Paper Cranes

Paper Cranes are a symbol of courage, hope, and peace. There is a Japanese proverb that says if you make 1000 Paper Cranes your wish will come true. This was used a lot with people diagnosed with Leukemia after Hiroshima.

When my grandma was first diagnosed with Leukemia, my sisters and I all worked to fold her 1,000 paper cranes hoping they would provide her with hope and strength. When she died, we were able to bury some of the cranes with her. Paper Cranes have since been a very special symbol in our family.

We just finished folding another 1,000 Paper Cranes to offer hope and courage my DH's mom who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She was put in the hospital about 4 weeks ago to undergo Chemotherapy and has been doing pretty good so far. In the middle of her hospital stay we took 250 of the cranes and hung them in her room while she was out for the day.

This past weekend she was able to come home from the hospital between Chemo cycles. We took the opportunity to sneak into their house and hang all 1,000 cranes before she got home.

It is so neat to be able to re-create an experience that touched my life so much the first time. It makes me feel so close to my Grandma. I know she is happy to know that someone else will find comfort and joy in these special Cranes. I hope these Cranes help make my DH's mom feel just a little bit better and help her to feel of our love.

I wish I could share this same gift to all of you who are struggling just like I am in the long hard journey to building our families! If you see a paper crane I hope you can feel its power of hope and love and comfort!