Day 333

Sure there were pictures in focus of the boys finding their perfect tree. But this one captures the joy and the energy inside their perfect bodies. This one captures a moment I want to remember.

We all assimilated back into our weekday routines today, slowly but surely. Banyan had a World History test, Benji had a field trip, Michael was off bright and early for his Monday morning meeting, and I worked a little and put our house back together after our Georgia Thanksgiving. I was thrilled to have packages waiting for me when we returned last night: new essential oils, and a book, recommended by a friend, called “Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World.” It shared the history of bone broth for leukemia patients and has many recipes I look forward to trying. It inspired me to create a meal plan for December based on Benjamin’s medication schedule. I have tried to support his treatment with nutrition all along, but I haven’t done it quite like I did it today. To be honest, I probably couldn’t have. Things changed so frequently during frontline treatment. Now, I can make a monthly calendar and expect to stick to it.

Mondays will roasting days, with bone broth to follow. Tuesdays and Wednesdays we will hydrate heavily to flush the Methotrexate, and we will incorporate the bone broth into our meals to infuse glycine and proline and bolster Benji’s mucosal lining. Thursdays and Fridays will be for supplements, namely milk thistle and glutamine, and meals that are easy on the kidneys and liver. On the weekends, I’ll be sure to incorporate fermented foods to balance the pneumonal antibiotic he resumes on Saturday. And on the five days a month he’s on steroids, we’ll have meals with extra potassium. This method makes meal planning easier and helps me feel a sense of control in the kitchen. I was excited to go grocery shopping today.

Benjamin was sleepy when I picked him up from school. Understandable. He rested in the car on the way to pick Banyan up, and we came home to tackle homework. When Michael came home, we set out on a quest to find The Perfect Tree. We most certainly succeeded. I strung the lights this evening after the boys were asleep. I thought about last Christmas, when we started noticing the bruises, when we had no idea what was to come. I also realized that prior to this year, stringing the lights would bring to mind Benjamin’s birth, which happened three days before Christmas in our home near the twinkling tree. I will not allow that memory to be shadowed. I think the month ahead will be heavily charged, but I am entering it with gratitude and awareness. Last Christmas may have felt uncertain and ominous, but this Christmas will not. This Christmas will be a joyous celebration.