Craving Normalcy – But Not Our Normal

Had a great weekend in Chicago with Leena!

What I am realizing from this visit is that she craves normalcy.

She doesn’t necessarily want extravagant trips, big gifts, or even large experiences. She wants to do “regular” things, like eating homemade waffles made by my friends, playing barefoot in the sprinklers, and watching a movie on the couch at night – and she wants to experience these things WITH other kids or her siblings.

Soraya can’t do many of the activities Leena wants to do, and though Yasmeen would LOVE to, in all honesty, her high school AP schedule and extracurriculars don’t give her much free time.

Having the opportunity to not only do these things this weekend but to do them with friends was really special for Leena... and it also made leaving really hard.

She was so sad as we packed up to head home that she said I could leave her in Chicago 😭

In speaking to my dear friends Anna and Eoin and telling them about Soraya’s medical updates, they kept asking – “How can we help?”

I often struggle to answer that question but this trip showed me an answer: They can help by continuing to provide a space for Leena in their home for refuge. To live their life and allow Leena to experience it with them.

I felt this was noteworthy to share, as how many others can help a sibling in this way that are reading this? (So many, I’m sure!)

In order to get Leena out the door, I had to remind her of the love she has for her family in Cincinnati and how now that I am picking up on what fills her bucket, we can plan to do more of those “normal” life things.

It won’t be in the way she wants it (daily, always). Like everything else, it will be intertwined with the pain and love in our home with pockets of joy where she can physically and mentally “take a break.”

She’s teaching me so much ❤️