tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84766088560627708932024-03-05T21:49:42.814-08:00The Memorable MundaneDonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-48960091938918941152016-07-22T12:21:00.000-07:002016-07-22T12:21:32.556-07:00Fodder, Fodder, Everywhere and Not a Stop to Think<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It never ends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Talking heads, pundits, bloggers, social
media friends, picketers, neighbors . . . they all seem to have something to
say about everything. The desire to join in the discussion and make our
thoughts known builds and convinces us that we have to add to the noise, that
we too must say something, about everything. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whether it’s division about building
walls, about racial inequality, about lifestyle choices and rights based on
those choices, about which candidate’s history makes him or her a worse
candidate for an office, about candidates calling each other names or endorsing
each other, we start to think we must take a side publicly, right now . . . to
spout out something pithy, to post a cutting meme, to share a sarcastic blog post
that gets a point across in a crafty, clever-sounding, (and usually insulting)
way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It all makes my head spin. Sometimes I want to join in, but mostly I want to drown it out and just
drive my son around to find Pokemon, but then I’m afraid I might miss something
. . . something I should have an opinion about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But what would I be missing, really? Mostly a collection of
ignorance . . . people yelling at and insulting each other to . . . try to win
the other one over? Hmmm . . . Really? How in the world do they think that is
going to work? The only ones who read and argue back are the ones who are
looking for a fight. And they’re not going to listen, because they’re yelling
about their own side, convinced they’re going to win the wayward opponent to
the right side, too . . . I guess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Reminds me of Proverbs 18:2: “A fool takes no pleasure in
understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I’m pondering my deep desire to turn it all off before I too
get sucked into the futility and start spouting off (like I really, really want
to), I am also considering the value of responding. What are we to do? If we
care, how can we stand back and say nothing? So we add to the noise and think
we’re helping the cause of whatever righteousness we’re fighting for when we
make some quick, clever comeback. But is that pithy response really going to
change someone’s conviction? Seriously, who in the world is reading the 735<sup>th</sup>
reply to the 63<sup>rd</sup> comment on a post about a candidate’s stance on
gluten-free food for the military anyhow . . . well, other than me, and if someone
IS reading it, is THAT comment finally going to be the one to change that
person’s mind? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Reminds me of Proverbs 29:11: “A fool gives full vent to his
spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m not saying we should be absent from the conversation. It
just seems to me that we all need to push away the opinion megaphones that are
screaming in our ears and <b>think for
ourselves first </b>. . . especially before we pick up our own megaphone to start
screaming at others! But how can we possibly have our own thoughts if we don’t
bother stopping to consider both sides, with open minds and open hearts? If we
stop to listen, both sides usually have some valid points. But we have to WANT
to hear them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Reminds me of Proverbs 18:17: “The one who states his case
first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am persuaded the endless streams of opinions that are
flooding our lives are indicative of our deep desire to be heard. But is what
we are saying adding value or are we just joining in the hot air that is
blowing across our nation (maybe the real reason for global warming? . . . not
that I’m affirming or denying global warming :-/), adding more ignorance as we
guffaw with the other scoffers at the idiocy of the people who think
differently than we do? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maybe we should more carefully consider the end goal. Are we trying to persuade in a thoughtful and winsome way to encourage understanding
and growth of others <i>as well as</i> understanding
and growth in ourselves, or do we just want to be victorious? If it is the
latter, our words are wasted, provoking others, solidifying in their minds how wrong and foolish we are, and only hinder the
cause we so desperately want to defend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Reminds me of Proverbs 15:1: “A soft answer turns away
wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I pray our nation (and Christ-followers specifically) will become
more thoughtful before responding to each other in a way that continues
division among us. May we all strive to stop and think before we spew more
fodder for others to exploit.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-30760224086053550462016-07-15T13:16:00.000-07:002016-07-15T13:16:14.579-07:00Why I Did It<div class="MsoNormal">
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I did it for love.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I did it to inspire.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I did it because I was afraid.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sounds very dramatic, doesn’t it? It might be disappointing
to realize I’m just talking about going on a trip with my daughter, but that’s
it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZFXiV4WsSK0FSazN1daSK8hqnu_1Wbf5tv7sHTJpysxedi3lpSWW8F1lcCtn9MwOg5t39keyd_ALk3h62AyQO6t8zV8LJNFaX-nRAuyz_wJeBLs_CAdyeFyb8NyTlRODBXeWDsLI8yMd/s1600/Boston+Pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZFXiV4WsSK0FSazN1daSK8hqnu_1Wbf5tv7sHTJpysxedi3lpSWW8F1lcCtn9MwOg5t39keyd_ALk3h62AyQO6t8zV8LJNFaX-nRAuyz_wJeBLs_CAdyeFyb8NyTlRODBXeWDsLI8yMd/s320/Boston+Pic.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We embarked on a 1500-mile girls’ drive up the east coast to tour 13
colleges in 13 days. Some initial reactions I received were shock at the cost
or shock at the fact that two women were doing this alone or questioning as to
whether it was a good idea to give my daughter encouragement to move away. Some
even did their own self-questioning, as if they were somehow short-changing
their children because they didn’t do the same. That surprised me. I wasn’t
doing this to make a statement to anyone other than my daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I once heard a pastor ask a church to think of one time they
felt really loved. I tended to think of showing love in terms of a consistent
self-sacrificing devotion to someone, until that moment. Don’t get me wrong . .
. I still think that. But in that moment, as he knew we would, we all thought
of something that someone did or said that was above-and-beyond, or at least
outside the ordinary. I’m not saying that the normal routine self-sacrifice of
devotion to another isn’t the most loving thing you can do, but is that what
stands out to the ones you want to show love to? That illustration stuck with
me. So, I did it for love . . . to show her I love her enough to plan for
months and to stop everything else for only her for two weeks. I hope she felt
loved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also never even considered thinking outside the box when
it was time for me to go to college. I went to the most reasonable option at
the time, one that was close to home and wasn’t too expensive. Selfishly, I kind
of hope she chooses a college with some of those same criteria. But more than
that, I wanted to let her explore her dreams of moving to a big city and doing
something completely crazy and out of the ordinary. I want her to dream and
believe that she can achieve those dreams and not be caged in by the expected. I
know it’s not the most practical, but I hope she was inspired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ultimately, I think I did it because I was afraid. Surviving
cancer will certainly change your perspective. No longer do you coast through
life assuming you’ll live to a ripe, old age. You are well aware of your
mortality, that you cannot take one day for granted. Each day is a gift. I
often think of the song, “Live Like You Were Dying,” by Tim McGraw. So far, it
has not inspired me to go skydiving, but every time I hear it, I am reminded
that I have been given bonus time that many others have not been given. It
makes me afraid . . . that I will squander that time, that my bonus time could
still run out (as could everyone’s), and that those I love won’t have as many
special memories of us together as we could have had. So many fears can creep
in, but ultimately, I am far more afraid of missing out on the life I’ve been
given in the present than the life I don’t know if I’ve been given in the
future. So, fear drove me to make memories <b><i>now</i></b>, not later, not when it's practical, not when it's safe. In the end, those memories are all our
family and friends will have of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In light of the almost constant tragic news bombarding us on
the airwaves, I hope we will all be driven to show those most important
to us an extra dose of love, to inspire them to pursue dreams, and to let
whatever fears we have drive us to DO, rather than NOT do. I have others in my
life I’d like to show an extraordinary love to and to inspire. I hope my fear
will drive me to continue making what could be mundane a lot more memorable!
Will you join me?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-85990621766368099232016-05-18T09:25:00.000-07:002016-05-18T09:25:04.699-07:00Savannah at The Greenhouse<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am so thankful for the heart Savannah and her friends have to share God's love with others. </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Several girls from our church organized and led an event they called <i>The Greenhouse</i>, for middle- and high-school girls this past Saturday. The theme was "Beloved," and each of the four speakers shared about different aspects of love. Savannah got to share about God's amazing love for us. I hope it encourages you, as it did me!</span><div>
