She was ready then, and she’s ready now. Happy last day of High School for Kate! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!💗🙏☀️
She's Ready....
I Am Running the NYC Marathon in November!
Over the past few weeks I have had two scans and a biopsy and I am beyond grateful they are all clear💝 With that said, I now get to share something exciting (and honestly a bit unnerving)…
On November 3rd I will be running the NYC marathon as a part of team @bravelikegabe , which helps fund rare disease research.
I am running in memory of those in our ACC family we have lost, including Gabe.
I am running for those in our ACC family still in the fight.
I am running for all the warriors who are NED (No Evidence of Disease), who hope at each scan the cancer never returns.
In full transparency, I am also running for myself as an ACC warrior. I have struggled this past year with the fear of ACC returning. This couch-to-marathon journey will help refine me mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
When the opportunity to join the Brave Like Gabe team and run the NYC Marathon came, I felt nauseous because I am not a runner. Yet I still said yes.
Why?
Because I get to.
Gabe was the first person I spoke with who also had ACC. Her uplifting attitude and drive to live fully inspired me then and continue to do so today. In memory of Gabe, whose legacy continues to live on every day, I choose to run on hope—the hope that this journey will make a difference, not only in my mind, body, and soul but more importantly in raising awareness and funds for rare cancer research. I hope that one day, when another college student like Gabe, wife and mom of three like me, or whomever hears "you have ACC," there will be viable treatments and cures available.
Please consider supporting this important cause by:
1. Donating HERE
2. Sharing this post
Thank you in advance for your contribution to our team and Brave Like Gabe’s mission.
"We run on hope. We run for research. We are not giving up. #BraveLikeGabe." - @gigrunewald
With gratitude and hope,
Shawn
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" - Hebrews 6:19
Joy + Contentment
This past weekend we had a fun time at Matt’s first Memorial Day soccer tournament. During the weekend, that was packed with fun games and family time, Stephen and I met the most joyful person.
This tournament was packed and parking was crazy. In our walk to the field, from a trail in the woods where we parked, we came across a gentleman who was one of the parking attendants. We had a lovely conversation with him. Here was this man, in the woods solo most of the day, yet there was nothing but joy and contentment exuding from him, even in the heat with bugs flying around.
Our interaction with him was a reminder to me that joy isn’t something we acquire with a title, an amount of money or with some-thing. Joy is available within at all times as it is not something that is based on our circumstances. Joy grows from what we are rooted in.
I share this with you today to invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we not allow our circumstances to determine our hearts posture. Instead, may we root our thoughts in God’s Word. John 15:5 tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit,” including the fruit of joy. May we remember joy is available to us each day and can grow within our hearts through our relationship with God.
And like this man reminded me, it’s a blessing to share that joy with others too, even through a quick conversation.
And as we walked away from this man that day, he called out, “God bless you two.” And when he said that I smiled because I knew where his joy and contentment came from.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit,”
- John 15:5
Is It Really Wrong or Just Different?
This morning I went to grab my smoothie cups and saw them like this. One of my kids had emptied the dishwasher and put them away mismatched. It made me cringe at first, and then laugh, because I would never have thought to do this but my kid did.
Moments like this remind me that we are all different and we do things differently.
As scripture tells us, “we are all different parts of one body.” Just because we do things differently from someone else doesn’t mean I am right and they are wrong, or vice versa. Sometimes, like in this case, we just do things differently.
God made us each different to serve a greater purpose.
I share this today for the next time we may find ourselves judging someone who does something differently than we do. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray. ™
Rather than judging our differences, may we take a deep breath and consider that maybe we can learn something from how others do things. And it may not always be comfortable, but doing this will help build bridges between hearts instead of walls.
With love and hope,
Shawn
God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body. - 1 Corinthians 12:18-20
Memorial Day 2024
Every night before Memorial Day, our family watches the PBS Memorial Day special where many Gold Star family’s stories are told, and the lives of those servicemen and women who died in war are honored. Also, some wounded warriors tell their stories as well. Each story is powerful and a reminder of these brave people who put their lives on the line, day in and out, as the barrier between safety and harm to protect others. Most come home, some are well, some come home with visible or invisible wounds, yet there are far too many who never made it home.
