Kara's Collection

Kara’s Collection: Blessed Today

Kara’s Collection: Blessed Today

from an article originally posted October 21, 2014…

I have today, and I’m spending it beside my loves. I’m tasting and knowing the goodness of family. I am fighting to enjoy the moments shared with loves. But each day, as I wake to new mercies, I also wake to new pain, new places that feel to be hardening. The daily fight to find the grace when the story of me is fading. I can lose my peace when I think too far into the future. I can suffocate if I wonder how many more days I’ll be granted. I can shatter into a puddle if I begin to wonder over the coming holidays.

Kara’s Collection: Big Love

Kara’s Collection: Big Love

from an article originally posted October 18, 2014…

How do you love when you are at the bottom of yourself? The last gulp of a drink you feel tentative to swallow? How do you swallow that last gulp of life and fight to live it well? I’m struggling today, and I knew it would be a hard one. Chemo brings a low that I struggle with words to describe. And on top of the yucks, pain seems to be growing. And with the growing pain is the growing knowledge that my cancer is likely growing. To say it’s discouraging, well, that word feels simple.

Kara’s Collection: The Giant Little Moments

Kara’s Collection: The Giant Little Moments

from an article originally posted October 16, 2014…

Last night I served my community group grilled cheese and tomato soup. But the feast was the heart sharing, the safe place, the time together. Time spent being a safe place for each other. Sharing the strength and weakness of our lives. We spoke in simple terms. Asked simple heart questions, and laughed and pondered how might we love one another better.

Kara’s Collection: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Kara’s Collection: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

from an article originally posted October 14, 2014…

I struggled to find sleep last night. I was quietly in my bed praying heavy hearted prayers. Yesterday two mama friends who unexpectedly lost their husbands emailed with me. They honestly shared their burdens. I heard heartbroken text from Marion, NC, of a beloved young man who died in a car crash. These friends braved their broken with me. And we wondered a little over Heaven together. The land of no more tears. The land our finite minds struggle to grasp the infinite—but one day, one day soon we will know it.

Kara’s Collection: Brain Radiation Playlist

Kara’s Collection: Brain Radiation Playlist

from an article originally posted October 11, 2014…

I spent a lot of last week dreading Friday. When someone would ask me about radiation, I would get a hard knot in my stomach. The previous week as I was speaking, I broke down asking for prayer for the time I would be pinned down in a mask as the stink eye attempted to rid my brain of cancer.