A blog on life, raising boys, loving Jesus and all the wild things in between....
This is not my story.
Monday the 27th is the day. The day chemo and radiation begin. Wrapping my head around simultaneous treatment each with their list of side effects has been overwhelming but I am being reminded to take it a day at a time and this is my story and my experience and not anyone else’s. April 24th was when we found out something didn’t look right - 3 months later we are finally getting going. I am so ready to start killing this sucker and I am also terrified. I think it’s good to remember we have the freedom to feel all the things. To be afraid and brave, to be nervous and confident, to step into the unknown holding tension between it all. My childhood pastor sent this verse to me as it’s been a comfort for he and his family through many rough seasons and I cling to it, repeating it until it burrows down in my soul. So the real journey begins with phase one lasting between 5-7 weeks, Monday through Friday I do both chemo and radiation with Sat/Sun “off”’(Things to pray for? Minimal side effects, manageable side effects, energy to be Mom and wife and Pastor and magical sprinkles of love and less arguing between the boys!
Before we had my appointment with the oncologist we drove to the ocean. I needed to leave the house after being inside for 4 weeks and everyone else needed it too. It was easy to social distance and we didn’t come into contact with anyone. The ocean has always felt like a place of healing for me and a place I go expectantly for a spiritual encounter with God. I didn’t feel that way after this trip. I was pretty upset about it to be honest. I kept waiting for a breakthrough of peace in my heart, of comfort knowing He was with me and of hope. I left mad. Happy the boys got to have some freedom but disappointed with my expectations. And then I “went public” with my diagnosis which was incredibly hard and I wept after because it felt so much more real and I hadn’t actually said or typed the words “I have cancer” until then. And in the two days since I went public the outpouring of love and support and encouragement had left me undone. I feel humbled and undeserving and overwhelmed. But I also am feeling some hope for the first time and I am seeing that God is using people who feel called to action to bring peace and hope. I didn’t need to go to the ocean for it- I just had to be vulnerable and let people in. Thank you for being the hope and love of Jesus to me and my family. We will need it in the coming months
#krystlekickincancer
I have had a hard time opening my Bible since my diagnosis. I had felt so completely alone and forgotten, searching for hope and peace and coming up dry. I have had days of sorrow and days of anger and questioning and doubt, days where I couldn’t utter any words of prayer and relied on the words of others. Trevor reminded me David, author of the Psalms, was there searching for peace and only able to rely on the promise God had given him. He shouted and prayed too// This last week my Grandma moved from her home into a new place. In the move some things went with her and others were dispersed amongst family. My Grandma’s Bible came home with my Mom. My Grandma is a prayer warrior, a faithful servant to her family, community and church. This Bible is full of highlights and underlines, notes and more. My Mom brought it over to me last night, believing during this season it could be helpful. I smelled it first, yes....this is hers, this is from her home where I have so many memories from I can’t count. I cried, knowing the years of faithful prayers and laments she has called out before God for her kids and grandkids and friends. I turned the pages searching for the truth I knew in my heart but my head had somehow forgotten. God is with me in this battle. God’s word is God’s word but this felt different in my hands, somehow even more sacred and anointed. A gift for this season. A reminder that God knows me, knows my heart and speaks to me even when I cannot feel or see or understand, because He knew I needed this. #honestpastortalk #krystlekickincancer
I am a Mom of three boys (including a set of twins) and married to the biggest Back to the Future fan. I love College Sports, especially March Madness. I am a former foster Mom who wrote a book for foster parents (which is linked up top). I’d rather watch/listen/read true crime over anything else. I am the Discipleship Pastor at Life Community Church in Corvallis, OR. I am an Enneagram 6 that leans heavily on her 7 wing, a retired runner, Disneyland Fanatic…..oh and I just recently beat colorectal cancer.
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