Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

Written Apr 8, 2012 9:45pm by Heather Dalik

Right after I posted my journal, I got an update journal from a cancer Mom. Her message was meant to reflect on the goodness in Good Friday.   I got the message, just not the one she was sending.  I realized that I was complaining about something that didn't really matter.  Cora is not in the hospital AND she continues to do exceptionally well.  There is a lot of goodness around us.  Kids are kids but I have to find a way to make my kids appreciate what we have, each other.  

We went about our normal Easter activities.  Saturday morning we go to breakfast with the bunny and egg hunt at church.  We have been members of this church since I was Grace's age.  Someday, we hope to be active members again but for now, we are doing what we can.  Grace, Andrew and PopPop had pancakes and got their faces painted.  I decided that since the egg hunt was outside and broken up by age, I would run home and get Cora.  She was sooooo excited when I told her what we were going to do.  I had it all planned out - enter from the back gate, stay on the perimeter of the playground, keep away from everyone, get a few eggs and back in the car.  Then, she saw the bunny!  "Bunny scares me.  Run.  Get away.  Bunny scares me."  Our Easter egg hunt was instantly over.  We went and watched Grace and Andrew hunt for eggs, which was fun to watch from afar.  The church bells (which we can hear from the bus stop) went off.  Cora's face lit with instant recognition of the sound.  "Whose house is that?", she asked as we walked past the sanctuary to the car.  "God's house" was my answer.  

Saturday afternoon, we went to dye eggs at Mommom and PopPop's. Grace and Aunt Sooz had something going on with craft magazines, glitter, sponges and crayons.  Grace planned this all on her own.  I was busy helping Cora, who was a bit overwhelmed and sat as close to me as she possibly could.  Pizza for dinner topped off an exhausting day.  

Our Easter Sunday was filled with egg hunts and baskets.  We joined our backyard neighbors for a kid egg hunt.  I took some of the sweetest pictures of the girls together.  I will get them loaded onto facebook soon.  After the egg hunt, we filled the house with our family for the first time since Christmas. Granted this is only 14 people but it sure felt good to put the extension in the kitchen table.  We were blessed to have friends join us too.  Andrya, Ryan and Baby Kellan joined our slightly nutsy family for dinner.  Andrya has an amazing story nearly identical to Cora's but she is 30 years older.  It was a delight to watch Cora interact with Kellan, who is 1.  My guilty pleasure today was to watch Andrya and Cora play together.  I sat there thinking how strange it must be for Andrya to have the same disease and cure as Cora but not to be able to talk to her about it.  After watching them together today, they will have a special bond for life.  As Cora gets older and asks questions about what the transplant was like, I hope Andrya will share her story.  

All these people in our house, brought out my new OCD.  I spent several hours with my alcohol wipes and steam mop in hand.  The air cleaner is on high and the house smells like a hospital.  Just a bit of peace of mind for me.  

So, before I post a journal, I always preview it.  Our weekend sounds almost normal!  I took a few chances/risks so that Cora could have some experiences.  I take responsibility for these chances.  At 7 months post transplant I have been told to weigh the benefits and the risks.  I think the benefit of having everyone around our dinner table far outweighed the risks.  Listening to Cora belly laugh at Uncle Leroy's antics will be burned in my memory.  Watching Cora talk to Kellan, as if to show him the world, was worth it.  The house has been sanitized and tomorrow we go back to flu season mode.  

Be CORAgeous