"But it's the last cycle..."

Shuffleboard at the Greenbrier

Yes, it's the last chemo cycle!  And yes, we are excited about this.  And yes, we had a great get away at the Greenbrier.  But when family & friends remind us of this, it's hard to be overly enthusiastic.  These chemo weeks are still tough! Andrew has started his "blah" feeling where it's hard to muster energy to eat. And the chemo pack's incessant motor noise gets really annoying after a few days.
I'm reminded of how the last leg of the journey can feel like the longest.  Think, "Mom, are we there yet??" For me (CJ), the last 100m of the Mt. Kilimanjaro assent was the longest, hardest hike I've ever done.  Feeling the altitude at 19,000ft, I needed all the encouragement my climbing buddies (my fabulous sister-in-law Karen and our Dutch friend Margot) could offer.  I was the "bush" between these two "trees" (each 6ft tall) and their strides dwarfed mine.  My eyes were focused solely on my boots, taking one small step at a time.  It was Margot who finally got me to look up and notice we were practically there at the summit!  
I know we should look up from our boots and see the finish line ahead.  One step at a time we're getting there  - even as I'm not quite able to look up yet.