One of the things that has blown me away as I have been going through all of these cancer and health adventures, have been the amount of people who are willing to drop everything and come out and spend time with us and help us. One of these amazing people is my cousin Wendy. My mom and her dad are first cousins, and have more of a brother/sister relationship, but even with that, I had only had the chance to spend time with Wendy in person a handful of times in my life. That said, we got together a couple years ago and it was wonderful, and have kept touch through social media and things.

Well, Not only is Wendy my cousin, but she is an RN, and she helped care for her mother when she had the same lung cancer that I have (although Deanna’s was caught later and much more sever). So she arrived on Monday night with her sweet boys, Simeon and Isaiah.

Having Wendy and her boys visit this week was the most amazing gift . Not only was she amazingly helpful and caring, but our long talks, watching chick flicks, and so many other things were a balm to my soul. We had the best time together, and I don’t think we could ever run out of things to talks about.

She also got to take her boys, along with Lily, down to see and tour the Alamo. They also got to explore the River Walk together, and they met up with Wendy’s aunt for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. So much fun!

Arthur was in heaven having Simeon and Isaiah to play with – even if he had to wait until he got home from school to do it. They played in the swimspa a bunch, with they loved.

And they would play with all the Legos and games – and have all the fun. Actually, Derek and Lily had a blast with the boys too. Wendy would do some homeschool with them each day, but then they were fabulous about entertaining themselves while she spent time with me and took care of me.

They really provided all three of my kids with a fabulous and fun distraction from the craziness that is our life right now. And the boys would play on the playground at the park while Wendy and I went on my daily walks. Although Kevin had to take them back one evening with Arthur, since he was always at school when we would go. They had such a blast.

Wendy and her boys fit in perfectly with our family, and everyone was super sad to say goodbye this morning as they left for home in South Carolina . The boys even got up extra early so that they could spend time with Arthur before he headed to school.

And then we all said our goodbyes before they hit the road for their two day drive home. The boys were already talking about when they can visit next. So sweet!!

Moments like these are the miracles and special blessings that are mixed in amongst all the hard.