February | 2012 | Be Not Afraid

Dear John Paul, On Your First Birthday:

February 28, 2012 by allisonbenotafraid

Today, you are one year old. I can’t believe how quickly time has flown, and how much we’ve been through together in one short year. As I watched you gaze in excitement at your birthday oatmeal this morning I thanked God, with my whole heart, for the incredible blessing you are in my life, and in the lives of so many others. Last night, your Daddy and I lay in bed together, our heads touching, our hands grasped tightly together. […]

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Categories: Faith, Parenting • Tags: Baby, Birthday, First Birthday, Life

…and to dust you shall return.

February 23, 2012 by allisonbenotafraid

I’ve been to Ash Wednesday mass many times, and I didn’t expect to be particularly moved at yesterday’s service. For one thing, it was my first time bringing John Paul, which I expected would be interesting (code word for crazy, hectic, and generally insane), given the extra time needed for everyone to receive ashes and receive the Eucharist. And for another, I was tired and a little cranky when we arrived at church, and I knew it was going to […]

Categories: Faith, Parenting • Tags: Ash Wednesday, Christianity, Jesus, Life

This Too Shall Pass: One Year Later

February 17, 2012 by allisonbenotafraid

Doesn’t it sometimes feel like our suffering will go on forever, that the tears we cry will never cease, and the doubts running through our mind will never relent? Aren’t there times when it seems like we’re fumbling through the darkness, and though we can see a sliver of light, no matter how far we trek and how patiently we press on we can’t seem to reach the end of the tunnel? I’ve felt that way off and on throughout […]

Categories: Cancer, Faith • Tags: Christianity, Hope, Life, Suffering

Full of Love, No Matter What

February 14, 2012 by allisonbenotafraid

For Mike and I, love was almost overshadowed by fear, anxiety, and grief last Valentine’s Day. For us, it wasn’t merely a day to call loved ones and check the mailbox in hopes of a sweet card. It was more than that; it was the day after I was told I had cancer. One year later, on this Valentine’s Day, I woke up early with my husband thanks to our favorite little alarm clock-John Paul. We drank coffee in the […]

Categories: Cancer, Faith • Tags: Christianity, Love, Valentine's Day

Healer

February 6, 2012 by allisonbenotafraid

Last Thursday I received wonderful news over the phone that brought me to tears as I sat in my hairdresser’s chair: no evidence of cancer cells found in the active tissue from my tumor. Praise God! I haven’t met with my doctor yet so I still don’t know what the activity is/was, and it’s not certain that we will ever know. It could be brown fat-the fat our body creates for warmth-or thymic rebound as a result of the chemotherapy, […]

Categories: Cancer, Faith, Music • Tags: Christianity, Healer, Hillsong, Jesus, Prayer

Be Not Afraid

Monthly Archives: February 2012

Dear John Paul, On Your First Birthday:

…and to dust you shall return.

This Too Shall Pass: One Year Later

Full of Love, No Matter What

Healer

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