Everest

Since Jeff first found out he had a brain tumor, I have had a few people tell me they could never go through something like that and it would just be too much for them. I have thought about it a lot and decided to clear the air. 

You are stronger than you think! You can do anything! I have a board in my house that says in big bold letters, WE CAN DO HARD THINGS. I made it right after Jeff's second surgery when I started to realize how true these words are and how much stronger I am than I thought I was. Growing up, I always heard this saying, God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. Thinking more about our abilities as children of God,  I have come to the conclusion that everyone can handle anything! Of course God will not give us anything we can't handle but there is nothing in this world no one can handle.  Just recently I heard someone say, God helps you handle what you have been given, and this is absolutely true. I don't care how weak you think you are. When it really comes down to it, when you have hit rock bottom, you see that there are deep wells of strength you never knew existed inside of you. You may not think you can do hard things, but people who have done great and amazing things in this world are human just like you and me. Before I married Jeff, I used to think I was not a strong person. I had never really been given many challenges in my life, I never lost a loved one or had to deal with physical illness. So I just assumed I wouldn't be strong enough to handle something like that, that is why God never gave me those challenges. At church they always talked about how hardships make you stronger and for the first few years of adulthood I went looking for challenges. I traveled to Africa to climb the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Then again I went to Argentina to climb another of the 7 summits. These challenges I gave myself because I had to see how far I could really be pushed, how strong I could become if I made it to the bottom of my soul and had to search further. I even dreamed of Everest thinking how hard a mountain of that magnitude would be for me to climb. Now, having a husband with brain cancer and 2 small children to take care of IS my Everest. I never knew if i would ever make it to Everest, but this I know now, just like I came back from Africa and Argentina, I will make it back from this. I will be stronger and more determined than I ever was before. Even though Everest may be a hard climb, I have my Heavenly Father by my side and he WILL bring me through it. He can and will bring you through it too. You can do hard things.