Worry --Joy

5:00 AM - I woke up overwhelmed with worry. I couldn't go back to sleep. 
5:30 AM - After 30 minutes of talking to God and repeating scripture in my head, I snuggled up to Jason and just cried, then we prayed together. 
6:00 AM- I decided to just simply ask for prayer on FB and twitter. 

Wednesdays are always big days for us. It use to be every Wednesday. Now it's just a few Wednesdays a month. They DO become routine in our minds, but actually going through them is a different story. I mentally start preparing the day before which makes it hard to concentrate on anything else.

There's nothing routine about your child having to have chemo, a lumbar puncture, or stay in a clinic for most of the day. 

I DO worry about a multitude of things, but usually only for a millisecond until I redirect my thought process. 

This morning was different. I knew last night that anxieties were high around our house. They always are when Jace goes in for a big day, even in maintenance. My instinct was to let Avery miss school and go with us. I had no idea why. 

This morning was different. I don't wake up often with such heavy worry surrounding me, but it was engulfing me so that I woke up because of it. 

SO I stopped and sent out this specific prayer request:

Specific prayer for Jason & I today: for the worries we have (finances, girls, jobs, this day with Jace) to be overtaken by complete faith and trust. This struggle is real and I have no doubt we are being molded for something else, but YOUR prayers and HIS grace sustain us and hold us up. #gratitude

By 6:30, I began feeling better and feeling like I could get up and tackle whatever was in store. We did let Avery miss school and go with us. She has a spirit that calms Jace and makes him do things with more ease - like putting on numbing cream on the places that will be "poked" or going back to the "sleepy room." She is such a warrior herself because the things we did today, however "routine," are still difficult to just watch from the sidelines. She learned what a lumbar puncture is and why we do them and how cancer cells like to "hide" out around the spinal cord. 

That alone could keep me in a place of worry.

BUT

Just like He always has, God took our worries and transformed them into JOY. 

A great friend dropped off lunch for us after her bible study. 

We got to see our Children's Legacy family - ALL of them: nurses, drs, families, patients!

We laughed A LOT today. 

We had some divine appointments that we know God had all planned out. 

We had Operation Love bags delivered to Dallas today! 

We were contacted by some amazing people for some small, yet amazing opportunities. 

Those opportunities are just reminders to us that God has a MUCH bigger plan for us than we have for ourselves. 

MANY, MANY of you are praying for us and lifting our family up. 

We decided to try to start a BIG movement called #yellowWednesdays for #childhoodcancerawareness. (we hope you will join us to support all the families affected!)

Pete Delkus and John McCaa  (WFAA8) RT our tweet about #yellowWednesdays! 

We had a carpet picnic dinner and watched The Middle (our favorite family show). 

Pete Delkus briefly talked about Jace and our family during the 5 pm news on WFAA. (we missed it) 

We heard that the last line of that broadcast was "NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!" 

This morning I woke up with overwhelming worry. 

Tonight, I sign off and go to bed with overwhelming joy.

Friends supporting Super Jace!
(including Jody Dean, Pete Delkus, John McCaa)

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Happy

That smile = HAPPY. 

In honor of International Happiness Day and the beginning of SPRING, we decided to blog a little HAPPY for YOU! :) 

This week has been a good one! Jace is feeling good. His counts are as "high as a rainbow." (his words) We have some great things to look forward to in the future. 

We may not have told you, but Jace was selected as the Honorary Hero for the Silver Dollar at the Ranch event. This event benefits pediatric cancer initiatives. Jace was selected back in November, but most of the events will take place in May. 

We are looking forward to a little baseball game and the event in May and the possibility of joining our Silver Dollar friends possibly on a local morning show. :) 

Here's the ad that will show in the Frisco Style magazine soon. If you'd like to join us and purchase tickets, please visit: www.silverdollarattheranch.com

We also have had a few articles out in the newspapers. In October, someone contacted us about doing a story on how our hometown has embraced Super Jace during his long road with leukemia. The "Forever Changed" is found below. 

October Article: 
Forever Changed 

Then, recently, we were contacted again. We weren't sure which direction they would take our story, but we were so pleased with the "Paying it Forward" article below. They chose to spotlight our work on Operation Love. You can find out more about this at the top of this page. Click on the Operation Love tab. We are hoping to continue to grow and be able to help caregivers a little at a time. 
Surprisingly, today during our clinic visit, we realized that our story was NOT just in our local paper, but ALSO in the Plano paper! Our nurses were so proud! They had a copy and want to frame and hang it! (We love them JUST as much as they were part inspirations for our idea!) 
The most recent article can be found below.

March Article: 
Paying it Forward 


Jace Poncio Benefit
Last month, a group of amazing students and teachers put together a benefit concert, silent auction and meal for us. It was such an amazing night of talent. And, though, we had to leave just a tad earlier than we expected due to a fever and ER visit, we were so incredibly thankful and humbled by the people that were present. A big thank you to all involved with putting the event together. 

