On the one hand, it's a tangible reality that this won't go on forever and the unknown timeline isn't looming ahead. On the other hand, 3 years didn't seem like a lot at first; that is until I started looking BACK 3 years and realized all that has happened in that span of time. Ouch. Reality sets in...We didn't have our house 3 years ago...and that seems like a lifetime all on it's own. We didn't have our dog Hershey. What was life like before her and her kisses and lap hugs and personality to make us laugh? And Brayden...wow. He was just starting 1st grade. That's where it really hurts. My little boy has grown so much in 3 years! He's moved from a shy adorable boy to the funny boy who loves to be sarcastic and loud and get a laugh from his friends! He's gained confidence and is so much more self-reliant! That's when you realize the impact of 3 years, and that's when I start to wonder how the next 3 years will change him, will change all of us. I hope and pray it's for the better. I hope and pray it allows Brayden to further become the young man he was meant to be. I hope and pray it doesn't jade his beautiful view of life and people or cause him to be cynical or negative. He's so positive and maybe it's because he doesn't have the same view of 3 years the way we do with much more activity in the rear view mirror of life to see. I pray it's because his heart and mind is prepared for this journey and he's able to approach it in the manner he has began by tackling it as another step and going full-force with getting through it because he's accepted it's part of who he is now. I pray Bryan and I can get to that point. I pray our friends and family can as well. That's a tough one. Nevertheless, we continue to celebrate the light that is now a dim speck at the end of the tunnel and will anxiously journey to watch it grow brighter with each passing day and pray we can journey to it becoming better, closer, stronger than we were before, remembering to give praise to the One Who never left us through it all.