Life Lessons from Mito

When I was finished with my last post (It's Not Fair: Living With A Child With Mito) I began to think about the different directions and applications that I was wanting to put into the post, but I was not able to due to the post already being rather long (over 950 words when the range I am trying to stay in is 600-800 words). One of the people who read my post on the  (where I also blog) suggested that I write a follow-up post to detail the life lessons and applications that I was wanting to put into my first post. Thus this post...a follow-up of sorts, a continuation of the theme started in my previous post...

Having a child with a disease that could take his life is frightening to say the least. Seeing others that we know and care deeply about live through the dreaded progression of this disease is even harder. It serves to make us incredibly thankful for the health that Karson has, but reminds us of the stark reality of the viciousness of this disease. With no cure, and when the doctors do not have a firm grasp on what the future holds for my son- it's troubling to say the least.

However, the truth is that we have learned many things from Karson having Mito. Some things we picked up immediately, and some things take sitting down and reflecting on life to understand. Here are a few of the life lessons we have learned:

1) Sometimes it's the little things that count.

Karson was not mobile at all just a little over two years ago. He would lay in the floor and cry, all day, unless Brandi was holding him. With the addition of a third Parker boy that was not possible anymore. With the weekly PT, and OT that Karson was receiving, and some motivation on his own he started to roll his way around the house (like log roll- similar to how kids will roll down a steep hill). It was almost hilarious to watch him get around this way, but it was effective. He has since learned to army crawl- the kid looks like a snake slithering around the house these days getting wherever he wants to go. I would have never thought that my son army crawling around would be a big deal to me until Karson came along.

While you are running around town getting little Johnny some new T-Ball cleats, or your precious Patty some tights for ballet or dance, I am watching my son crawl around on the floor, or I am thrilled because he has figured out how to climb onto the couch. But there are others who are sitting watching, waiting, hoping, for a smile from their child, or maybe just watching for the slightest sense of recognition in their face. It's the little things...

2) Each day is a blessing.

When your child (or a loved one) has a disease that severely impacts their life, and could take their life you tend to appreciate each day a little more. We are incredibly blessed that Karson is a rather healthy for a kid with Mito. Unfortunately that's not the case for many we know. One of the friends I brought up last post (who is local) is currently in the PICU with complications that stem from Mito.So many have to keep on guard for any changes because it could signal a progression of the disease. When that's the case you realize that each and every day is a blessing...

3) Interrupted plans make for an amazing journey in life.

Having a son with Mito wasn't in my plans for my kids...and I'll go out on a limb (albeit a sturdy one) to say that no parent plans for their kid to have any sort of disease. However, even though it wasn't in my plans it has been an amazing journey. It has been a blessing in many ways for us, namely because of how it changed our perspective on life.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I start to think about people's life not going to their plan is the story of Job. One of my favorite quotes comes when Job says, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." If you haven't heard the story this is after Job has lost essentially everything he owned as well as his sons and daughters. This was a significant amount because Job was described as being one of the wealthiest persons around, but yet he realized that everything he had was from God.

Having a son with this disease hasn't been easy (although our life with it thus far has been leaps and bounds easier than many). Through it we have learned many things, hopefully you can relate to them wherever you are in your life circumstances.

Has there been a difficulty in your life that has turned into a blessing of sorts?

What have you learned from going through some of life's difficulties?