There are moments in life when a single smile carries the weight of courage, when laughter becomes an act of defiance, and when faith is no longer something you speak, but something you live. This is one of those moments. A story not about what has been taken, but about what remains—love that gathers closer, hands that hold tighter, and a family that chooses, every single day, to face the unknown together with grace, gratitude, and hope.
Leaning Into Each Other
I see that strength every time I look at my mother.
Multiple System Atrophy is not a diagnosis anyone would choose.
There is no cure.
No neat timeline.
No gentle way forward.
And yet—still, she smiles.
Illness has a way of clarifying what matters most.
It strips away hurry.
It silences trivial worries.
It brings us back to the table—together.
Our family has learned to lean into one another in ways we didn’t before.
To listen more closely.
To laugh harder.
To hold moments gently, knowing they are sacred.
Every visit matters.
Every conversation counts.
Every shared cup of tea, every smile, every quiet prayer becomes a gift.
Time, I’ve learned, is both fragile and holy.
Choosing How We Face It
We cannot choose our diagnoses.
We cannot control every outcome.
We cannot bargain our way out of reality.
But we can choose how we face it.
We can choose presence over avoidance.
We can choose faith over despair.
We can choose love that shows up—day after day, even when it’s heavy.
We face it together.
With family.
With community.
With hope rooted deeper than circumstance.
A Gratitude That Grounds Me
I am profoundly thankful—for my mother’s strength, for my father’s steady devotion, for siblings and extended family who walk this road together.
I am thankful for faith that sustains when answers don’t come.
For love that does not diminish under pressure.
For the closeness that grows when we refuse to face hardship alone.
And I am thankful for today.
For now.
For this moment.
Because time is fleeting.
And love—real love—is never meant to be taken for granted.
A Gentle Declaration
We may not choose the road placed before us.
But we choose how we walk it.
With faith.
With tenderness.
With courage.
With each other.
And even when the future feels uncertain, we hold fast to this truth:
Love is stronger than fear.
Presence is more powerful than prognosis.
And hope—when shared—multiplies.
Still, she smiles.
And in that smile, we keep going.
Lamentations 3:22–23
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (ESV)
