Counting our blessings

We would never have chosen for our precious granddaughter to have to undergo the huge trials she has faced and will continue to face in future, but they have been the cause of unlooked for joy and blessings as well as the inevitable pain and heartache.

 Word Alive with Reuben and our friends from Stevenage was a lovely time of relaxation, fellowship and Bible teaching that did us good in every way.  Despite not knowing anyone there apart from us, Reuben went off to his age-group activity very happily, and spent the rest of the time charming our friends and enjoying scooting, climbing, ball throwing and a freezing cold half hour on the beach!


Jon, Heather and Rosanne came to stay last week and we enjoyed trips to the park in beautiful sunshine, meals with the 9 of us round the table, Phoebe staying for a sleepover at our house with Rosanne (more “over” than “sleep”!).

Last Sunday saw the Sheffield half marathon in which about 20 people were “running for Phoebe” to raise funds for the oncology ward at the Children’s Hospital where Phoebe will spend the second half of this year undergoing chemotherapy.  With a goal of £5,000 they raised over £7,000!  After our church morning gathering we took Phoebe and Reuben along to cheer the runners on their way and were very moved to see them go past with her name on their vests, amid many others raising money for equally poignant causes like a children’s hospice.  Later most of “our” runners went back to Rachel & Matt’s for lunch.  It was a day of great achievement and great joy.

Phoebe finishes her radiotherapy tomorrow (!) and then has a few weeks’ break from treatment (apart from more stem cell harvesting as not enough were produced when this was done before).  During May her American grandparents will be visiting and sharing a week’s holiday with Rachel, Matt and the children courtesy of the CLIC Sargent charity.  We are taking the opportunity at that time to go away ourselves; kind friends have offered us their holiday house for a week when we hope to read, walk, rest and gird up our loins for the long haul of the chemo phase when we will be Reuben’s main carers.


We feel the kindness of God to us through all of this – strangers who donate to charities, friends who share with us God’s bounty to them, cards to remind us that people are praying …our lives are loaded with benefits.