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Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-10169078626150725212016-05-12T08:42:00.001-07:002016-05-12T08:42:57.570-07:00My Year . . . in Hair<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been a while since I've updated, so I decided it was time. I hope you enjoy:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Looking Back on My Year . . . in Hair</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(as told by random celebrity pictures):</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spring 2015:</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before Chemo . . . It looked JUST like this, I'm sure of it! :-/ (...with a little less facial hair, of course.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h5OZFHfEme7aOCpPSebXT93xZLGHXCD1eJc_7ssFNsd7Wmd8-7EzBx4HhSnseYFC6YEd6Qzh2TTBZAWQ0iGx-mwBLr-d8jhss5mnsFKO6Pwc8IYF0lDeK4F9oLj5GbwyJc1M8KVfb3VK/s1600/Thor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h5OZFHfEme7aOCpPSebXT93xZLGHXCD1eJc_7ssFNsd7Wmd8-7EzBx4HhSnseYFC6YEd6Qzh2TTBZAWQ0iGx-mwBLr-d8jhss5mnsFKO6Pwc8IYF0lDeK4F9oLj5GbwyJc1M8KVfb3VK/s320/Thor.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After Chemo Began . . . not quite as full-bodied.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2dDUYWb1smkH2bBDDxad9CFV2HdnV4dyFIc_S6nKjsDO9SCBj8zytO04KT7Iu1WqkltpZb2AlWAk33k4FUaZbjZAxCIjlkFKdO_2QC0Tn2LwlZcAeQZ0C9xLRsaHio8O4_1ZjgLsabCU/s1600/Smeagol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2dDUYWb1smkH2bBDDxad9CFV2HdnV4dyFIc_S6nKjsDO9SCBj8zytO04KT7Iu1WqkltpZb2AlWAk33k4FUaZbjZAxCIjlkFKdO_2QC0Tn2LwlZcAeQZ0C9xLRsaHio8O4_1ZjgLsabCU/s1600/Smeagol.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Summer of 2015:</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Too hot for my wigs, so I went with this look at home . . .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdcIKOZo0baUKN4EHjBS4Kgcs_-wVzKuT3GMWBGEI8HDta7LI7gi4VUI_ZWCveC_DBKCAUjp_uLtrDk3mLR7oThmba7U35dZO7ZBvQYGPpZ0PPPvv-6QHCwL7mDGLfNw8MfxHuu_PChkQ/s1600/Funny+Bald+Guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdcIKOZo0baUKN4EHjBS4Kgcs_-wVzKuT3GMWBGEI8HDta7LI7gi4VUI_ZWCveC_DBKCAUjp_uLtrDk3mLR7oThmba7U35dZO7ZBvQYGPpZ0PPPvv-6QHCwL7mDGLfNw8MfxHuu_PChkQ/s1600/Funny+Bald+Guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdcIKOZo0baUKN4EHjBS4Kgcs_-wVzKuT3GMWBGEI8HDta7LI7gi4VUI_ZWCveC_DBKCAUjp_uLtrDk3mLR7oThmba7U35dZO7ZBvQYGPpZ0PPPvv-6QHCwL7mDGLfNw8MfxHuu_PChkQ/s320/Funny+Bald+Guy.jpg" width="289" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this look when I went out.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7ZIufMARmvdIErGY_1Z5MHuaovH8a1uqgmDrfNdS8I7FNr4XJvFq-nrtKYcKPYbqZ1cAzde7xQi_rAWUWqC1h93IkRrcI8HqFtfcln__mPYeCNxrv3E5yfoG3X83oz151ufbWUVgVtlp/s1600/favre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7ZIufMARmvdIErGY_1Z5MHuaovH8a1uqgmDrfNdS8I7FNr4XJvFq-nrtKYcKPYbqZ1cAzde7xQi_rAWUWqC1h93IkRrcI8HqFtfcln__mPYeCNxrv3E5yfoG3X83oz151ufbWUVgVtlp/s400/favre.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fall 2015:</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cooler weather, so I went with the wigs. I looked a lot like these two:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc4hgNt8bpuSlCHN6B1bZk3WVjN0_3emHSENR-7GnJz-DpVy-DfUdD-s52sK34hdB6WKJnm8QYytH54uZqiTFrmHdMYSSY1jCoui8rbsoBfPDjrleSjAgPvxkZ70UcHP8Njt0LNsPNg_b/s1600/Legolas_-_in_Two_Towers.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc4hgNt8bpuSlCHN6B1bZk3WVjN0_3emHSENR-7GnJz-DpVy-DfUdD-s52sK34hdB6WKJnm8QYytH54uZqiTFrmHdMYSSY1jCoui8rbsoBfPDjrleSjAgPvxkZ70UcHP8Njt0LNsPNg_b/s320/Legolas_-_in_Two_Towers.PNG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UzCrgDTvusYeIfcnatip1rRhb3XctKkgtdiJkQPYxxS2xXYhZu4QF4qjHIRg8sgUkcAnrVY__eHqNWsnyhaHOkHwM6OVqU3dNPTEeYoCnfsaU7h9aakwkTfclWtMQCXGZraJfqdk-dy_/s1600/evangeline-lilly.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UzCrgDTvusYeIfcnatip1rRhb3XctKkgtdiJkQPYxxS2xXYhZu4QF4qjHIRg8sgUkcAnrVY__eHqNWsnyhaHOkHwM6OVqU3dNPTEeYoCnfsaU7h9aakwkTfclWtMQCXGZraJfqdk-dy_/s320/evangeline-lilly.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">or perhaps a little more like this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTmRvVCQjLlxJ13Yg2tnPcmgKSnlSLsj7-I9sELN9THo4nPWiy7LelN5xTijHpdRWVmm98GdTlTML-Fn-nyrerfWE5LtXG1njINkoRhU-bt5SnWIw4kEpBYwM1l2sGqXYDuu394n0s9We/s1600/Orlando+Bloom+wig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTmRvVCQjLlxJ13Yg2tnPcmgKSnlSLsj7-I9sELN9THo4nPWiy7LelN5xTijHpdRWVmm98GdTlTML-Fn-nyrerfWE5LtXG1njINkoRhU-bt5SnWIw4kEpBYwM1l2sGqXYDuu394n0s9We/s320/Orlando+Bloom+wig.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(but I'm pretty sure it was more like the first two).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Winter 2015/2016:</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I started getting brave enough to show off my newly growing hair. It started out looking like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi51hKTx_zKLHUw7ldv0QIzYGmde-vvT8bsZ0Bufn4JLBiA4KrtRWzMYEooMQ14iwMOAMWQG7YG55TzpRIXx1g4Vqe-sZnDBXEsqRejZTZrys1DwlEP7pFZBEQr5GfBXNNzOW2V-Jgv-LX/s1600/morgan+freeman.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi51hKTx_zKLHUw7ldv0QIzYGmde-vvT8bsZ0Bufn4JLBiA4KrtRWzMYEooMQ14iwMOAMWQG7YG55TzpRIXx1g4Vqe-sZnDBXEsqRejZTZrys1DwlEP7pFZBEQr5GfBXNNzOW2V-Jgv-LX/s320/morgan+freeman.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I decided I wasn't quite ready to sport that much gray, so I went with this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCUn5f865zM4oDOVOhZAKajlm7Y9e2vNhSlQt1evo2B13CLuUvY9SvOI_2Vy0kFnZHeUwrPO5YglYH_bueOxMLH4KQw5fpxjrtKuvMGmOYI5W9yxgFVouK7OpNxOvA1QUqopriTVHq_DV/s1600/prince+harry.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCUn5f865zM4oDOVOhZAKajlm7Y9e2vNhSlQt1evo2B13CLuUvY9SvOI_2Vy0kFnZHeUwrPO5YglYH_bueOxMLH4KQw5fpxjrtKuvMGmOYI5W9yxgFVouK7OpNxOvA1QUqopriTVHq_DV/s320/prince+harry.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spring of 2016:</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, it's getting longer, so it's looking much better. When I blow it dry, it looks like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbIImYybxxkIGb1nup77rStXMmlGMvqeCE-8A0h8OcIQpJiPl_-42wJdDzB8-wGBhrBqe9nsZL25rRyViuiTn2ENyG7Xe1Xr2fBZsieOVctH0UWbyDSm3s6E2yK9aPMe08HfOyR8LjpXQ/s1600/Syndrome.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbIImYybxxkIGb1nup77rStXMmlGMvqeCE-8A0h8OcIQpJiPl_-42wJdDzB8-wGBhrBqe9nsZL25rRyViuiTn2ENyG7Xe1Xr2fBZsieOVctH0UWbyDSm3s6E2yK9aPMe08HfOyR8LjpXQ/s320/Syndrome.jpg" width="288" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If I let it dry on its own, it's a cross between this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqT-XikMSdwriOEzdQX4e9hLUA-M33TmUZCBNNDZNuR4fBWPcKAqpiwkJJoKAnJ3o5yEOGs6GDXBPRq8IQBmYIlT2NF4Ac1SvPvfWa1iuTwr1XRJ7ji86VVknpv8YF_WtjWv9cQJtq2_2Y/s1600/mad+hatter.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqT-XikMSdwriOEzdQX4e9hLUA-M33TmUZCBNNDZNuR4fBWPcKAqpiwkJJoKAnJ3o5yEOGs6GDXBPRq8IQBmYIlT2NF4Ac1SvPvfWa1iuTwr1XRJ7ji86VVknpv8YF_WtjWv9cQJtq2_2Y/s320/mad+hatter.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and this.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIdQ5v-TTldKMRlr-z2thZUw34N393bw69KM1z-9Um97IwOYdb8a9Fpa8kEnHt-FDdUmonG_GP2FjnosSQ1eErbr5IJzHuPqyBnKtUC4tjfGa5N5GknpkBkM0jbNLaGGCCgKlNtQJiGBC/s1600/queen+of+hearts.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIdQ5v-TTldKMRlr-z2thZUw34N393bw69KM1z-9Um97IwOYdb8a9Fpa8kEnHt-FDdUmonG_GP2FjnosSQ1eErbr5IJzHuPqyBnKtUC4tjfGa5N5GknpkBkM0jbNLaGGCCgKlNtQJiGBC/s400/queen+of+hearts.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Looking good, don't you think? :-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There you have it . . . my year in hair. </span></div>
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Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-10689651442939542082016-03-26T20:38:00.000-07:002016-03-26T20:38:16.670-07:00A Very Good Friday<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A year ago yesterday, I found out I needed to be rescued.
That was the day I heard my diagnosis . . . cancer. I’ve written many times
about the difficulties of our past year, but today I have a different story. It
was confirmed exactly a year later that I continue to be in remission. It was a
very Good Friday!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve been thinking about how things could have been
different. What if I had ignored my symptoms? What if I had disagreed with the
doctor and denied my problem? What if I hadn’t agreed to the treatment plan? I
would likely not even be here to write this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was certainly opportunity to do all of those things. My
symptoms weren’t that noticeable and they didn’t bother me very much, and no
one else even noticed anything was wrong with me. In fact, just a few weeks earlier,
I had been told by a doctor that I was completely healthy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The thing is, that doctor didn’t see everything. She only
tested for certain things that she was looking for. But my core problem couldn’t
be seen with those tests.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think all people are forgetful, but I’m even more
sensitive to that feeling after experiencing Chemo-brain (totally a real
thing!). So, I sometimes need to remind myself to look at things clearly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As yesterday was Good Friday and the one-year anniversary of
my diagnosis, I think it’s a good time for me to remember. Imagine, if I had
ignored my problem since it wasn’t that noticeable or if I had denied my diagnosis
or trusted an expert who didn’t see a problem from her limited viewpoint, I would
be lost forever. That disease would have killed me by now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I absolutely hated being told the reality of my condition,
and the difficult road involved in curing me was unpleasant and inconvenient;
the medicine was not fun and changed so many things about my life. I really did
NOT want to take it. But, only in that medicine could I be cured, and in the
end, the discomfort I felt was nothing compared to the life I have today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This Easter weekend, I am pondering how similar it is to
surrendering our lives to Christ. It would be much easier to deny we have a
problem (sin). We’re comfortable with the way things are. Others may think we’re
fine, even those who seem to be experts of a sort (people who deny the reality of God or sin, people who feel like they're good enough on their own, etc.). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even if
we admit we have a problem, we’d prefer to explain our sickness away and forget
about it rather than disrupting our comfort and our normalcy by acknowledging
and receiving the cure for that problem. Truthfully, that’s why so many don’t
do it . . . they don’t want to have to be faced with the reality of their
condition or that they need a cure. But those who take that path will
eventually find that it was the path that led to death. Had they faced the
reality of their condition and their need for a cure, they would instead find
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This Easter, I pray you have realized that we all have a
condition that requires treatment. The great news is there is a cure! If we
will accept our need and receive the treatment, we can be cured! Yes, there is
a cost. Grace is free for those who receive it, but it does permeate every part
of your being. It will change you. You will no longer be your own boss and won't be able to live the same
way. Becoming a Christ-follower can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for life
as you have known it. But the medicine of the grace of God through the death
and resurrection of Jesus will give you life to replace the death you don’t
realize is swallowing you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Romans 6:23:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John 14:6:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Jesus said to him,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="woj"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“I
am</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="woj">the
way, and</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="woj">the
truth, and</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="woj">the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.</span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span class="woj"><span class="woj"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 John 5:10-12:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">Whoever believes in the Son of God</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">has the
testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">has made
him a liar,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">because he has not believed in the testimony that God has
borne concerning his Son.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">And this
is the testimony, that God gave us</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">eternal
life, and</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">this life is in his Son.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">Whoever
has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I pray that you have received the medicine of Good Friday that will lead you to the life of Easter!</span></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-79025385018973987522016-01-21T20:45:00.000-08:002016-01-21T20:45:58.566-08:00Normal<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">January 23, 2015 . . . It was a normal day in Lexington, SC.