And last, but not least, this weekend we will be celebrating a birthday. Birthdays are always fun, but around here we do our best to make them as special as the person celebrating! (More on that later!) 

Big love & gratitude during your first spring weekend! 

Finding the Normal

The last few weeks have been a lot of "finding our new normal." It's definitely not easy. I have written about our journey the past year with Jace, mostly, on his CaringBridge. (You can always visit there if you're scrapped for reading material. HA!) 

Now, we don't have much to write about day to day with his treatment. Now, we go from living at the clinic and hospital to being home and doing our normal "stuff." 

Cancer and treatment has been a big part of our last year, but the normal stuff keeps us grounded and balanced! 

So, here's what we've been up to: 

Jace and the girls are back to school after a WONDERFUL holiday. He's been doing a GREAT job lately with just all the normal stuff. Here he is this week showing off his new car aka prize! 

Did you need a daily dose of CUTE SMILE?! 

Jason and I have been doing a fast with our church called the Daniel Fast. It's, basically, no meat, no bread, no sugar, nothing processed...Just fruits, veggies, whole grains, and water! 
Last year at this time we were in the middle of our fast when Jace was diagnosed. I, firmly, believe that our time of fasting and prayer were instrumental in our ability to be so focused on our faith and the firm foundation to get us through those first few months of leukemia. As hard as it is for me to give up chicken, we always  always  reap the rewards from not giving into our need for instant gratification. 

Since we CAN have popcorn and we eat a LOT of popcorn anyway, I decided we needed to invest in a little popcorn popper. So for about $25 we now enjoy GIANT bowls of popcorn at least twice a day. :) Jace loves watching it shoot into the bowl. I bought this one.













We've also been watching a lot of movies. The crazy weather makes us all just want to curl up on the couch with a warm blanket and a good movie. One movie I've seen lately and LOVE is August: Osage County. So, this family is dsyFUNctional, for sure. And many of the scenes hit me to my core because it's like watching my own life on the big screen. I love how this movie captures the real-ness and messiness of life. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are my top pics for an Oscar. Not everyone will love this movie, but I so identify with it and just think the acting is incredible. Note: I do not say that often. :)  

On the side, Jason and I sell a couple of great products. What you should know is that I DO NOT like product pushing at all. If I believe in a product, I will definitely tell someone about it. :) 

Since the beginning of time I've been obsessed with mascara and long lashes. I think as I get older my lashes are set on getting shorter. I found this great product called Younique 3D Fiber Lashes.  It's about $32 and typically lasts 3 months. It WORKS! :) 

Jason is part of a new company called ID Life. They have a line of products for energy, sleep, weight loss, and individualized nutrition. They just launched this week and we were able to go to the launch meeting with many of the founding members. We are both super excited to try the products and tell you how they are helping us. We are ALWAYS in need of energy, sleep products and we also drink a lot of protein shakes, especially when we fast. You can click the link above and take a FREE assessment. The assessment gives you results on which vitamins you need to take when and WHY. (aren't we also like 3 year olds? We always want to know the WHY!)  Then, they package your vitamins accordingly and ship with YOUR name on them! :) We should have products for sampling soon! 

Lastly, in our "free time" you know we are working on our #OPERATIONLOVE project. The past 2 weeks CMS has been collecting donations for us. We will meet with a group this weekend to put the bags together for our next drop off on January 30! We are so excited at how this service project has taken off! We hope to keep the momentum going throughout the year. If you want to donate items, you can always check out our OPERATION LOVE PAGE for details on how YOU can help! 

Remember, the smallest acts make the BIGGEST impact! :) 

So, that's about it! School, work, work, work we love, more work we love, and slowly finding the new normal for our family! :) 

I've always been a fan of normal, but now I DEFINITELY savor the normal (that includes all the MESSY parts of family life, too!) 

xoxo

37 Gifts

*If you're looking for Operation Love, the blog, item list and details are found here. 

Today, 37 years ago I became a part of this world. I was born with no idea who my family was, but I had a PROMISE bigger than I even knew. 

Our circumstances DO NOT have to be our future. 

Two years ago, I asked you to donate to an adoption organization. (Yes, I had another blog before OTWG. So, if you're bored you can read blogs, there, too.) 

Last year, I asked you to join me in 36 Random Acts of Kindness and I had, hands-down, THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! You can read about it and see photos here.

Today, in lieu of getting anything for myself, instead of the 100 Facebook messages or texts, I, again, challenge YOU. 

Instead of doing that, do THIS: 

Give. 

Use your time and energy doing something for someone else. Open the door an extra minute. Pay for someone's food in the fast food or coffee line. Surprise someone with a text message or email. If for no other reason, do it for me, for my birthday. :) Let the celebration be about GIVING. 

Your giving doesn't have to be BIG to make a HUGE impact.

Today, I will be seeing a tiny idea and dream come to fruition. Operation Love was born months ago after our own family learned what childhood cancer TRIES to do to families. This project has been tweaked, thought out and discussed with so many, including those that inspired the idea, those that listened every time I talked about it, those that shared ideas of how to help, those that donated items, those that allowed me to speak to groups about our mission, those that are in the same boat we are, those that wanted to help but didn't know how... 

