So what is that strange shadow in the background?

If you read my first post you may have noticed that we do have two children. You have met George and even heard about parts of his life, but who is his sibling and can you even remember if this sibling is a he or a she?
It is so easy to get consumed in the whole drama of a potentially life threatening disease that we often tend to look past the people and the daily life happenings which are clouded in the mists making up the peripheral backdrop to what we have focused our attention on. As I had mentioned in a previous post we had embarked on a fund raising drive which had George as the focal point. Everywhere we went people would ask "How is George?" or comment "he seems to be doing very well".Seldom did anyone ask "How is Kelley?" Yes finally you meet her! I have a beautiful daughter named Kelley, just twenty three months younger than George and not affected by this cruel disease. Well that is not true. Kelley is indeed affected by the disease. To a large extent Kelley has had to grow up in a very large shadow.  No one should have to go through life with a disease as cruel as what George has, but if the truth be told our whole family suffer from this disease. As parents  it is heartbreaking to watch George loose his ability to walk, talk, speak and eat. It is just as heartbreaking to see Kelley lost in the everyday emotional storms. I am very proud of Kelley, she is a strong, level headed young woman who is growing up under extremely challenging conditions.
We all get a bag of salt to carry through life and sometimes we like to think that our bag of salt is so much heavier than anyone else's and at that point it feels like we cannot carry the bag even one step further. If you are someone who finds him / herself ready to drop your bag of salt because it is so heavy then I have some pretty rough advice for you! Tighten your grip on life, hold onto your bag of salt and take the next step. If you need to, go to your room close the door and have a dam good cry. When you are finished wipe your eyes wash your face stand up straight and pick up your bag of salt because without it you will never be "the salt of the earth". Life is a tough horse to ride but Kelley has a good grip on the reigns and she is well seated in the saddle. The best part of any day is early morning. The night may be long and dark but the sun will rise again and it will be worth being there for it.