It was also my brother’s birthday, so I called him (not normal . . . I usually
forget). This time, I had more to say than “Happy Birthday.” I had to tell him
I was on the way to the hospital. Earlier that day, I had an MRI because one of
my eyelids had been swollen for a week or so. Three hours later, my doctor
called and told me to go to the hospital. They had a room ready for me, because
the MRI showed “an infection” touching my brain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Little did I know that that was the first night of a year that
would be filled with pokes, prods, scans, fears, tears, insertion of a PICC
line, daily self-administered IV treatments for hours at a time, at-home nurse
visits, misdiagnoses, allergic reactions to medicines, a craniotomy, a port
surgery, chemo, hair loss and other side effects, hospital stays, lots of trips
to Charleston for doctor appointments, and much more prayer for myself than I
usually offer up . . . oh, and a job change for Eric, yet another move for us,
another new school for the kids where they would know no one, a search for a
new church, starting over with new doctors (and new out-of-pocket expenses), the
sale of a house, multiple house-hunting trips while going through cancer
treatment, and a purchase of a new house in the suburbs of Atlanta.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today, I painted a room in that house. That’s kind of a big
deal, because it was just so . . . normal. The last 363 days have not contained
a lot of normal for me. I’m exhausted right now, as I am still not at 100%
strength, but I did it. Tomorrow, another big deal happens . . . my port is
being removed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I must confess that I’m a little nervous. Truthfully, while
I am so thankful there are doctors, nurses, technicians, and hospitals to deal
with those of us who have a year (or often many years) of the abnormal, I am
tired of it. I don’t like being poked and prodded, slit open and sewn back
together. (Prayers greatly appreciated that all will go well!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And another confession . . . I’m scared that I may need that
port again. It’s how my chemo was administered and my blood is drawn and my
contrast for my scans is given. What if, once it comes out, the cancer comes
back? The first two years is the most common reoccurrence time frame. Most
people don’t keep the port in for two years, as it has to be flushed regularly
to make sure a clot doesn’t form. The doctors won’t tell me what the normal time frame is for removing ports. I get the generic “anywhere from two months to
a year” answer. So, is now the right time? It’s scheduled, so I guess it is for
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the port is gone, my only visible, daily reminder that
I had cancer will be my hairstyle. My hair is now short (until it grows out),
curly, and red (because gray is just not my color). Yet another confession . .
. I don’t like it. I feel very self-conscious about it (because I’m quite sure
my hairstyle is a real concern for most people I see :-/.) Still, I truly am
grateful my hair is growing back, and I spend entirely too much time looking in
the mirror and stretching the strands out straight to see if maybe it’s just a
little bit longer today than it was yesterday – a great use of my time, I know.
It’s totally different in thickness and texture and style than before January
23, 2015. But now, it is my new normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I reflect on the past year, I wonder what normal is
anymore. I think I put far too much emphasis on life <i>being</i> normal or my <i>feeling</i>
normal in the past. In an instant, on a normal day driving through car line at
school, it all changed for me. I can’t help but wonder what this next year
holds in store. Will it seem normal? Am I going to be obsessed with wanting to
feel normal again? I don’t know. But I do think I want to look back in another year and know that whatever the year <i>has</i>
held, some things <i>will</i> be normal for
me: loving my family well, being grateful to God for each day, encouraging
those who are struggling, praying regularly for those on my radar, spending
time in God’s Word daily, using my time purposefully, using my words to build
up and not tear down, and trusting that my normal is in God’s good and
sovereign hands regardless what may happen. I hope this will be my consistent normal and yours, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I hope I will remember to call my brother and tell him “Happy
Birthday!" . . . and have nothing else to say.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-79240993499307215392015-10-11T12:11:00.000-07:002015-10-11T12:11:09.009-07:00Stories She Never Knew<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Four years have passed since my mother left this life. I
rest in the fact that she is joyfully worshiping and enjoying her Savior and
the wonderful life beyond this life that He’s prepared for those of us who have
put our faith in Him. She is reunited with all those she loved who have also
passed from this life, and maybe they’re sharing stories. She loved to share
stories and hear about other’s stories!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Still, four years have held a lot of stories for us, and I
haven’t been able to talk to her about any of them: about our decision to move
to NJ, about how hard it was to say goodbye to our friends and family in GA,
about the NJ hurricane that ruined the house we ALMOST bought, about the house
we did buy and lived in less than a year, about the friends we met and then had
to say goodbye to, about the decision to move to SC, about living in temporary
housing with our belongings in storage for months, about the house we bought
and loved, about the friends we met and had to say goodbye to again, about our decision
to move back to GA . . . about how much I miss her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wanted to call her and talk to her about all of those
things and so many more! One thing I am thankful I didn’t have to tell her was
that I was diagnosed with cancer. Had she not left us four years ago, that
might have been enough to take her by now. I am thankful I didn’t have to share
that part of my story with her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This weekend, though, there’s a part of my story that I DO wish
I could share with her. I would love to pick up that phone and say, “Guess
what, Mom?! On Friday, the doctor said the scans are clear! And he didn’t even
mention a stem cell transplant this time. When we asked why, he said some
people think it might help, but there’s no definitive evidence that it would
help me, because I’m young, I appear to be doing well, and my scans are clear.
So, no stem cell transplant! Now, they just monitor and scan me every three
months for a year or two to make sure they catch it early if it does come back.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wish I could tell her that part of my story, because that’s
what happened! I think I know what her expression would have been. It would
have been something like this (This is a picture of her being surprised at her 80th birthday party.):</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykKieDGhA4U3LvkNC4aUbkLfUJ59gGw7Sq1x_CoY3iAWjl2XfAJGm_xg67dXoPP5dJkve6d9gHtCVmra5DrMBe_pV2w83O3V2dn0zyVEmL0FEsS0N3d7lv3Uw9f_g5FoLZMBo1ZsKjzBX/s1600/20080906NanaTurnsEighty09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykKieDGhA4U3LvkNC4aUbkLfUJ59gGw7Sq1x_CoY3iAWjl2XfAJGm_xg67dXoPP5dJkve6d9gHtCVmra5DrMBe_pV2w83O3V2dn0zyVEmL0FEsS0N3d7lv3Uw9f_g5FoLZMBo1ZsKjzBX/s320/20080906NanaTurnsEighty09.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And we would have cried many thankful tears together! I would love to have
shared that with her! Some day I will . . . but it looks like she’ll have to
wait a little longer to hear that story directly from me. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">God already knows all of our story, and He loves to hear and
answer our prayers along the way. While my story has been a little more
eventful than I would have liked this year, it also has been especially filled
with His answers to our prayers for strength, for hope, and for healing for me.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you all for your continued prayers, support, and
encouragement throughout all of this! I’ve still got to get strong . . . and
grow some more hair . . . but I’m feeling pretty done with cancer at this
point. I’m ready to embrace what the doctor said and, as one of my
cancer-surviving friends recently told me, to start saying that I HAD cancer.<b><i> It is in
my past</i></b>. I am living in the healing God provided for me through answered
prayers, medicines, and doctors. I don’t know if this healing is full or if I
will have to walk the cancer-road again, but for now, that trip is in my past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I still want to tell my mother all of my stories and I can’t
wait to hear hers! But we’ll have an eternity to catch up on that stuff. For
now, it will have to wait, because I’m done with cancer! That’s my story . . .
and I’m stickin’ to it!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-58278566535501593932015-10-02T10:15:00.000-07:002015-10-02T10:15:17.700-07:00Just the Facts, Ma'am<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Facts are important . . . and sometimes elusive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two weeks ago today (9/18) at 9:00 p.m., I got an email that
a new appointment had been scheduled for me at MD Anderson. I logged on and saw
that it was with the stem cell department. Great timing for something like that, huh? Of course, there was no one I could
contact on a Friday night at 9:00 to find out why that was scheduled. It was a
somber weekend, as we feared the worst, because the MDA doctor had not had any interest
in scheduling a stem cell transplant consult until the MYC results came back
and then <b>only </b>if they were positive. So, we assumed that’s what had happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Monday, I emailed and called and got no response most of the
day. Around 2:30, I got an unrelated call from the radiation oncology department from MDA.
She said she had received an order on Thursday (9/17) to schedule me for a
consult with their department. This continued to be bad news, as that order was
received three days after my first and only appointment at MDA, and they knew when we left on the 14<sup>th</sup> that we weren’t likely coming back. Now, two new appointments were scheduled with no explanation . . . no facts for me to consider.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At 5:30 that afternoon, the nurse finally returned my call,
said she could see how those appointments might have been upsetting, but they
were just automatically scheduled. The test results would not be back for
another week. She would go ahead and cancel the appointments. Sigh . . . it was
yet another very frustrating experience with MDA, and we still knew nothing about
the results. But the fact was, at least the news wasn’t bad. I decided after my
three days of gloom and doom that I was going to live as if I was well until I
found out anything different. So, that would give me until this week to “be
well.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the meantime, I had my MRI and my PET scan last week. On
Monday of this week (9/28), I met with my new Emory ophthalmologist, and he
gave me good news. He said my eyes were completely clear and he saw nothing
that would concern him. Those are some positive facts I can rest in. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yay!</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I will see
him again in three months. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Tuesday, I met with my new Emory Neuro-oncologist. While
he couldn’t see my old scans to compare to, so couldn’t tell if the scan had
changed (even though I brought the scans personally to Emory weeks ago . . .
aarrgghh!), he thought the MRI didn’t look concerning. There was at least no
brain involvement. So, I’m going with that being good news, too. We also asked
him if the PET scan results were back. He said they were and while that is not
his area of expertise, he could read us the notes from the radiologist. They
said there was no sign of anything hypermetabolic (like cancer) on the scan! Woohoo!
That was excellent news, because if there had been, we’d have to start talking
about beginning again with chemo. So, after he compares to my old scans (assuming Emory can find them or get them sent from MUSC again), if he still doesn't see anything concerning, I will also see him again in three months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the meantime, while I was at my appointment, the MDA doctor
called, so Eric answered my phone. The MYC results came back . . . inconclusive.
Ugh! Evidently, the biopsy piece they had to test was not big enough, so we don’t
know whether I am MYC negative or positive. This puts us back in the same place
we were before we went to MDA, having no real facts that will tell us whether
or not the transplant is likely to help me and be worth the risk. However, the MDA doctor did say that if the
PET was negative, he would consider me to be in full remission, and he would
not recommend the transplant. He said he’s not convinced that there would be a benefit
to doing the transplant. That is good news to have, but we still don’t know
what the Emory doctor will say, since he’s the one who suggested the transplant
in the first place. Eric said as far as he’s concerned, the burden of proof is
on the Emory doctor to convince us there is a true benefit to the transplant,
at this point. My appointment with that doctor (my Emory
Hematologist/Oncologist) is a week from today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you all for continuing to pray for me and my family!
We are so encouraged by all of you. We are asking you to still pray for good
news on Friday. To be honest (this is my confession), the skeptic (and control
freak) in me is having a hard time believing that we truly know that the PET
scan is clear, because what if the other doctor misunderstood the results? Of
course, assuming he can read accurately, the facts are good. I think I will
just feel better when I get the official word from my main doctor on Friday. (Yeah,
apparently, this need-for-control thing is still not worked out of me. :-/)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the meantime, I will focus on one of the confirmed facts
I do know! That is that God has blessed me with an amazing daughter who just
turned 16! She’s had to give up a lot and endure much over this last year . . .
a sick mom, extra responsibilities, uncertainty of my/our future, moving, more
goodbyes, starting over at another school for her junior year, finding new
friends, etc. Yet, she hasn’t complained. Really! She just takes what life
gives her and trusts that the Lord is ultimately in control and knows best.
