None of us were sick for very long - just a few hours, really, and Kol was really only sick for the drive to Regina - probably because we thought he was sick from the chemo, and gave him some of his anti-nausea medication. He never got a fever, which was a relief. It was actually a good time for him to be sick - he still had a bit of a immune system. The chemo attacks the bone marrow which temporarily stops producing blood cells. It seems to take about a week before the bone marrow starts to recover and begin to produce blood cells again. However, the blood cells live approximately 5-6 days, therefore for the first few days after treatment, there are still some white blood cells available to fight off infection. If he were to get sick tomorrow or Thursday, when the old cells have died off, and very few new ones are being produced, it would be worse.
We spent Christmas with family, which was great. We had a Christmas supper with the Ulvens before we went to Saskatoon, and we were in Regina with Kirk's family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We also got to spend time with the Ulvens once we got back. The kids got to spend lots of time with their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
I asked the kids on Sunday what their favourite part of Christmas was. I loved their answers. One of the girls said that her favourite part was playing a game with one of her cousins. For another, Christmas supper was the highlight. Another said she loved being with cousins, and her favourite present was the bag her cousin had sewed for her. Kol's favourite part was watching everyone's faces as they opened their presents. I think it's cool that they all appreciated the non-commercial things - people, togetherness, thoughtfulness - as opposed to the things they got. I think their priorities have been affected by Kolbjorn's cancer and Birgitte's epilepsy, just as mine and Kirk's have been. The big girls especially are searching and questioning. We've had some cool conversations with the kids in the last couple of weeks about Christmas, it's origins, and how both the church and society observe the season.
Kirk told me a couple of days ago that the phrase "Tidings of comfort and joy" from "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" keeps running through his mind - like a motto for this Christmas season. We've been craving both comfort and joy for the last few months, and we were able to find some of both throughout the holidays. We pray that we will continue to find comfort and joy throughout the new year.
We also hope and pray that each of you will experience comfort and joy, that the new year will be full of blessings for you, that you will prosper and grow in many ways, and that you will all come to know Jesus in a more meaningful way. If we can be part of your growth, or if we can be of service to you in any way, please let us know. We cannot thank you enough for the support you have given us, through your prayers, gifts, letters, comments, e-mails and more. We love hearing from you, and eagerly check for new comments and messages.
God is good. Life is a wonderful gift. Let's live it to the fullest, resting in God and remembering His goodness in sending Jesus to be our savior.
Bless you Kristen for looking for the silver lining...you are a wonderful Mom and an encourager...that is a great gift to give your children.
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