In honor of those who died while serving our country and their Gold Star families, let’s take time today to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Let’s honor the lives of the servicemen and women who have died throughout the years and hold their families who mourn in our hearts. This day can come and go easily without actually thinking about what this day is all about. May we remember those who sacrificed their life in service to our country. We don’t know their names but God does. May we give thanks for each person who gave their life, so that you and I get to live as freely as we do today. And may we remember, the freedom we haven’t isn’t meant to serve self, but God meant for our freedom to be use in service of others.
Galatians 5:13 says, “For you were called to freedom. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
May we give thanks for the these men and women who gave their all. May we be inspired to live with a heart of service as they did. And to honor their memory and carry on their legacy, let's choose to live out love and serve someone else in some way today.
With respect, gratitude and hope,
Shawn
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.."- John 15:13
Triggers are Real
As I sat waiting for my results yesterday I heard the doctor in the hall say, “it isn’t ACC (that is the cancer I had) but I don’t know what it is.”
As soon as I heard that my mind went to the worst case scenario…the cancer is back.
I sat there trying to pray, shift my thoughts, but anxiety gripped me and I had to use the restroom. As I walked out the door I happened to see the computer screen with a scan on it and my name was on the screen.
I was certain I was going to be hearing bad news.
After being prayed over that morning, having a peaceful time in the MRI and with my mom in Boston Common, my mind was gripped by fear and I couldn’t find a way out of it.
I asked one of the nurses to come in and she was trying to help me calm my nerves saying things like…
try and relax your body.
breathe.
what you are thinking may not be true.
wait and the doctor will clarify.
I know what she was saying would be helpful yet I was struggling to put those into practice in that moment. And for most of the day I was able to practice these things but in this 20 minute period, I knew what I had to do but the fear of hearing the cancer is back gripped me.
Yes, I should have….
paused. breathed. prayed.
But all logical and rational thinking went out the window and I was gripped by fear. I just needed concrete information so that my brain wouldn’t continue on the loop of thoughts, that I didn’t now if they were true or not.
Eventually the doctor came in and shared that my scans were good!
The relief that rushed through me formed tears of gratitude that flowed down my cheeks.
I share this with you today because I am triggered at times and I am not immune to fear gripping me. This was a reminder that working on new healthy thought patterns in the calm will help me in the storm yet when you are in a negative thought cycle it is not a flip of the switch to get out of it.
If you can relate, please know you are not alone. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we have grace for ourselves for when we are triggered and can’t get out of these hard moments and negative thought loop. May we trust that God is with us, even if we aren’t practicing His Word and that we are still loved as messy as we are. May we be willing to invite others into our messy, like I did with the nurse, so that we don’t sit in the heavy and hard alone.
And when we remember to, like I did after I got the news of clear scans, let’s fix our eyes back on God knowing we are like the prodigal son who went away for a while but He is welcoming us back with open arms, meeting us where we are with love and compassion.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."- Luke 15:20
Where We Put Our Focus Matters
My mom came with me to Boston for the day. We had some time between my scans and the doctors appointments so I always love taking a stroll around Boston Common. While we were there we took a seat on a bench and just sat in silence enjoying the view. At one point my Mom said, “this is so lovely, but all this traffic behind us is distracting.” I sat and realized I hadn’t noticed the noise of the traffic and said, “I guess it matters where we put out attention.”
In this particular moment the words I said were potent to my heart because as I waited to learn about my scans, I realized I had a choice to focus on the ‘traffic noise’ of fear of the unknown, or to give my focus to the present moment with my Mom in this beautiful place. Thankfully, the latter was where I was able to put my focus.