Through it all, she is joyful, hopeful, a diligent and excellent student, a
great caretaker, an amazing daughter, and a wonderful friend . . . to me and to
all who know her. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, I don’t have all the facts I want, but one fact I know is
true is that my daughter is a true gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3), and I am celebrating
16 amazing years with her!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqQa_Y01PaD_yYCefeFOgWIRx_God4q-3To9R0SC4nEepMJKRXzxDkdoa2LkFpGQaGzi4iWyyRjkFUc6ZrCSgJCYpB8akGeE-DToW1nw03BQAplQSO_1XTi5GWV3XC31XWM1N2SZiTStg/s1600/Savannah+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqQa_Y01PaD_yYCefeFOgWIRx_God4q-3To9R0SC4nEepMJKRXzxDkdoa2LkFpGQaGzi4iWyyRjkFUc6ZrCSgJCYpB8akGeE-DToW1nw03BQAplQSO_1XTi5GWV3XC31XWM1N2SZiTStg/s320/Savannah+16.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-18187554293792655672015-09-15T15:18:00.000-07:002015-09-15T15:18:27.623-07:00Observations from the Road<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few observations from our “week” on the road:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Towns called Pintlala, Tickfaw, and Lobdell
exist . . . oh, and Flomaton.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The fastest drivers on the road consistently
have Texas plates.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Vast amounts of Louisiana’s highways seem to
have been constructed entirely of speed bumps.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Happiness can be found at a casino in
Lake Charles, Louisiana. (No, really . . . hundreds of billboards told us so,
so it must be true, right?)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Out of the dozens, maybe hundreds of casinos
between Atlanta and Houston, there appears to be only one smoke-free one on the
gulf coast, and it is in Biloxi, MS.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">If you’ve been looking for Chubby Checker, we
found him. He’s at a casino in Biloxi, along with all of your favorite 80s
musicians.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The casino industry is as concerned about your
potential addiction to gambling as the smoking industry is about your potential
tobacco addiction. There’s a helpful phone number that is almost legible
underneath each gigantic casino billboard ad.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Texas is entirely too wide. We stopped at exit
880 as we entered the state.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">MD Anderson’s cancer center appears to be about
the size of the city of Columbia, SC.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Just because you are at arguably the best cancer
center in the world doesn’t mean you’re going to like your doctor. :-(</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We have also</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> discovered over the past six months that treating cancer is as much an art as it is a
science. Here is what I mean:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Mayo Doctor in Jacksonville – recommended
typical RCHOP treatment</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">MUSC Doctor – recommended RCHOP plus
Methotrexate</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Emory Doctor – would have likely recommended
RCHOP plus stem cell transplant</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">MD Anderson Doctor – would have done tests
others didn’t do, would have likely done EPOCH rather than RCHOP, and only
would do stem cell transplant if I have double-hit lymphoma, which we will know
only after they get the pathology results from the extra test they are doing on
my original biopsy.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The MD Anderson experience started out on a positive note.
All the staff were kind, helpful, and efficient. Unfortunately, when we met the
doctor, our experience changed. I am certain the doctor is one of the best in
the nation, but when he walked in, he didn’t bother introducing himself and
just started rattling off information that we didn’t understand. It was as if
we had walked in to the middle of a medical class where the professor was
lecturing, but we had no context for anything. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He spouted off jargon about
cellular and genetic information and test names and acronyms we’d never heard
of as if we were supposed to know what he was talking about. He huffed when we
tried to ask clarifying questions, once he finally looked up from his computer
and took a breath. In trying to understand him, if we incorrectly repeated
something he had said, he was very condescending in his tone towards us, and
when I apologized for not understanding but told him that most of the things he
was saying were Greek to me, he responded with a smirk on his face that that
was what I had come there for, wasn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How did he know? He didn’t bother to ask us what we had come
for! He had not really bothered looking at the information they insisted they
needed before my first appointment. They absolutely had to have my scans at my
first appointment, but he hadn’t looked at them. He said he doesn’t look at
scans. That’s what radiologists do, but their radiologists wouldn’t even look
at them unless we did new ones at MDA, because they don’t get paid to look at
them, since we’ve already had them read by someone else who has already gotten paid for that. If we did new ones at
MDA, the radiologists would look at the old ones to compare, since they’d be
getting paid to look at the new ones. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He talked about what he would have done differently but
really had no insight into what treatment was actually done, (because he didn’t
bother to look!). It appeared that he had no interest in helping us as a second
opinion. He might have been a great doctor had we gone to him for the initial
diagnosis and treatment, because he’s got great ratings and is known as one of
or even “the” best lymphoma doctor there. Perhaps he had an off day, but we
decided this was not what we had been expecting or hoping for from our
experience after a 14-hour one-way drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While he said he could do some testing and maybe get me in
to see a radiotherapist who he was certain would have administered radiation as
part of my original treatment even though it was touching my brain, if MDA had
treated me instead of other doctors, “because it’s easy for the docs at MDA.”
We asked what they would radiate now, since the original area seemed to be
clear, and he seemed to think they’d find something they could still radiate.
However, since ordering the tests and scheduling this other appointment seemed
like it was mostly just because he assumed we wanted that, we decided to leave
and drive home. We both agreed that we had no interest in his being my doctor. Brilliant
or not, we did not feel like we received “care” from our doctor at MD Anderson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While we were emotionally stunned and disappointed, after
hours of debriefing, Eric and I do think something useful came out of the
information we sort of translated from all of the gibberish we heard. Here’s
what we came away with (summarized by Eric after looking up more information on
the internet):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My prognosis comes down to two tests. The MDA pathologist ordered
an additional test on my original biopsy to determine if it shows something
called <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21490439" target="_blank">MYC
translocation</a> (pronounced “mick”). This would be indicative of what they
call <a href="http://www.ascopost.com/issues/april-15,-2014/%E2%80%98double-hit%E2%80%99-lymphomas-a-challenge-for-the-oncologist.aspx" target="_blank">double hit</a> lymphoma, which is not good news, and would
cause the MDA doctor to recommend the stem cell transplant. Otherwise, he would
not. The transplant carries a 1-2% chance of killing the patient, is tough to
go through, and is expensive. Additionally, the data is mixed on whether it
actually helps or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other outstanding test is the PET scan. My original
doctors recommended waiting 6-8 weeks after the final chemo treatment before
doing the scan because the chemo continues to work for some time after it's
given. The MDA doc scoffed at that and said I should have gotten it within two
weeks of the final treatment. In any case, if the PET is negative, and the MYC
test is negative, he recommended doing nothing and is expecting a good outcome.
If the PET is positive, we would need to biopsy anything showing hypermetabolic
activity to confirm, then we'd be looking at more chemo before even talking
about stem cell transplant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The MDA doc goes solely by the pathology to determine stem
cell transplant, where the Emory doc seemed to be basing it more on the
location within the body. We're glad to hear the additional test was ordered
and curious to know why my previous doctors at MUSC seemingly hadn't ordered
it (probably because some of this is new information from recent studies). However, it was good to hear that the MDA recommendation sounded pretty
much the same as the original MUSC recommendation (a negative PET scan means do
nothing but monitor), unless the MYC is positive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We decided to go ahead and have the PET scan done at Emory
as originally planned. By that time we should have the MYC test results back
and will have a better picture of what comes next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, we will take the MYC test results to my Emory doctor and
hope it means something to him. We will get all of my tests done at Emory from
now on, and we will just pray and rest in the care I receive from the doctors
there, ultimately trusting in God’s sovereignty. The only hesitation I have
with this route is that my MRI and PET scans will now be done next week instead
of this week, and my appointment at Emory to find out the results is not until
October 9<sup>th</sup>. :-( Hopefully, the MYC result will be in by then (praying
for a negative result), and my Emory doctor will get it and know what to do
with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you to all who have prayed and helped out for our week
(that turned into three days of mostly driving). While it was disappointing in many aspects, it
did give us a bit of new information. Hopefully, it will be helpful in our decision-making
for the next steps on this roller coaster ride we are on. In the meantime, I’ll
just focus on growing more gray peach fuzz for at least a few more weeks and trying to make a few more observations from the road. :-)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-61220682780190209712015-09-11T12:00:00.000-07:002015-09-11T12:00:48.273-07:00The Gray Peach<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yesterday, a lady saw me from behind in a parking lot and
said “Oooo! I love your pretty hair!” I didn’t expect someone to be talking to
me, so I said, “Pardon me?” and turned around. She repeated herself, but when
she saw me from the front, I think I detected her next thought. I believe it
was something like, “Wait. That isn’t her hair at all, is it? Oh no! What do I
do now?” I just smiled and thanked her . . . and I had to laugh at the thought
that if she saw my real hair (I was wearing my red wig), well, my “pretty hair”
would never have formed as a thought in her mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, I do have hair. It’s about a half inch long (basically,
peach fuzz), and it’s completely gray! Yep! I’m in my mid-40s and am completely
gray. When we lived in Georgia before, Eric would sometimes lovingly refer to
me as his “Georgia Peach.” He now refers to me (still lovingly . . . lucky for
him) as “The Gray Peach.” But, at least hair is growing! I am VERY thankful for
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course, I don’t know if I’ll get to keep it for very
long. We are heading to MD Anderson in Houston on Sunday to get another opinion
of my situation. While I won’t get an official recommendation from my Emory
doctor as to whether we should do the stem cell transplant until the first week
in October, we talked to my MUSC doctor, and he and Eric thought it best to get
an opinion from “the best” in cancer treatment in addition to the Emory doctor’s
opinion, just in case they may have different ideas. So, we have been told to
expect to be at MDA for up to a week for all the testing they will want to do. I’m
not looking forward to the long drive or the pokes, prods, and scans. However, November
will mark 20 years that Eric and I have been married, so I’m just going to consider
this our anniversary trip. Who needs a dream cruise to Alaska when we get to
spend a romantic week visiting a cancer hospital, instead? :-) At least we will get
to celebrate over some good Mexican food! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I ask you all to continue to pray for my family, for full
healing for me, for the doctors to have wisdom in their recommendations, and
for us to have wisdom about which recommendation to follow, in the event the
doctors’ opinions vary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the meantime, I am in good spirits and am hopeful. When I
first found out about the possibility of more and very intense treatments in my
near future, and that if I didn’t do those treatments there is a good chance
the cancer will return and if so, will likely be incurable, I was not mentally
prepared. I sat around for days in disbelief and with a cloud of darkness
hanging over me. But my wise and wonderful husband tearfully reminded me that
no one is promised another day. So, as long as God gives me breath, I need to live
like I’m still alive, not like I’m already dead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That helped to knock me out of my funk, and I have been focusing the last couple of weeks once again
on the gift that each day is. Especially, on this calendar day, when we all
remember the terrible events that ended so many unsuspecting lives and forever
changed the rest of ours, I am thankful for the gift of today! I pray we will
each live like we are alive, whatever our circumstances. As long as we are
alive, there is always hope! And once that life is over, if our hope has been
in the One who breathes life and conquered death, there is STILL hope!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and
be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Philippians 1:21</span></li>
<li><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">“But
when</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,</span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><sup><span style="background: white;"> </span></sup></b><span style="background: white;">he saved us,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">not because of works done
by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">the washing of
regeneration and</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">renewal of the Holy Spirit,</span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><sup><span style="background: white;"> </span></sup></b><span style="background: white;">whom he</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">poured out on us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior,</span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background: white;"><span id="en-ESV-29914" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> </span></span></sup></b><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">so
that</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">being justified by his grace we might become</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">heirs</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">according to the <i><b>hope</b> </i>of eternal life.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">” Titus 3:4-7</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hopeful for all of us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“The Gray Peach”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-42684379495139674762015-08-22T12:23:00.000-07:002015-08-22T12:23:28.683-07:00Out of Control<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A friend recently shared her thoughts on all my family and I
have faced this year. She said from her viewpoint, looking in from the
outside, it seems like what I’ve been going through (cancer, the move, the
house, etc.) is essentially a stripping of all control in my life. (I probably
butchered what she really said, but that’s what I took from it.) While I agreed
that was possibly part of what God was doing, I really felt like that was
something God accomplished already. I didn’t need any more surprises to make me
realize I have no control over my life and circumstances. I had learned my
lesson. He is in control; I am not. I’m all good with that. Ready to move to
the next life lesson.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Evidently, I have more to learn. I discovered yesterday that
I subconsciously thought things were getting back to normal, meaning I could
have some say-so in what happens next and even into the future . . . aka,
control. Nope!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I met my new Emory doctor yesterday. It was my consult with
him for my follow-up care since my treatment is now over. While he was a very
nice, compassionate, and knowledgeable man, he evidently didn’t understand that
I had already learned my lesson and was back in some sort of control of where I
was headed. It seemed that no one informed him that I was done with cancer and
ready to get stronger and move on . . . that the worst was over, it’s only
going to get better from here . . . so, he suggested I might not be finished
with treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Um, wait, what? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He referred to my cancer, because of its abnormal
presentation and location, as a “bad actor.” He suggested that I might need
more aggressive treatment . . . but wait, that was what the Methotrexate
inpatient chemo was already! He said he agreed with what MUSC had prescribed,
that I did need the Methotrexate in addition to the standard RCHOP regimen that
I received. (He said some refer to what I got as "Mr. CHOP." Sounds friendlier
that way, I guess.) But he informed us that we may ALSO need to do a stem cell
transplant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ummm, excuse me . . . I’m done here! I’m on the road to
recovery! Are you not aware that I’m here for POST-chemo care?!?! This was NOT
on my agenda for the day or the rest of the year or the next . . . however long
this will affect our lives!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know very little about this procedure, but my
understanding from our brief discussion yesterday is they would do something that
would cause my bone to emit stem cells, which they would take and freeze. Then,
they would give me very powerful chemo that would kill ALL of my red and white
blood cells and my ability to make new ones but hopefully also any hidden
cancer that might still be lurking. Then they would give me the stem cells they
withdrew earlier that would rebuild my blood cells. This would require a two
week (or more) hospital stay, and would be “the worst thing I’ve ever been
through in my life.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yep, that’s what he said. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">NOT what I was expecting for my
initial post-chemo consult with my nice new doctor. He said that while it would
be tough, they’d get me through it. (As you might imagine, my tear ducts had
become quite active by this point.) Here’s a link to more of what I can expect
if we have to do this: <a href="https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/treatments/cancer-treatments/blood-stem-cell-transplantation/approach/autologous-transplantation">https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/treatments/cancer-treatments/blood-stem-cell-transplantation/approach/autologous-transplantation</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(I haven't even fully read it, because it started looking worse than the doctors described it, and it is too much for me to handle emotionally right now.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We won’t know if he will definitely recommend this treatment
until after he sees my next MRI and PET scans, which are scheduled for four
weeks from now (in the hospital where my mom passed away incidentally, yep . .
