oh how he loves us

As I expected, this has been a tough week. It was the 3rd round of chemo for this cycle and the side effects hit Ethan pretty hard. We met with several new specialists to talk about different side effects from chemo that we've noticed. All in all, just a week where the heaviness of cancer and chemo are present and staring us in the face.

Last night I was tucking Ethan into bed, and we ended as we usually do by singing Amazing Grace. And as we sang I was struck by that simple phrase - Amazing Grace. Because gosh, has that phrase been the bedrock of this whole thing. The hard days, the easy days, the happy, the sad. God's grace has been sustaining Ethan and all of us moment by moment, from one day to the next. And that includes these weeks that are harder than others.

One of my biggest prayers from the very start of this whole journey was that Ethan's joy and exuberant, delightful spirit would remain intact. And, by God's grace, it has - with today as a prime example. After a fairly rough week, Ethan woke up feeling better and well enough that we felt comfortable sending him to orientation at school this morning. He was so excited!

And that joyful exuberance? On the way home from school one of our favorite David Crowder songs came on the radio and from the back, there was my precious son belting it out. My precious son who God is carrying through this trial and giving him the joy to still SING!

Thank you God for your grace. For your faithfulness. For joy, even in the depths.