The bleeding finally stopped and Justin’s red and white blood counts are stable. He celebrated with a cheese steak. (To my international friends, this is a classic in Philadelphia — a sandwich made of chopped steak and melted cheese. Yum.)

Of course, we’ll need to keep an eye on this if the bleeding should start again because blood loss is a tricky thing for a child on chemotherapy. But we are able to monitor him from the comfort of our own home.

God has answered our prayers concerning all the possibilities that tend to run through the mind when a leukemia patient doesn’t stop bleeding. Yes, He does allow us to go through deep waters.

But never alone.

When your child is in treatment for cancer, your life is made up of many “todays” even if they are responding well overall. There can and will be bumps in the road. As adults, Jeff and I can process this and manage stress pretty well. (Aside from my personal Oreo crises, that is.)

Not that I never experience fear, but it is Justin and his brothers who really struggle with it. The unknowns. The interruptions. The chaos. Please continue to hold the three of them in prayer.

A very special thank you to our friends who spent the day with Nicky and Michael. Also, to my mom for tackling our very unappealing, sand-soaked beach laundry.

I didn’t love today.

But.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

This is it. This is the day we got. So I will find joy in my hope in Jesus, believing there will be better days. I will also scrub blood from a favorite Ninja turtles t-shirt and “the blanket” which we are never without. Grace be with you, my friends.