. more tears). But the other doctor with him (a Fellow studying under him)
referred to this as the best way to make sure I make it to my son’s wedding. So,
it seems like they are really leaning towards this next step for me. Sigh . . .
I thought I already did what was the best path to get me to my children’s
weddings and to loving on their children and to growing old with Eric. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">None of this was in my plan!!!! Ugh . . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That’s when, after talking and crying through this with
Eric, I realized I evidently thought I was back in some place of power. Um,
yeah . . . no. He said his fear is that I’ve been putting my hope in the wrong place.
And it’s true. I’ve been hoping in prayers and procedures and doctors and
medicines and encouragement and hope, etc. . . . rather than holding things
loosely and truly trusting that God’s plan is good, whether He takes me on my
preferred path or not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">His plan may or may not be to heal me. His plan may or may
not be to get me to my children’s weddings. His plan may or may not be to
smooth out my path, since we’ve had such a trying year. His plan IS for me to “Trust
in the Lord with all [my] heart, and do not lean on [my] own understanding, but
in all [my] ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight [my] paths.” (Proverbs
3:5-6) Not necessarily smooth, but straight. The straight path is trusting in
Him, not the benefits I think He will or should provide. Historically, His
followers haven’t led easy lives or even lives that just have one major bump in
the road. He gives them strength to endure (“I can do all things through Him
who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13), but He does not promise an easy path.
Instead, He tells us that we will have trouble in this world, but we are to
take heart because He has overcome the world. (John 16:33)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My life is not and never can be about ease and comfort, if I
am truly following Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am to take up my cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am to trust that His way is righteous (Psalm 145:17),
however difficult it might be.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am to trust that He is working all of this for good and
conforming me through this to be more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10) . . .
I am not.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He is in control . . . I am not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, I continue to learn and try to wait with open hands, not
clenched fists about what the future may hold. Today, I must focus on who He
is, regardless of my circumstances, and trust that His way is good. The only
thing I have true control over is my response to His truth. I choose to believe
He is good and His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136). Today, I will try
to let go of my desire to control my life and pray I can rest in that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you are praying for me, I ask that you specifically pray
that the scans will be encouraging enough that I won’t need this procedure and
that if that is not the case, for me to have strength to get through this next
unpleasant step. Please also continue to pray for my family. This is tough on
all of us. Finally, pray that I will be content and at peace with whatever path
God has chosen for me to walk, and that I will cling to Him and His love, not
just the hope that He will make me better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you for your faithful prayers and encouragements!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-50938580219133594492015-08-11T11:26:00.000-07:002015-08-11T11:26:22.491-07:00"If you can't say something nice . . . <h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. . . don't say nothin' at all."</span></h2>
<br />
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<br />
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to live by Thumper’s advice these last several
weeks. Well, not around my family, unfortunately for them, but at least on
social media. I wanted to spare you all from my impression of Sadness from the
movie <i>Inside Out</i>, although I must say I have that character down pretty well! I
decided that Savannah has been Joy, and I have been Sadness, and the poor thing
has been stuck taking care of me for the last month. (If you haven’t seen
<i>Inside Out</i>, you won’t get this at all. If you have, you’re feeling pretty sorry
for Savannah right now.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yep, it’s been a tough month. Since I haven’t written in a
while, I really wanted to have a light-hearted, uplifting, “God really showed
me some neat stuff” sort of post. Instead, I think I’m just going to tell the pitiful
truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so down in my life. The stress really peaked the last few weeks. If you are someone who wants to think I’m
strong, you’re not going to want to read this. If you want to feel better about
yourself, this is going to be your favorite blog post from me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have felt lousy physically, and I have struggled with an
ongoing case of Optirectalitis (see earlier post for definition). I cannot
think of a time where I have cried more tears of hopelessness than this past
month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Complaints of all that's going on:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">knowing we are forcing the kids to
start over at a new school (yet again) with them having no friends there and potentially
losing some of the credit for the work they did in SC</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">knowing I have to find new
doctors right away</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">thinking about Atlanta traffic and how my daughter is going
to be driving in it soon and will have to start all over with her driving
requirements </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">not winning on the final house selection (we ended up with the
boys’ favorite, which I was more unhappy with than I expected . . . see earlier
post)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">having to be out of our SC house by 7/31 while I was still in the
hospital</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">stressing about the details and logistics of closings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">worrying about transporting pets</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fearing </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that I’m not really healing completely</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">getting the
kids registered for school (which involved doctor appointments in GA, shopping,
lots of communication with school counselors)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">knowing we are going to be
living out of boxes for months</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">etc. . . </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and just feeling useless . . . like
I’m just here to be served and can’t contribute to anyone or anything . . .
feeling like a patient -- nothing more -- just a patient -- who burdens others
and can’t take care of herself </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. . . is what I would have written about.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I pouted, cried, whined, and complained my way through many
of my days. Savannah was always there to listen to and encourage me. I dumped
way more of my self-pitying thoughts on her than a teenager should have to
endure from her mom. I’m so thankful God gifted her with such compassion and
maturity to deal with my emotions, as Eric was working in Atlanta most of the
time and wasn’t there to help her handle me most days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t say those things to bring you down or make you feel sorry for me. I only write
about it now so you can know the dark pit I have been in and what my poor
family has had to deal with. I’ve had some of those feelings throughout, but
this past month, they stuck around and I wallowed in them. So, no . . . I wasn’t
going to say something nice. It was best for me to say nothin’ at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, I am thankfully coming out of my funk, and I can
look back and see something nice to say . . . (and something that makes me
laugh, although I shouldn’t).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God has answered so many prayers! First, the logistics
worked out for everything! The appraisal came through fine for our SC house,
and we closed without a hitch. Everything went smoothly for our close in
Atlanta, and we are now in our house. Our movers were great and efficient. My
lab numbers were good, and my doctor got me out of the hospital the morning of
the 31<sup>st</sup>, so my sis-in-law was able to take Savannah and me to
Atlanta at a reasonable time that day. Friends came over and cleaned our house
and stocked it with food before I arrived. My brother and Austin made it safely
to the house with the animals. (This is the part that I shouldn’t laugh at, but
I do, because I wasn’t in the car. One of the cats pooped in the crate almost
right away, so they had to ride with the windows down the whole way to Atlanta.
Hey, at least the wind noise helped drown out the cats’ constant wailing for
four hours! :-)) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is just a sampling of the answered prayers we've experienced!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, yeah, and my chemo treatments are officially over! That’s
pretty exciting, when I stop to think about it. Of course, as I return to my
Sadness character, I tend to be afraid that the cancer is not all gone. The
doctor said we wouldn’t be able to use a word like “cure” for a couple of
years. And we’re really not even ready to go there, because I haven’t had a PET
scan to see if the cancer is gone from my spleen. So, I’m reservedly excited. I
know many have prayed, and I believe God is healing me, but I also know He
doesn’t guarantee that I will be physically healed. I hope that is His plan,
but I am trying to rest in whatever each day brings. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For now, I am feeling
stronger almost every day. I don’t know how to describe it other than to tell
you that I’m starting to feel like a real live person again, not just a
patient, not just a body trudging through quicksand, but a real person. I’m
weak and have to pace myself, but it’s like a huge cloud has been lifted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And as I resurface into the land of the living, I’ve
realized I still have something nice to say!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have had so many people who have
bombarded me with love through service, that when I am not being Sadness, I
realize it's an amazing gift. Today, I am thankful, and I am hopeful, and God is good,
and my friends and family are patient and loving and kind. All of this, in the
midst of my self-pity is a gift I don’t deserve. That is something awfully
nice!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
(James 1:17). </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-24716077362710348112015-07-06T17:12:00.000-07:002015-07-06T17:12:30.719-07:00A Restful Week -- HA!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some families are . . . how do I say this . . . um, just
plain nuts! It turns out that WE are one of those families. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basic Background information:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I have cancer and am in the middle of chemo
treatments.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Eric and I decide he should take a job offer in
Atlanta.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Our insurance out-of-pocket will now start over
. . . in the middle of my cancer. (Great idea! :-/)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">We have to get our house ready to go on the
market.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">We have to find a house to buy in the Atlanta
area in time to get the kids signed up for school.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">My current job is supposed to be “Rest, and get
better.”</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, the last week has been a bit insane. Here’s why:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before the chaos begins, since I’ve been so tired
and the family has been working feverishly for a week to get the house ready to
go on the market, we decide to go see the movie <i>Inside Out</i>. Um, let me just
tell you, when you are moving your children YET AGAIN, and they have to start
in a new school YET AGAIN, this is not the best movie to see. Just a little
friendly advice. Eric and I both cry during the movie. (Ugh! This is an ANIMATED movie . . . a kids' movie! So embarrassing!) Eric's crying is not that noticeable,
because my sniffling is so loud and my weeping so shakes the entire row of
seats, that I think he was able to still walk out without losing much of his
manly reputation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After getting the house ready to go on the market,
Eric leaves Sunday afternoon to see a couple of houses that night before he
starts his job the next day. He and Kelly, our Realtor and long-time friend,
see a house that seems like it might be what we’re looking for. Third time’s
the charm, right? (We had already been on two house-hunting trips and made two
offers on houses.) So, we make an offer on a third house I haven’t seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Monday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eric goes to his new job. He’s never been in the
building, never met his team, and his team only finds out they’re getting a new
boss on Friday, right before he starts on Monday . . . a bit stressful for a
first day. But that’s not enough stress.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On top of that, our house officially
goes on the market in SC on Monday. In addition, we find out at 4:00 p.m. as we’re
walking out the door to the library that there are multiple offers on the house
we made an offer on in Atlanta, and we need to know if we want to be in a
bidding war. I can’t decide, because I haven’t seen the house, and Eric thinks
there might be a couple of things I wouldn’t like about it. So, at about 4:15,
I text a friend in Atlanta to see if we can bring our dog and leave her
overnight. My friend says yes, and the kids and I are on the road by 5:00 p.m.
