Fun to fall down and get back up

My parents came to town a few weeks ago, and on a chilly-yet-sunny May day, we loaded up the van and visited a nearby park. Swings, soccer, football, tag, monkey bars, walks, runs... I glanced over my shoulder and saw Liz fall to the grass. As I stepped toward her, she waved me off, stood up, and kicked the soccer ball to Cohen. She smiled, looked at me, and said, "It's fun to fall down and get back up."

We went back to the cancer center yesterday for Liz's regular tri-weekly treatments. This time around we also met with the doctor. We have never seen him so optimistic and excited for her prognosis! It's all good news: her blood work shows levels completely in the normal range, the recent CT scan shows no evidence of cancer anywhere, and we get to reduce the frequency of another one of her medications. The treatments are working with no indication of slowed effectiveness.

Wow.

Flashback to October 1995, a couple of months before I began my two-year mission service in Germany for my church. I distinctly remember hearing a talk from a church leader, Elder Richard G. Scott, but I hadn't thought much about it since that time...until last week, when I came across the quote again:

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."

The message here seems universal. Challenges can hit you like a flash flood. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, not due to any fault of theirs, or actions caused by others. If we can gain the perspective that we can learn, stretch, and grow through our challenges, we will be better positioned to show empathy to others and be more willing to help others get back up after they fall.

Somehow we made it through these past couple of years, through all of the highs and lows. Liz just completed her second 5K last week, she digs up trees for fun, I just finished the Notre Dame MBA, Cohen was proud to graduate from first grade at the same time as dad, Jensen completed preschool, and Eli babbled his way to the ripe old age of 20 months. We are blessed. And it really is fun to see Liz get back up after a fall.

Go Team Liz!