When Maddy was first diagnosed with cancer, we were in the hospital from July 20 till October 12, 2004. That first week home, we made it nearly a week before she experienced complications that sent us quickly back to the hospital. I have to confess I was feeling pretty overwhelmed and more than discouraged. There might have been a little self-pity tossed in too, I can’t remember.
What I can remember is on my day “off” from the hospital, I walked into a tattoo studio for a little encouragement. I asked for a small fish to be tattooed to my left hand. I am not sure how much of this was an act of impulse or a deep need for a lasting mark of this journey; a remembrance.
Now five years later, this sign of Christ continues to be an active reminder that I am not alone. I am surprised at how many times people will notice this small sign. I often get “is that real” or “I see that you are a Believer” but there are times when I am asked what it means. I am thankful for those moments. I am thankful that God provides me with the right words to share in those moments. I am thankful for the growing courage I am finding as those moments present themselves. I am thankful for all that our family learned about faith during Maddy’s journey. I am thankful that I am not alone in this world.
Assignment: During this Advent Season let your heart be open to the many blessings, great and small, that occur in your life. Remember Christmas as your sign that you are never alone.
