Me and Mine - A Family Portrait Project June • Count your blessings
June has passed at the speed of light. And I've been glad. I want this year to hurry up for us, whizz by to the day when we complete on our forever house and finally move in and start living again, properly.
We've been living in a strange sense of limbo since we moved out of the home we had loved for 8 years to a very handy rented house 4 minutes down the road. And hopefully over the next 24 hours we will exchange on the beloved forever house, which will trigger a temporary move again!
We are under pressure to secure a school place for Sammy - the village school with just 20 a class has one magical space available and if we are lucky to get it (another family have also applied) we will need to live in the area, an hour and a half's drive away for the 1st September.
We have a deferred completion on the new house, to give the lovely older couple 6 months to find their next home and whilst this isn't ideal, the thought of being certain that we will, at the very latest ring in the new year surrounded by boxes, is a very exciting prospect and well worth another move and the painful wait.
But something happened over June that knocked us all square in the eyes. Little Skye, my cousin's brave 5 year old boy, is fighting a new battle, against Radio-necrosis which has been brought on by the combination of therapies which he has endured. He is now in a state of paraplegia, with double incontinence, and very poor use of his upper limbs and hands. He fights on, as do we! The treatment has left him weak and vulnerable, yet strong and brave! I have taken this information from their new website Blue Skye Thinking, and if you want to read more you can find their inspirational blog HERE.
He was diagnosed at the end of May and I have been in awe of my cousin and her husband at how they have adjusted to this new and devastating phase over the last month. June has seen them take to the skies (literally) when a kind anonymous person donated a trip in a helicopter and an all expenses paid visit to Butlins at Minehead to meet Mr Maker, a well loved children's tv personality. They've visited the Britain's Got Talent set in London, sat in the famous chairs and helped Stephen Mulhern as he filmed the callers questions for the spin off show.
June has been a month to create a wish list (I can't bear to use the word bucket list) and we were lucky enough to experience one of Skye's firsts together.
Skye has never been on ice, so yesterday we headed from my in laws in Poole to Oxford to the city ice rink! Sammy was initially a little nervous to see him, which breaks my heart, as the medication he receives, has dramatically changed his little body and face. But after half an hour those initial concerns appeared to fade away and it was a pleasure to see our 4 boys playing together.
Sammy never questioned why Skye was in a wheelchair, he has taken far more of the situation on board than we have realised.
As we left my in laws he said to me, "We are going to see Skye and his face is quite puffy now, but he is alive." It was like I'd been punched in the heart, that my little boy was seeing the positive in a heartbreaking situation.
And that's what we all should do. Count our blessings, make moments count. Take an extra second to appreciate the wonderful simple moments, like watching our children run through a sprinkler or write their own name. My boys are difficult and testing at times but I am trying to focus more on the good behaviour rather than be drained by the bad. June has been kind and unkind but being grateful for what we have is the most important thing.
This is why I love Me and Mine. It's about recording family life. The unit that is yours. Richard often says it's a strange feeling when you brush pass someone you love. Because you know you love them it feels different.
Poor Ollie had been an ice superstar whizzing around behind the penguin with one of us and at the last moment fallen down on the handle bars which led to tears and a sad face for a good while after. The smile returned eventually during the medal ceremony!
There was so much love on that ice rink and it was an honour to share it.
Come and join in with us and share your family photos, I've shown you me and mine, now show me you and yours!
This month I'd love you to visit Becky's blog - full of fun, smiles and genuine happy family moments.
