Kate took this picture with my mom and in that moment I realized how different drop off could have been for Kate.

Many of you know my mom was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer two years before I was diagnosed with ACC. In this moment, I thought about how grateful I was we got to be there with her to do this all together, and how the day would have been so different for Kate had my mom and I not been here.

I am sharing this to shine a light on a beneath the surface reality for many cancer survivors. Moments that you get to be doing things, like college drop-off, are moments you prayed to be present for. And there is an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for the gift of healing and more time beside our loved ones.

In the same breath, I know this isn’t everyone’s story. And my heart is with those parents who no longer have a child to drop off, and with the students whose parent is no longer with us.

I share this today to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we open our eyes to these two beneath the surface realities. Let’s give thanks for those who are present and able to share these change of season moments with their loved ones. And may we also be mindful of, and pray for, those who are changing seasons without loved ones.

By looking beneath the surface, may we gain a deeper perspective of who and what really matter in these moments, like Kate did in this moment with my Mom.

With love and hope,
Shawn