The Good, the Hard & the Beautiful: A Kairos Kind of Week

November 1, 2026

The Good

Our family took a quick trip to Austin to watch the UT vs. Ole Miss game. We got there early so we could enjoy all the festivities around the stadium. Lucas loved it. Carnival games, a Ferris wheel, a giant slide...he got to do it all. Damon won him a prize sinking a basketball in the hoop.

Then we were able to meet up with my sister, Toby, Mom, and Dad. It was my sister's birthday, so I got to squeeze in an extra hug before we all headed to our seats. And let's be honest, my seats were way better than theirs, so I was not volunteering to trade. (I already gave her a birthday present!) We snapped a family picture to mark the occasion, and it felt like a great start.

As we were walking into the stadium, I wasn't struck by the massive crowd. I was taken aback by the stairs. Stairs everywhere.

As a mom, my brain is always thinking three steps ahead. In that moment, I found myself feeling grateful for something I often take for granted: Lucas' ability to walk. The ability to climb those stadium stairs. The ability to stand behind his dad, holding onto his neck and cheering on Ole Miss. The ability to simply be a kid enjoying a football game.

And then I had to tell my brain what I tell it so often these days:

Stop it. Just enjoy the moment.

So I did.

And for a few hours, we enjoyed football, family, birthday hugs, and memories that had nothing to do with FSHD.

And honestly, those are the moments I'm learning to hold onto a little tighter.

The Hard

The bad this week? Nutrition.

I've been trying to add more nutritious foods into Lucas' diet to help maintain, grow, and repair the muscles he still has. Sounds simple enough, right? Just eat healthier.

Except changing a diet is hard.

Food can be as addictive as just about anything. People of every age, race, and background struggle with it. I mean, Lays chips literally built an advertising campaign around "you can't eat just one." They weren't wrong. If I could stop at one chip, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

With Lucas, it's even harder.

How do you explain to a 12-year-old boy with a learning disability and communication delays that the choices he makes today could impact the muscles he relies on tomorrow? Most kids his age don't have to think about whether too much sugar, too little protein, or poor nutrition might affect their ability to walk someday. They get to be kids. They eat what they want and move on with their day.

For years, I've given Lucas a lot of freedom with food. Oreo cookies for breakfast? Sure. Chocolate milk? No, let's be reasonable and go with white milk. A Dr Pepper with lunch? I mean, who doesn't love a Dr Pepper? Water is boring.

Looking back, I can see how my own food choices shaped his. Now those habits are coming back to haunt me a little.

The doctor was kind and realistic about it. She doesn't expect us to suddenly ban every treat or tell Lucas "no" all the time. He still deserves to be a kid. Her advice was simple: serve him balanced meals, focus on better choices, and make gradual changes.

That sounds great in theory.

It's a little harder when your pantry contains Oreos, a few overripe bananas, and what might be a month-old carrot hanging on for dear life in the back of the refrigerator. Of course, it would have to be dipped in ranch before we eat it!

So we're starting with baby steps.

Our first change has been replacing Pop-Tarts with a smoothie in the morning. The recipe was originally created by a nutritionist in the FSHD Society for her husband who has FSHD. She found it helped with recovery after difficult days and gave him a little more energy. The recipe was designed for an adult, so I did some research and adjusted it to be more kid-friendly for Lucas.

In the process, I've learned about ingredients I never imagined I'd have sitting on my kitchen counter.

Take Brazil nuts, for example. They're packed with selenium, which helps the body repair muscle damage. People with FSHD often have lower levels of selenium, which can make recovery even harder. The best part? One Brazil nut contains enough selenium to meet Lucas' daily requirement, so I toss one into his smoothie each morning. He'll never know.

Then there's purple corn powder. (Believe it or not, I finally found something Amazon doesn't seem to carry.)

And yes, I said purple corn powder. Apparently, this is who I am now. A person who spends her evenings researching corn colors on the internet.

I discovered that purple corn and blue corn aren't the same thing. Purple corn is known for helping fight inflammation, which can be a big deal when you're living with FSHD and your muscles are already working overtime. I don't expect miracles from a scoop of purple powder, but if it can give Lucas' body a little extra support, I'm willing to toss it in the blender and see what happens.

So that's been my challenge this week.

Not curing FSHD. Not finding the perfect diet. Just learning how to help Lucas make better food choices while still letting him be a kid.

Next week, I'm meeting with a nutritionist, and I'm hoping to find some healthier substitutions for some of the sugar-filled favorites we all enjoy. My goal isn't perfection. It's progress. Small changes that, over time, can benefit not just Lucas, but our whole family.

And if we're being honest, that's probably what makes this so hard. The changes Lucas needs aren't really Lucas' changes.

They're ours.

The Beautiful

This week's beautiful moment revolved around the word Kairos.

It first came up during a Bible study. Then I saw it on a billboard. And then, for the third time, it showed up in a magazine article. Three times in one week!

You know what Christians often associate the number three with... completeness. So after seeing the word Kairos for the third time this week, I figured God was making sure I didn't miss it. What better way to complete my Beautiful thread than to stop, reflect, and pay attention?

Kairos is an opportune moment in time when God is trying to teach us something. It's that moment when He gets our attention and invites us to slow down, reflect, and listen.

When we experience a Kairos, we're called to ask, "What is God trying to say to me?" Then we reflect through Scripture, pray, repent where needed, and respond. It's not enough to hear the lesson. We have to act on it. We have to trust God's Word enough to allow it to change us.

Every Kairos brings me a little closer to God, and honestly, that's my ultimate mission in this life.

So what was God teaching me this week? That's always the hardest lesson to hear: I need to change.

I mean, are we sure, God? Don't you mean my husband? Or someone else? Anybody else but me?!?

First, change can be good. (So He keeps telling me.)

Changing Lucas' diet feels overwhelming at times. It's easier to stick with what we know than embrace something new.

But God led me to Isaiah 43:18-19: "Forget the former things... see, I am doing a new thing."

My prayer became:

"God, forgive me for doubting the changes we need to make. Help me trust that with You, all things are possible."

Second, live in today's goodness.

As I reflected, God led me to Matthew 6:34: "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Ouch.

Because if I'm being honest, I spend a lot of time worrying about tomorrow. What FSHD will look like next year. What middle school will be like. What high school will be like. What challenges Lucas may face that I can't even see yet.

But that's not where God wants me living.

So my prayer became:

"God, forgive me for losing sight of the goodness I have today. Forgive me for not chasing my negative thoughts with reminders of the miracles only You can provide. Help me trust You with tomorrow and fully embrace the blessings You've already given me today."

And now comes the response.

When those worries about the future creep in, I need to intentionally stop and look for God's goodness in the present. The smile after a football game. A successful smoothie. A friend saying hello to Lucas at school. A family picture. Another day together.

That's my response. Choosing gratitude over fear. Choosing today's blessings over tomorrow's worries.

So off to my next Kairos.

Not because I've mastered this lesson, but because every Kairos brings me one step closer to God.

And that's ultimately where I want to go. Closer to Him, never farther away.

**On a side note, I swear I don't go looking for verses with 4s! But did you notice that both of the scriptures I was led to this week had 4s in them? If you read last week's blog, you already know about my lifelong connection to my "lucky" number 4. If not, go check it out!