heading to Atlanta. (Note: I’m not physically very strong right now . . . and
evidently not very smart, either. Multiple times, I ask the kids what I was
thinking. They mostly just stare at me wishing we had actually gone to the
library.) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the meantime, an agent makes an appointment to see our SC house on
Tuesday morning. Aaaahhh! Our first showing! Exciting! The house is not in
perfect shape, but we left it in mostly showing condition. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We arrive in Atlanta
at 9:00 p.m. to see the house. After all of the craziness it took to drop
everything, none of the three of us really likes the house, so we decide not to
get in the bidding war. Sigh . . . . We end up getting to Eric's hotel at 11:30 p.m. I wouldn’t exactly count this as one of my
resting days, and it wasn't quite the restful night before his second day that he had envisioned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kelly shows the kids and me more houses, even
though we were not on her schedule for the day and I’m pretty tired and weak.
We find a couple of houses that might be okay options. Kelly says she can meet
Eric that night to show him those two. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meanwhile, we get an OFFER on our SC
house at 1:00, three hours after our first showing!!!</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We visit two schools in
Atlanta (the schools the kids would potentially attend depending on the house
we end up in), pick up our dog from our friend, and drive back from Atlanta
during rush hour on 285. That’s a neat experience. :-/ We arrive at home at
10:00ish. Nope, not restful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Wednesday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have more showings while we negotiate closing
dates on our SC house. We settle on 7/31/15. So, we now have to be in a house
in GA by 7/31. <b>Did I mention I’m in my final inpatient chemo from 7/28-7/31?</b>
Yeah . . . not good. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We put Daisy in a kennel to prepare for what’s next. Did
get a little rest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Thursday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kids and I get up and drive back to Atlanta
to look for houses one more time. We meet Kelly to look between 2:00 and 6:00
p.m. Eric leaves work a little early and joins us for some of that time. We don’t
find the perfect house, but we see several we like. By the end of the day, I
can barely walk without someone with me. Now, we have to decide which one to
make an offer on first. Kelly starts collecting property disclosures while we
drive two separate cars back to SC. (Yes, I drove eight hours round trip in one
day.) We arrive around midnight. Failed at my job of resting today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Friday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We sleep late and then try to decide which house
to make an offer on. We can’t decide.
The girls want one house; the boys want a different one. We pray and
then flip a coin. The boys win. :-/ (Our agent asked if that means God loves the boys more. Hmmm . . . :-/)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then we pack and get ready to go for an
overnight (previously planned) to Hilton Head. We drive through some rain and
arrive about 5:00 p.m. instead of the originally planned 10:00 a.m. Oh well, we
at least are able to go straight to our little condo and check in. We have a
lovely view of the ocean from the balcony, so we all sit out there for a little
while, soaking it in. Then we decide to go out to eat and proceed to head back
into the condo. Only problem . . . <i>the door has locked behind us. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yep, the four of
us are locked out on the approximately 5’ x 8’ balcony. We call the owner, and
he doesn’t really know what to do. He suggests flagging down a neighbor to come
through the condo and open it for us. Problem is, everyone is on the beach. We
call the HOA, but it’s a holiday. They were going to call maintenance to do an
emergency visit, but at the last minute we are able to find a teen on a
neighboring balcony (who looks a little terrified by the crazy family yelling
at him) who finally understands our situation and rescues us. We end up having a
lovely, relaxing dinner and wait to hear about the house. Awakened by drunk
neighbors having a fight at 1:30 a.m. Can’t go back to sleep for two hours. No
. . . not much rest today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We get a counter offer that is not as reasonable
as we hope it will be, so we make an offer on the girls’ favorite house. We think the house is overpriced but the agent had
said the sellers were motivated, so we are hopeful. We enjoy a couple of hours at our
tiny square of the beach, along with 50 bazillion of our closest
fellow-vacationers. We decide by 1:00 that our 2-day trip of sand and
salt-water that turned into a 20-hour trip is enough to satisfy us this
go-round. We head home and decide to top off our stress-relieving weekend trip watching <i>Jurassic World</i>. (PSA: I didn't find a movie where dinosaurs eat innocent victims to be quite
as endearing as <i>Inside Out,</i> but at least I didn't cry . . . wait, is that bad?) Got some rest today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We get a counter that is, again, not as reasonable
as we hope it will be, so we make an offer on our third choice house. Yep! This
is offer number SIX, people! <b>SIX</b>! We start to become afraid that our
Realtor/friend is going to fire us . . . as clients AND friends. But again, we
remain hopeful, even though we have to close on 7/31 or live under a bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Monday (Today) </b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC5gPiaSSkWSWIXrabZ_dt5px9xyufkSzHsygz0h16S_a1GUPl_wI7EjsXScW2TwXvTUp3cq5qgJcyC7rEl7X-HXYzWX445FK-E8dk1zceLnYHriKtWqxzxJ4TQQhc10MsjcwBWQhbPwK/s1600/Hardwood+Removal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC5gPiaSSkWSWIXrabZ_dt5px9xyufkSzHsygz0h16S_a1GUPl_wI7EjsXScW2TwXvTUp3cq5qgJcyC7rEl7X-HXYzWX445FK-E8dk1zceLnYHriKtWqxzxJ4TQQhc10MsjcwBWQhbPwK/s320/Hardwood+Removal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Men show up to rip up all of our defective
hardwoods. The kids, the pets, and I sit in our bonus room the entire day,
while we listen to the background music of non-stop banging and throwing of
wood. We get a counter on our sixth house that is only slightly higher than we
want to go. But truly, all three of the last houses are pretty equal in our
eyes, all with pros and cons, so we decide to go back verbally with our final
offer on all three and see what they say. At the time of this blog writing, we
still do not have a contract.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>In the meantime</b> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have my 5<sup>th</sup> chemo treatment
tomorrow, IV fluids and my Neulasta shot on Wednesday, our buyers’ inspection on
Thursday, and hardwood installation throughout the rest of this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have determined that we are nuts, and our children appear to be rolling with it, at least the best we can tell. At some point, we will probably take up donations for
their therapy, so let us know if you’d like to contribute. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For now, here are
some specific prayer requests for those who are willing to pray for our insane
lives:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My chemo treatment tomorrow and my ultimate healing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eric’s new job to continue to go well, in the midst of our
craziness.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That we’d be able to finalize a deal on a house that can
close by the end of the month.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That the inspection and appraisal on our house in SC would
go well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That the hardwood installation will be right for our new
buyers.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That we get the logistics worked out with the moving company.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Finally</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I apologize for all the emails, calls, and
texts I haven’t responded to. I’m also not on Facebook much because I just can’t
keep up, and my hands are bothering me too much to stay on there very long with all the other online stuff I'm doing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All right, in case anyone has read all the way to this
point, I’ll update when we know what happens next. Until then, I’m sure I’ll be
resting. :-)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-82493934591817924002015-06-27T11:33:00.001-07:002015-06-27T11:33:04.550-07:00Man Plans His Way, But . . . .<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, the house we were supposed to close on in the Atlanta
area on July 24</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is out. After we did inspections, the sellers
wouldn’t do some of the significant repairs that needed to be done. So, as
seems to be our normal modus operandi, we have no idea where we’re going to
live and need to be there in one month for the kids to start school on time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our Realtor/Friend is working tirelessly trying to figure
something out for us, and we are considering putting offers on houses we haven’t
even seen. We are also considering renting, but we have more pets than most
landlords allow, and we don’t really want to rent for a year and then have to
move yet again. (While I know it may be hard to believe, packing and unpacking are
not our hobbies, although I realize they must appear to be.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the meantime, the cumulative effect of chemo continues to take a toll on me,
so I’m not much use except to supervise pet naps in the family room and make sure the couch stays in place.
I struggle with neuropathy, fuzzy brain, dizziness, exhaustion, and muscle and
bone soreness. I walk like I’m about 95 years old, and I have to take breaks
halfway through my journey from the parking lot to the door, when I go out . . . not exactly inconspicuous. Sometimes, it makes me sad. Other times, it makes me angry. Either way, I frequently shed a few tears each day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still,
I am thankful; I know this could be much worse. My family is patient with me
and continues to amaze me with positive attitudes through all of the turmoil;
and family and friends continue to encourage me with cards, texts, emails, and
offers to help. I know there are many who walk this road without such amazing
support, and I thank God daily for His blessings to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this part of our Summer of 2015 chapter, I am reminded of
two Scripture passages that seem to fit our story:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord
establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow
we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make
a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your
life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead
you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” James
4:13-15</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am keenly aware of the reality that all that happens is occurring
within the ultimate sovereignty of God, and His ways are right and good. We are
not in control, and He is not OUT of control. Our lives are a mist, and God is
the one who breathed that mist into being. He is not surprised by any of the
chaos we see from our vantage point. He is just weaving a tapestry that we see
from the back side. Our view is not the right way of looking at the picture,
but He knows what story He is creating. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So for now, we take one step at a time and pray that He will
lead us to the right place to live, in the right timeframe, where our children will be in the best
schools for them, and where we can live our lives walking in the paths He has
paved for us to grow in our trust of Him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the meantime, the heart of this (wo)man is continuing to
try to plan our way. :-/</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-32293081752421563692015-06-23T15:24:00.000-07:002015-06-23T15:24:53.867-07:00Trudging Through Quicksand<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am happy to say that I am home from the hospital and
officially two thirds of the way done with my chemo treatments! Thank you,
Lord! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was more patient while I was in the hospital this time. Although
the process was no faster, I knew what to expect, so I think I dealt with it
better. It also helped that my wonderful daughter stayed with me every night.