Today, I will make a delivery of 37+ "gratitude bags" to Children's Medical Center in Dallas. (You can check Instagram for photos!) Today, someone will receive YOUR donations. 

Today, someone will know they are NOT alone. 

Last year at 36, I had no idea what the future held nor how it would test our faith, but THIS year I say WATCH me spread the same love, hope and life into others that has been given to me. 

Here's to another year of changing the world!

Operation Love

Jason and I are proud to introduce a new project we've been working on for a while. After being caregivers to #SuperJace the past few months as he went through intense chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), we realized there wasn't a lot of support for the caregivers (or siblings). After an amazing experience at Camp John Marc and several months of discussion with our clinic nurses, it was evident that caregivers NEED someone speaking love, life, and hope into their days. Especially into their days. The job is, frankly, more exhausting than you can even imagine. Just when you think you might get a break, typically, things just get more difficult or so it seems in the moment. 

Jason and I have been so incredibly blessed to have so many people around us from work, church and the community to speak life and victory into our days, especially on the hardest of days. We know not everyone has that support and we want to pay it all forward. Our vision for now is to help those affected by childhood cancer, but this past week God revealed that so many caregivers need this. 

I was able to speak with a local Youth Leadership Team and a women's church group, recently. Both have graciously agreed to help us launch our project. We are SO thankful to them! Also, A big thank you to everyone who helped plan this project while we were still in the middle of intense treatment. And to Josh, who continues to help us with his graphical design talent. :)

We are calling it "Operation Love" 

Mission:

On the Wings of Gratitude’s  (www.onthewingsofgratitude.com) mission is to make life easier and more comfortable for families of childhood cancer, to love on families, & speak life, hope and love into their lives. After going through a leukemia diagnosis with our own son, Jace, we realized that their was very little support for the families and siblings during our journey. We also saw a need for continued support outside of the hospital and clinic. With the help of the community, school organizations, church groups, and individual donations, we can empower the families with hope, gratitude, and affirmation that they are not alone in their journey.  

What is it?

Chemo Care Kits and Gratitude Bags give people a tangible way to help families affected by childhood cancer and helps to bring awareness of a growing need to not only support the kids, but their families and siblings. The impact of families is much deeper than the cancer, chemo and hospital stays. Items do not have to be expensive to have a great impact.

Here is an example of the postcard we will put in the bags/baskets: 

How can YOU help?

Drop off locations will be created so items can be dropped off.

With the help of volunteers, items will be organized in a chemo care kit for families on both Dallas/Legacy Campuses of Children’s Medical Center.

Other items will be organized in smaller “Gratitude Bags” for the families who attend out-patient treatment on both Dallas/Legacy Campuses of Children’s Medical Center.

Item List (You can donate 1 single item or multiple items.)

*Please ensure items are new and packaged. Devices or other expensive items can be donated directly to Tisha or Jason for cleaning or safe keeping before delivery. )

1. Purple tissue paper (any shade) for bags
2. Purple gift bags (any size)
3. Clear or Brown gift bags (any size)
4. Rolls of quarters
5. Travel size laundry soap
6. Laundry bag
7. Travel size shampoo & conditioner
8. Travel size toothpaste, toothbrush, & mouthwash
9. Travel size deodorant
10. Chap stick
11. Socks for men or women ( or kids)
12. Men and/or women razors
13. Nail Clippers, nail file, nail polish remover
14. Q tips
15. Cotton balls
16. Ponytail holders
17. Socks or slippers
18. Blankets
19. Water bottles (small)
20. Granola bars
21. Fruit snacks
22. Chips
23. Popcorn
24. Candy
25. Hot chocolate packets with a mug
26. Instant items for microwave cooking
27. Travel speakers or headphones
28. Thank you cards & pens/markers
29. Envelopes & stamps
30. Packs of paper, stationary or construction paper
31. Scotch tape
32. Food gift cards, iTunes gift cards, VISA gift cards for gas/toll expenses/parking
33. Any extra used IPads/IPhone chargers
34. DVDs
35. Older iphone, ipad, or ipod devices that can be reset for patient/family use
    
    

When and Where? 

Current Drop Off Locations/Dates:

• December Drop Off - TBD
• January Drop Off - TBD
• Mailed-In Donations PO Box 6, Celina, Texas 75009

*1st target delivery date is December 5.

*Additional drop off locations will be announced when they become available.

**All advertising for this project needs to be pre-approved by Tisha & Jason Poncio.

For inquiry on advertising, kit contents, or speaking engagements, please contact onthewingsofgratitude@gmail.com.

"The smallest acts of kindness and love can have a giant impact."

Jason and I want to thank you all in advance for your donations. We know that many families will be blessed to know they are not alone and are thought of and prayed for even if they didn't realize it!

So, as you're stocking up on Thanksgiving items, food drive items, or even stocking stuffers, throw in a few of the items listed above and help us love on others!

Big love and gratitude,