Fly A Little Higher Blog Tour

If you've been a reader for at least a year, you'll undoubtedly remember my Invincible post from last May that featured Zach Sobiech, a young man who was courageously facing and publicly sharing his journey as he battled cancer.

We laughed with him and cried with him as he sang his beautiful ballad, Clouds, which has now touched the hearts of over 10 million people worldwide.

Today's post is part of the Fly a Little Higher Blog Tour to raise awareness 
and give hope to those with cancer. 

To learn more and join us, click {here}.

As such,  we were asked to reflect on one of a few different prompts, and I've chosen to share how a song has helped me through a difficult time.

As many of you know, I've spent the last fifteen months in recovery from a scary, life-threatening head-on collision. One of the big challenges for me was getting over the hurdle that it happened at the hand of a driver under the influence, which labeled me a crime victim of an intoxication assault. It was really hard to reconcile that the fear, emptiness and anxiety I was living with came from 
something so senseless.
Something avoidable. 
Something preventable. 
Something criminal.

I was broken and bruised, literally and figuratively. I had to slow down by necessity. It was clear that I had some work to do, as many of the injuries were physical. I had to work to bend my knee again. And I learned perseverance. I had to teach my ankle to rotate again. I learned to push through pain. 
I had to rebuild the muscles in my wrist. 
And I learned never to take a wrist rotation or grip strength 
for granted again.

For three months, my friends were on hand to give me rides to countless doctor appointments. And I learned dependence, gratitude, and humility.

The injuries were also emotional. Those are trickier, because you can't see them. I had to resign to leave the school year early and I learned first hand about the importance of self-care. I had to attend trauma therapy and I learned to call on my therapeutic resources. When that wasn't enough, my doctor decided I should try medicine to help me manage the hyper-vigilance, panic, and anxiety,
all symptoms of post-traumatic stress. 
And I learned to swallow my pride along with that pill.
I'd been forced to take off my rose-colored glasses, 
but I wasn't willing to let go of my joy. 

And I learned to lean on my Lord. Because through it all, He carried me. And then He sent me a Stephen Curtis Chapman song through my friend Carol. She'd gotten tickets to his Glorious Unfolding concert for her birthday, and she took me along. I just love how God uses people like that to do His work. 
Anyway, the lyrics pierced my heart. 

Lay your head down tonight,

Take a rest from the fight.

Don't try to figure it out ...

Just listen to what I'm whispering to your heart.
'Cause I know this is not
anything like you thought
the story of your life was gonna be.
And it feels like the end
has started closing in on you,
but it's just not true.
There's so much of the story
that's still yet to unfold.

I've listened to that song over and over since I first heard it live last September and it truly helped me turn a corner in my healing.

As she's traveled through her unimaginable grief, Zach's mom Laura has written this inspirational account - Fly A Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom's Small Prayer in a BIG Way. The pain of his death at such a young age must be unbearable. And yet, she's found a way to give God the glory ... 
and fly just a little higher.
 Because of her son and his legacy, 
for herself and her family. 
Grab your copy {here}.

Click the graphic to watch the book's trailer.

Thank you, Laura, for sharing your son's story with us and for this opportunity to share a song that has moved me in ways I never thought possible. I hope that you, too, can draw strength from the message behind The Glorious Unfolding.