“Sometimes all we need to do is breathe.” (Cindee Snider Re)
FIVE MINUTES AT A TIME
To the Mama whose child is newly diagnosed,
To the Mama who is sleeping in her child’s hospital room,
To the Mama balancing appointments, laundry, school, dinner, and medications,
To the Mama wondering how what the future looks like if it never gets better or easier this side of heaven,
To the Mama who is unable to comfort her child today …
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
To the Mama whose marriage is crumbling under the weight of illness, trauma, and pain,
To the Mama helping her teen navigate friendships and dating—how much to share and when), how to manage medications and “safe” foods at activities or retreats,
To the Mama who knows the effort it took for her child to suit up and stand on that court, field, rink, or track, to watch her child give whatever they’ve got because they refused to let their team down,
To the Mama who watches her young adult grow weaker, sicker, and thinner,
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
To the Mama who is clinging to hope as her child battles an eating disorder, addiction, or self-harm (desperate to escape illness and pain),
To the Mama who is buried under a mountain of medical debt,
To the Mama whose child will never drive a car or graduate or marry or hold a job,
To the Mama of every precious child with chronic illness, mental illness, chronic pain, or trauma,
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
For so many years, I longed for someone who understood, someone who could honestly say, “You will survive this.”
What I’ve learned, weary Mamas, is that we can do anything five minutes at a time.
So tie that shoe, hug that child, steep that tea, or let the tears flow. Then take a deep breath and pray, “Show me, Lord … just enough for the very next step.”
Five minutes at a time, we can celebrate a catnap or a kind cashier, savor the scent of fresh bread, or clean hair.
Five minutes at a time, we can flush a PICC line, rock a hurting child, boil pasta, fold laundry, or step into the sunshine.
FIVE MINUTES AT A TIME, WE CAN DO ANYTHING.
Our journeys may differ, but the emotions are the same: sadness, loneliness, confusion, isolation, anger, overwhelm, or even numbness.
I’ve clung to the fragile threads of hope praying and leaning hard into God. My patience has grown through decades of well-meant but often painful advice. My compassion has deepened as I’ve realized that others rarely understand what they haven’t experienced. Navigating the medical world has taught me to speak its language. I’ve also experienced marriage at breaking point. I’m stronger and more resilient than I was two decades ago. And I’ve learned that the most beautiful moments often inexplicably rise from the darkest. Most importantly,
Mamas, this moment is the gift. Life can change in a heartbeat.
We can do anything five minutes at a time. You are not alone. And you will survive this.
Cindee Snider Re
Author, Designer, and Co-Founder of Chronic Joy®
Cindee is married to the man she loves most in this world, Mom to five adult kids plus a son- and daughter-in-love, and Lolli to an adorable grandbaby. She and four of her kids have Ehlers-Danlos and myriad co-existing conditions. While a life steeped in illness is not what she would have chosen, through it, she’s learning that the deeper the valley, the greater her capacity for joy.
Cindee is the author of Discovering Hope, Finding Purpose, Embracing Worth, and I Take You in Sickness and in Health.
One Minute Prayers for Parents
Just as God breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7), He breathed it into His Word (2 Timothy 3:16). The ancient rhythm of breathing that began in the Garden of Eden is repeated at least a dozen times a minute every day of our lives.
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