She was the best at keeping me upbeat and supplied with whatever I needed,
mostly just her delightful company!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly, Eric didn’t have a very celebrated Father’s Day. At
least when I was in the hospital for Mother’s Day, my family brought me gifts
and balloons. With me in the hospital for Father’s Day, he got nothing! :-( He definitely gets a
do-over someday. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I’m home, I feel exhausted, mentally dull, and like I’m trudging
through quicksand. My mind and muscles don’t want to even work. I’m praying this will
pass quickly, as we have much to do in the next month!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As some of you have read or heard, we are moving to Atlanta. Over the
last couple of weeks, we did a bit of house-hunting, and we have a contract on
a house there and are supposed to close on July 24<sup>th</sup>. In the
meantime, we’re trying to get the kids’ school records transferred and get them
signed up for the classes they need, which we’re finding to be challenging for
Savannah as some of her classes are full. We’re also trying to get our current house ready to go on the market, having defective hardwoods replaced, and getting movers scheduled around my chemo treatments. It turns out that trudging through
quicksand is not helpful with any of that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eric is working non-stop on everything that needs to get
done, while I mostly sit and move in slow-motion. Of course, he doesn’t mind a
bit. He reminds me that my job is to rest and get well. He is amazing! I truly
have never seen a more hard-working, dedicated man, who loves his family more
than Eric or who is a more diligent worker or boss at his job. He doesn’t complain or stop to have pity-parties. He just keeps a good attitude and keeps moving and doing what needs to be done. I cannot tell you how grateful and
undeserving I feel of his love and devotion. (Just read 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and
Titus 1:6-9 for a full picture.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, I realize that might have been awkward, but I
just had to get that out! He is AMAZING! All right, I’m done . . . for now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish I had something creative and deep to end with, but I
mostly just feel like we are in the middle of a whirlwind right now, and my
hands are tied. I’m watching things get done around me, but I’m just
spectating. It’s not a good feeling, but I know God is doing something even in
the whirlwind. He doesn’t waste these moments of feeling helpless and tossed
about. He still wants us to trust in Him, that He is in control, even when we
don’t know what He’s doing. He will bring about good things in His time and for
His purposes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until then, I’ll be trudging my way through the quicksand and
watching the whirlwind go by, if you need me.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-37271174959544976152015-06-01T08:28:00.000-07:002015-06-01T08:28:12.865-07:00Have You Seen This Woman?<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DtAf6_N3K7O5Xuz6JEE2vZtGX7OP-JGX8Ahr2nBvuNr2LDTLGJH6Nw0WD9Nk7q64M3nua3R7p-nY-BxJTg6ZaVDgQkBuHf_6BDWysuHN_Fcv2zXCtH3B2st15uaLBUT4eZnBPgtoO0uo/s1600/Have+you+seen+this+woman+blog+pic+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DtAf6_N3K7O5Xuz6JEE2vZtGX7OP-JGX8Ahr2nBvuNr2LDTLGJH6Nw0WD9Nk7q64M3nua3R7p-nY-BxJTg6ZaVDgQkBuHf_6BDWysuHN_Fcv2zXCtH3B2st15uaLBUT4eZnBPgtoO0uo/s320/Have+you+seen+this+woman+blog+pic+collage.jpg" width="213" /></a></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After hibernating a bit too much recently, she has decided
to come out and integrate a little more with others. However, she is often
disguised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you see her in her red hair, approach with caution. She
will try to be on her best behavior, but her Jersey girl might come out a bit
more in this disguise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You should be safe when you see her in her blonde disguise,
although you might not get the most accurate answers to your questions. Her
chemo brain tends to come out a little more when she’s blonde.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most often, you may see her in her little gypsy cap
disguise. While it is not the most attractive of her disguises, it is the most
comfortable, especially in “Famously Hot” Columbia. She often wears this one
when she’s tired, hot, lazy, and/or doesn’t mind being on the receiving end of
children’s stares and adults’ sympathetic smiles and greetings. If she’s
wearing big earrings, there’s a good chance she’s having a good day, so feel
free to approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually, she’s pretty harmless in any of her disguises, so
don’t be afraid to talk to her. She knows she has cancer; she knows her “hair”
is not real; and she doesn’t mind your knowing. She is fully able to talk about
her cancer, and she’s fully able to talk about what’s going on in your life. In
fact, she wants to! Cancer is a subject that one can talk about only so much,
so feel free to discuss what’s going on in your life, too. She wants to feel
normal, and that will help her!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-39162083032655355972015-05-19T10:13:00.000-07:002015-05-19T10:13:15.405-07:00Accomplishment . . . Or Not<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Accomplishment . . . something I’ve known little of in the
past week and a half – unless you count sleeping the day away, watching nonstop
HGTV when I’m awake, and spontaneously and regularly bursting into tears from
being sick and tired of being sick and tired as accomplishment. If so, then I’m actually doing pretty well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My son and I pray on the way to school each morning (meaning
I drive and watch the road and he prays), and we always discuss what we have coming
up in our day first. This morning, I told him my big plan for the day was to do
something useful. His response was, “You know you don’t have to do that, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My sweet boy doesn’t care if I accomplish anything today,
nor does my wonderful daughter, who has been doing much of my normal house duties,
nor does my hero husband, who told me yesterday he was going to quiz me on
House Hunters episodes when he got home from work, to make sure I didn’t do too
much during the day. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are handling this much better than I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Going into chemo, I thought I was going to have a few tired
days and then be back to normal after each treatment. The first one was sort of
like that, but this second one has been a DOOZIE! I.Do.NOT.Like.It! (…picture
two-year old stomping and pitching a fit . . . yeah, that’s me.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s not just that I feel stir-crazy. It’s that I feel
USELESS! I want to ACCOMPLISH something!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, here is where I’d like to insert great wisdom of how I
snapped out of this bout of “<b>Opti-rectalitis: </b><i>a condition where the optic nerve
and the rectal nerve get tangled up, giving you a crappy outlook on life.</i>” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Um . . . I didn’t come up with that . . . my former pastor in TN did . . . you
know who you are if you are reading this and want to claim credit . . . if not,
I’ll let you remain anonymous.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back to my point . . . I haven’t quite recovered from the
chemo OR the Opti-rectalitis . . . even though:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know this is temporary</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
know this is normal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know my hair will grow back (hopefully)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know the main
thing is for me to get well and not worry about doing something useful</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know
God is teaching me</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know God is strengthening me</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know I am loved by Him
and by SO many people whom I’m SO very thankful for</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and I know each day is a
gift . . . regardless of what I accomplish in it</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still, right now, I’m struggling to joyfully accept those
things as being enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I am thankful that I read today:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“O Lord, you have searched me and
known me!<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16242" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">You know when I sit down and when I rise up;<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> you discern
my thoughts from afar.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16243" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">You search out my path and my lying down<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> and
are acquainted with all my ways.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16244" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Even before a word is on my tongue,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> behold,
O Lord, you know it altogether.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16245" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">You hem me in, behind and before,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> and lay
your hand upon me.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16246" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> it
is high; I cannot attain it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span id="en-ESV-16247" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where shall I go from your Spirit?<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> Or
where shall I flee from your presence?<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16248" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">If I ascend to heaven, you are there!<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> If
I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16249" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">If I take the wings of the morning<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16250" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">even there your hand shall lead me,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> and
your right hand shall hold me.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16251" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> and
the light about me be night,'<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16252" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">even the darkness is not dark to you;<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> the
night is bright as the day,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> for
darkness is as light with you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span id="en-ESV-16253" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For you formed my inward parts;<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> you knitted
me together in my mother's womb.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16254" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. <br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Wonderful
are your works;<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> my
soul knows it very well.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16255" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">My frame was not hidden from you,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">when I
was being made in secret,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> intricately
woven in the depths of the earth.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16256" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Your eyes saw my unformed substance;<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">in
your book were written, every one of them,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> the
days that were formed for me,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> when
as yet there was none of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span id="en-ESV-16257" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How precious to me are your thoughts, O
God!<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> How
vast is the sum of them!<br />
<span id="en-ESV-16258" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">If I would count them, they are more than the sand.<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> I
awake, and I am still with you."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"> Psalm
139: 1-18</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am thankful that when I’m lying down and can’t
accomplish anything, or I'm in the dark and can’t seem to find the light of hope, or
even when I’m suffering from Opti-rectalitis . . . I am not alone. He is there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t have to accomplish anything to impress
Him or earn His approval of my day’s work. He already formed every one of my
days from before I was born, (even the ones like I’ve had for the last week and
a half). So, I can accept these days and just rest in knowing that He is there.
