By: Dawn Thompson
In this fast-paced, busy world, it’s difficult to find the time to do all the things we need to do, let alone the things we want to do. Choosing how to spend our time sometimes forces us to make difficult choices. Our plans can get even more complicated or uncertain since our child has Neurofibromatosis ( a progressive neurological disorder), which can make it very difficult to plan events like vacations and parties. That’s alright for us, but the rest of the world is not so accommodating 
But sometimes events can pop up that force us to stop and make time…
Valentine’s Day has always been a special day for me and my husband. We were going to get married on Valentine’s Day but decided to get married a week later so that we could celebrate twice! This year, it seemed inevitable that we would celebrate once again.
However, this past week our little man ended up in the hospital. Dylan was going through tests and procedures. Although we knew the time was nearing, we had no idea of the admitting date. Then, they discovered a tumor on Dylan’s leg and we got the call.
That afternoon, on Valentine’s Day, my sister Judy called and asked if we wanted her to come up to Boston and watch Dylan so we could go out for a little bit. At first I said, “No, thank you but I don’t want to leave.” Then, I thought about my son and figured he could use a fresh face and I realized that my husband and I could really use couple of hours together. I called her back and Dean picked her up on the way up to the hospital. He brought me my curling iron and some new clothes to go out in and my favorite flowers, red carnations mixed with pretty roses. Lucky for us there was a nice restaurant across the street and we walked over and enjoyed a nice dinner.
Although we hoped everything would be done in a week, it didn’t work out that way. Dylan will meet his gastro surgeon this week and will be readmitted on Monday to get a feeding tube put in.
This Friday is our 10th wedding anniversary. (Remember, twice the celebration!) Our three daughters surprised us with a two-night stay up in North Conway in New Hampshire. They are taking Dylan and plan to come up to go sledding and ice skating on Saturday before Dyl’s surgery. It seems amazing that we are able to do all this in the midst of it all but together we have learned that life is unpredictable. The only thing for certain is the present moment and if that moment is a good one, then ENJOY!
