“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

Highest praises!

There are endless words of gratitude that pour off of my lips straight from the deepest wells of my heart after each & every 6 month check up. But THIS one. 5 YEARS! You guys. 5 YEARS! That means so much. The recurrence rate drops significantly, my check ups go from twice a year to just once a year & it means I am halfway to a “full” recovery from my cancer journey. HOW RAD IS THAT?! HOW GOOD IS OUR GOD?! I am FILLED with thanks. Filled with praise. Thank you Lord.

So much has happened in our lives in the last 5 years. We have LIVED. We have chosen to be intentional & make our lives valuable for the world around us & well as rewarding for our own joy. There is something weird to be said about going through a very near death experience & the way it highlights the extreme beauty of all areas in life. With that, it is easy (most mornings) to wake up & smell the roses, to notice the birds singing in the trees. 5 years in & I still feel BRAND NEW because I am healed! I am alive! As much as I don’t want a single person in the world to go through cancer, there is so much beauty that comes out of it. I AM GLAD it is part of my story, part of my journey. It has helped shape my outlook on life, given me scars to rejoice about as my little ones trace over them with their fingers, given me a testimony of healing & of the King’s hand in my adventure. It has reminded me again & again how fragile & therefore how special, how significant the gift of health & life really is.

Not every day has been peachy, that’s for sure. We have continued to go through suffering & sadness as the years unfold, but who doesn’t? Suffering is a guaranteed part of being on earth. Even with that, our FOUNDATION is made up of joy. It is solid because of the Rock we stand on, the hope we have for this earth & for heaven & the peace we carry gets us through even the toughest of times. After shipwrecks we still end up on land guys. We brush ourselves off & get up with breath in our lungs!

For today, I am choosing to focus on the beauty of being healed. Of having a healthy body & a happy heart. I am grateful to my Jesus, to my incredible team of doctors at Stanford Medical Center, to my mom & dad, to my husband. To everyone else in our family & community who walked through the fires with us for 6 months of chemotherapy treatments & homeopathic care leading up to that moment in time 5 years ago when I was declared cancer free. THAT, my friends, was a sweet sweet day. I couldn’t have done it without everyone who fought alongside me, without the prayers of people from across the globe, without strength from the Holy Spirit, without my own stubbornness & positive attitude. So thank you friends, thank you for being a part of my story! Today is a celebration for you as well! Go fist pump & jump around, go tell the world that there is GOODNESS on this earth, that HEALING still happens. That we are not forgotten, or insignificant, or just one of many. Each of our stories matters & I am so glad to say that today I am shouting my healing from the rooftops because it is GOOD TO REJOICE.

Hooray for today, Hooray for 5 years ago, Hooray for 5 years from now.

I am healed! I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.

Thank you for joining in my celebration.

 

Cheers,

Katie.