"...You must decide what to do with the time you have left."

This morning, I watched the last hour or so of the movie "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." I do love Tolkien's trilogy. Although he said often that he did not intend to write an allegory, I still see evidences of his faith throughout the books.

At the end of the movie, Frodo stands at the banks of a river, knowing he has to keep traveling on in order to destroy the ring. He weeps silently as he considers the ring, and we hear his thoughts as he wishes he had never been given the task of carrying the ring, as it has brought him much sorrow. He then hears Gandalf's voice (and I am paraphrasing) saying that his wishing that he had never been given the ring is shared among "...those who see such times. You must decide what to do with the time you have left."

I felt like Frodo this morning. I wish we had never heard of Huntington's Disease. I wish we did not have to watch as our son is slowly taken from us by bits and pieces. This is the road we have been given to travel - life seldom give us a choice of destinations. We have to decide what to do with the time we have left.

One foot in front of the other. Pray for strength to live in the moment. Enjoy the good times. Endure the difficult times. Connect with families who are walking with us on this journey. Let our friends in on the diagnosis. Allow others to pray for us and comfort where they can.

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