Holidays Can Be A Complicated Time

Holidays can be a complicated time.

It naturally feels like a time for reflection. For us it brings up memories of years before, traditions lost, and more seasons of change.

I can’t believe that two Christmas’s ago we told Soraya that her health was declining and we started grieving together as family. Last year we began sharing our journey… and this year we were thrown a curveball with me testing positive for a high-risk cancer gene and having a bilateral mastectomy.

It’s never what I expect a holiday to be. I accept that many holidays are just placeholders in time for bookmarking life events.

As much as I want these surgical drains, this pain, the bruising to be a blip in time– I recognize that this blip is truly a beginning of transition physically and emotionally.

In this moment I’m grateful for family that is here with me. Grateful for Leena’s excitement for Christmas despite the current struggles. Grateful for our hospice team who helped Soraya make THE best gift for us. Grateful for the community that has been supporting my family. Grateful for cousin Julie and Safi for doing all of the Christmas things that I typically do. Grateful for time.

Sending you love, no matter what your holiday looks like 🫶🏾