If you too have trouble at times putting your focus on what will bring you peace, I get it as I am imperfect at this practice myself. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Let’s be sure we don’t dismiss the ‘noise,’ let us acknowledge it and choose not to give it our focus. Instead let’s turn our attention to something that will help us. For example, on the park bench yesterday I acknowledged the presence of the unknown and fear of the cancer returning, but I recognized focusing on that was not helpful. So instead I chose to turn my attention to my mom, the leaves, the trees, the flowers, and absorb what was known in front of me, and I pray you can do the same.
Did my mind stray? Of course. I am human.
So I chose again…and again… to acknowledge the ‘noise’ of fear and then turned away from it. And in time I stopped thinking about the fear and was able to be fully present in the moment. And I pray the same happens for you too.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."- 1 Corinthians 10:13
An Unexpected Blessing
On the way to Boston yesterday I was at this corner, and I’ve been stuck here in traffic almost every time I’ve traveled to Boston the past seven years. There are always men at this corner collecting money for people who are homeless.
Yesterday I had nothing to offer but I still looked at the man and smiled, praying lovingkindness over him in my heart. He smiled back and walked on.
A couple minutes later he was at the passenger window at my car knocking.
I rolled down the window and He said, “you smiled at me so I know that God is with you.” He proceeded to pray for me, having no idea I was headed to Boston for scans. He prayed that “the battle was God’s and He has me covered.” He prayed for a few minutes, and then continued on, never asking for a dime from me. He simply knocked at my window to pray for me.
His part toothless grin was beautiful to me, as I too lost three teeth from my surgery, and the words he spoke were a guarding for my soul. In all my years passing through here, I never knew these men to be men of faith, or had an interaction like this. This divine appointment with this man was a blessing from God as I drove in to have my scans.
I share this with you today because God is with us at all times, and sometimes He places people along our path to share His love and Truth with us. I am not sure where you are headed today but wherever it is, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Let’s be sure we keep our eyes and ears open to the love and Truth God has put along our path. And as this moment yesterday reminded me, even a smile can be a bridge from one heart to another that can open a door for God’s love to flow through. God uses all people and so may we not turn away from other based on our preconceived notions for if we do we may miss a blessing God has for us. And may we remember it isn’t just about us, but that we may the person God will use on someone else’s path too. Let’s be willing to be courageous, as this man was yesterday, and bless someone else when we feel prompted by Spirit to.
With love and hope,
Shawn
This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you."- John 15:12
A Messy Mom Moment + My Kids Reflection
On Friday I had a day. I was irritable and doing what I could to not let the discontent in my heart overflow onto my family.
But it did.
I owned my irritability and let my kids know it wasn’t them, and asked for their patience with me as worked through it.
Later that night Matt walked through the kitchen and said, “Mom, think of things above, not of earthly things.” He smiled and walked down to the basement.
Ugh. Those words hit me like a brick- but in good way.
I’ve shared this verse with the family through the years yet to have Matt reflect it back to me on that day was humbling, and a gift. I was hyperfocusing on something that is out of my control. Matt’s words were a reflection to take my eyes off of what is out of my control and to look to God to help me through.
I share this today because as a Mom I have messy days and sometimes I don’t know if the seeds I plant in my kids hearts are growing roots. But in this moment, I was reminded that it’s okay for my kids to see me have a rough day and that they are listening.
So for all the parents out there, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we give ourselves grace and space on those messy days. May we also continue to plant seeds of truth into our kids hearts and trust they are growing. And in time, may the seeds planted help our kids when they need it, and maybe our kids will be reflecting those truths back to us when we need it, like Matt did with me on Friday.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. - Colossians 3:2
Fun Friday!
Happy Friday! Once every spring we surprise Stephen with a water ballon fight when he gets home from work, and today is the day💦
I’m sharing this as a reminder to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
And play!
Let’s unplug from socials for the weekend and go live life offline. Let’s have some pure-hearted fun making new memories- and maybe new traditions - with our family and friends💝🙏☀️
With love and hope,
Shawn
“A glad heart makes a cheerful face”- Proverbs 15:13a