That is enough for today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I awake, and I am still with You.” Thank you,
Father! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By grace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="line" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Donna</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-48745709954984166702015-05-10T10:24:00.000-07:002015-05-10T10:24:36.109-07:00Mother's Day 2015 - The Gift of Perspective<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s Mother’s Day 2015, and I’m sitting in a hospital bed with
a cap covering my bald head and with chemicals and fluids flowing constantly
into my veins. Some Mother’s Days are tougher than others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think of other mothers on this hospital floor, and I know
some of their outlooks are not as hopeful as mine. I think of all of those moms
who have lost children they knew and loved and lost too soon . . . those moms who
never got to hear a first breath from their babies . . . those who still are longing
to be moms or maybe gave up on it years ago and have a giant unfulfilled hole
in their hearts. I think of those many children who want desperately just to have
a mom and those who, like me, miss their moms terribly, because they are no
longer with us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truly, some Mother’s Days are tougher than others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Surprisingly, this is not one of them for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, there are many other places I’d rather be. This is not
exactly an ideal Mother’s Day scenario. I’d love to be having a wonderful,
relaxing day with my family at home or embarking on some adventure with them. I
think of my own mother and how much I miss her and wish I could celebrate and
spend time with her today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yet, this Mother’s Day, I woke up overwhelmed with joy and
gratitude. I’m thankful that I have a family who loves me and never hesitates
to show that. My husband loves me and our family and takes care of, leads, and
serves us so diligently and faithfully. Our children love us and each other. And
. . . I am alive RIGHT NOW to experience all of that. Really, what more do I
need? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I think of my mom, whom I miss terribly and wish I could
talk to about what I’m going through, I realize that I’m sort of glad she’s not
here to watch me go through this chapter of my life. She would be so worried
and would feel so helpless. I’m thankful she doesn’t have to experience that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t say these things because I have a Pollyanna view of
life. I’ve not become some super-optimist or spiritual giant. I have had many
pity-party moments, days, and even months. And I’m not trying to blow off real
pain that needs to be felt and worked through, sometimes every year on days
like this for those of us who live the painful scenarios I’ve mentioned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just have been given an unwanted and yet very useful gift
this year . . . a gift of “Perspective” which I would have never asked to
unwrap. Yet, it is still a gift. It is a circumstance-sifter that reminds me that
all we can be sure of is the current moment. Yes, it’s cliché, but truly, I
realize today, more than ever, that each DAY is a gift. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I saw something this morning that said “Today is a good day
to have a good day.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From this moment on, I want to unwrap each day with hope and
gratitude. Whatever I’m going through, I want to sift it through my newfound gift
of Perspective and see how it looks when it comes out on the other end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No, circumstances aren’t always lovely or good or
comfortable, but today IS a good day to have a good day, because why waste a
moment letting disappointments suck the joy out of the NOW, the only thing we
can be sure we have? Why not reflect on the good things, because there are
many, if we take time to think on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; <br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> his
mercies never come to an end; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">they are new every morning;<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> great
is your faithfulness.<br />
<span id="en-ESV-20379" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“The Lord is my portion,” says my
soul,<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> “therefore
I will hope in him.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Lamentations
3:22-24<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">May you find the new mercies available to you today,
whatever your circumstances!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy “Good Day” to all of you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Donna</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-79140784451596224482015-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:002015-05-05T06:00:15.717-07:00Today is the Day . . . The Tree Will Be Bare.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the last few days, I fear that I have started to
resemble this guy:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBcdeUua4hCjrCzP4FO6nCFhTJ8oiKm5x64Bp9bjTd4ACo0hF8Zi1uFcYvH6MVxtgUqZRePRaJ4vxHLsa080HnNdzozbK_qx6oo26z2AIkctsaK5uFe7ZbrL6XnGtoaQ2ck7a0vepLfyc/s1600/Smeagol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBcdeUua4hCjrCzP4FO6nCFhTJ8oiKm5x64Bp9bjTd4ACo0hF8Zi1uFcYvH6MVxtgUqZRePRaJ4vxHLsa080HnNdzozbK_qx6oo26z2AIkctsaK5uFe7ZbrL6XnGtoaQ2ck7a0vepLfyc/s1600/Smeagol.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And while he seems content with his look, I have decided to go
a little more for this look:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNj4k8AVCmVV1mCFp0Wb7OmhIGicmXRp-0QRfa1Fx8uEN0eWfKSRNfkCPnjXYUUbDHmN9M4NS_cl2aG_uB51cSsg-oG8eU5-L0hlCn0cVe0IqGOW5MKyslI0YnuRgI1JJlcqZqAWqn6b1/s1600/GI+Jane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNj4k8AVCmVV1mCFp0Wb7OmhIGicmXRp-0QRfa1Fx8uEN0eWfKSRNfkCPnjXYUUbDHmN9M4NS_cl2aG_uB51cSsg-oG8eU5-L0hlCn0cVe0IqGOW5MKyslI0YnuRgI1JJlcqZqAWqn6b1/s200/GI+Jane.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today is the day I will have my head shaved. I will not bother with posting pictures, since I’m sure I’ll look just like Demi. ;-) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is going to be a tough day, but I am ready . . . as much as I can be. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fighting on,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Donna</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-54118706358510877722015-05-01T07:51:00.001-07:002015-05-01T08:22:33.760-07:00Like Watching Leaves Fall<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s been 14 days since my first treatment, and sadly, my
focus has turned to one of vanity. Like watching the first leaves start to fall
in early autumn, I’m watching individual hairs fall out each time I run my
fingers through, comb, or blow-dry my hair. This morning, I experienced the
first “breeze” as far more hair came out in my comb and had to be cleared from
the shower drain. And to amplify it, the sun shines through our bathroom window
like a spotlight right at the 15-minute timeframe in the morning when I fix my
hair. This morning, I watched one after another fall almost in a steady rhythm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I said, I realize this is vanity. Losing my hair is not
nearly as big of a deal as just getting well. Still it’s a part of the process
that, from what I read, most people dread the most. I’m feeling that now. So
far, no huge clumps have come out so I don’t look that different, but the pace
is picking up, and I imagine the breezes will grow stronger very quickly until
all that is left are the stubborn stragglers that refuse to let go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At some point, I will grow weary of seeing those tiny little
parts of who I am fall to the ground so submissively . . . and then I will
shave my head, like many choose to do. I can’t even imagine actually doing that, but there
will come a point, where I know that will be a relief . . . it will finally be
done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then, I can start a fresh season! I have prepared with a cap
for around the house and two wigs for when YOU see me. I warn you, they look
very different from what my normal hair looks like. I decided to buy the hair I
always WISHED I had, rather than try to match my own hair. I mean, since I can actually choose my hair, why not
pretend I’m a movie star? So, while I may look ridiculous, I’m planning to rock
those wigs! We’ve already determined that my family will know my mood by which
wig I choose for the day, and Eric has warned the kids to watch out when Mommy’s a redhead! :-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will choose to make the best of it, because really, what
else can I do. But, I am human and much of how women feel about themselves has
to do with their hair. As with many cancer patients, that part of me is being
stripped away, and I will be exposed before my family and those I choose to
show . . . and me. Of all of those, I know I will be the one who will look at
myself with the harshest eyes. My vanity will be a tough opponent, as I finally
start to look sick. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You see, I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard
people tell me how good I look (expecting me to look different than my normal)
or that I don’t look sick. I’ve taken comfort in that and have really lived in
a bit of denial of my cancer because of that. Once my hair is gone, there will
be no more denying it to myself. I will look sick. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think this will be a time of growth and self-pity and
figuring out where my security lies. I am not at all sure that I’m going to be
as brave and self-assured as I’d like, but I am thankful that my identity is
secure. God doesn’t look at the outside. He looks on the heart. My heart is His,
and I am secure in His love no matter what I look like or feel about how I
look. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Still, I may decide to get a tattoo, because bald women with
tattoos just look tough, you know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fighting on,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Donna<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-43509473384847029442015-04-20T11:59:00.000-07:002015-04-20T11:59:42.960-07:00Ramblings After My First Chemo Treatment<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday was such a good day after my first chemo treatment,
that I was not prepared for Sunday. I lay around the entire day and felt pretty
awful. It was discouraging after feeling so good on the day of chemo and the
day after. Today, I feel better, and I have a little perspective. I think
without the bad days, I wouldn’t appreciate the good ones as much. Today, I am
more thankful than ever that I have a bit of energy, and my stomach doesn’t
ache. Today, I don’t feel as fragile, and I now know that when those bad days
come, they won’t keep me down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On to my confession for the day . . . one thing I’m
struggling with right now is receiving help. I honestly do not like it. It
makes me feel like a burden, and it makes me feel weak. Many of you have
offered help and really, really want to do something for me. I’m much more comfortable
being on your side of things, and I much prefer it. Just like you, I mean it when
I offer, and it is not a burden to me to help someone in need. It’s a blessing when
that person accepts my offer! So, why am I struggling so much?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pride is the bottom line. I think we all think we need to feel
like we can do things on our own, but in times like these, I’m painfully aware
that it’s not the case. God’s children are all dependent on each other. He
designed it that way; we are one body. I think that is one of the many reasons
the Bible says to not neglect gathering with other believers and that we are to
do good and share what we have. We need each other for encouragement and
sometimes tangible help. When we act like we don’t, we rob each other of the blessing
of being in true relationship. And if I don’t receive help from you, how will
you ever feel free to receive help from me when you need it? I must let go of
my pride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I don’t really know what help I need right
now. I want to keep life as normal as possible for my family and continue normal tasks as I can, but I also don’t
want to overdo it when I think I have energy, only to come crashing down the
next day. Transportation for the kids to and from school when I’ve needed it
and food have been the most tangible things that have helped. Not having to
worry about the safety of my kids while I’m at appointments or whether there
will be food to eat when they get home are huge deals! My amazing husband is
always ready to grab something at the store and grill it, but it’s been so
wonderful for us to be able to warm something from the freezer or eat a snack someone sent for breakfast. Until now, I never realized what a huge deal that could be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unexpected cards, little gifts and gestures, texts that don’t
even require a reply, and flowers have lifted my spirits so often during this
time. I wouldn’t have thought of them as needs, but they’ve carried me through
some dark days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Encouraging comments on the various sites I’ve posted on and
reminders of God’s character and His Word have lifted me from moments of
depression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One more confession . . . while I do trust in God’s love and
the goodness of His plan for my life and my family, I do have down times. I don’t
want to give the impression that I am some superwoman of faith. <b>I am just a
pilgrim on a journey and the strength you think you see in me is not in MY faith
but in my God. </b>Most days, my faith is “as small as a mustard seed,” but my God
is much bigger and stronger than that. He is allowing me to go through this to
see just how great my need for Him is and to conform me more to the image of
His Son, and He will hopefully use me to comfort others with the comfort that
He has given to me along this journey. I’ve already received that type of comfort
from some of you cancer survivors who have reached out to me, and it does give
amazing hope on the dark days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the dark days do come, and the tears stream, and the
self-pity rears its ugly head, and the fear grips, but the prayers of many
carry me, and the strength of my God prevails. <b>Ultimately, my biggest need is
to rest in Him. I am needy. He meets my every need, often using His people.
Thank you for letting me need you!</b></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-53215972219676399872015-04-05T18:55:00.000-07:002015-04-05T18:55:39.101-07:00Easter 2015 -- A Death Sentence?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s Easter 2015. Much has happened in the first three
months of this year . . . many unwanted things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On January 7<sup>th</sup>, my eye started swelling. On January
16<sup>th</sup>, I saw the doctor and an MRI was recommended. On January 23<sup>rd</sup>,
I had an MRI that sent me to the hospital because of an “infection” it showed
that was touching the brain. On January 29<sup>th</sup>, a PICC line was
inserted to treat me with IV antibiotics for six weeks. On March 11<sup>th</sup>,
an MRI showed no improvement of my infection. On March 17<sup>th</sup>, a craniotomy
was performed to biopsy the area above my left eye. The initial suspicion was a
50/50 chance of infection vs. cancer. On March 24<sup>th</sup>, I heard the
words “high probability of malignancy” for the first time. On March 25<sup>th</sup>,
my diagnosis was made official: I have Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I face what the future holds for me now, there are days
when my mind wanders down the terminal path, that perhaps this is not curable.
I don’t dwell there, but I can’t help but see that as a potential destination
on my roadmap. Perhaps this is a death sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, as I reflect on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I
remember that we have all been given a death sentence. We have all been born
separated from relationship with God the Father. We are all God’s creation, but
we are not all His children. We are spiritually dead in our sins, and we would
remain that way without a Savior to rescue us. (Ephesians 2:1-3)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For me physically, with the wisdom of doctors and the
advances in medicine, my cancer diagnosis may not lead to death, but there is
no guarantee. No one can take my place to remove the consequence of this
growth, and none of those doctors love me enough to do that, even if they
could.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For me spiritually, there is no doubt that my prognosis
would be death, EXCEPT that Jesus COULD and DID take my place. Because of His
love and mercy, He willingly took the cancer of sin that had killed me
spiritually and put it on Himself, and He breathed His breath of life into me
as He died the death I deserved (Ephesians 2:4-10). He CURED me! I am no longer
sick, and there is no death sentence for me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My prayer this Easter Sunday is that all of you will
recognize the proper diagnosis in your own lives. No biopsy will show you the
condition of your heart, but rest assured, your condition is terminal if He has
not already cured you! There is no program, medicine, regimen, diet, or human
relationship that can change your prognosis. There is only One way to be cured,
and that is through the free gift of a selfless, humble, powerful, sinless
Savior. He’s offering you a cure today! If you have not already been cured, I
hope today is the day you receive a life sentence in place of your death
sentence!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He is risen!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-36173285003743445022015-03-16T16:01:00.000-07:002015-03-16T16:01:23.578-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I need this like I need a hole in the head . . . </span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">. . . has a new meaning to me. It turns out I DO need a hole
in the head, and that will take place on Tuesday, March 17<sup>th</sup> at 1:50.
This is a journey I had no intention of beginning, much less walking for weeks.
However, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” (Proverbs
16:9)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, here I am, walking on the path I didn’t plan but God did.
What to do with God in times like these? I’ve wrestled with this for weeks now.
Since my diagnosis, my great aunt has died, a friend lost twins before they
took their first breath, and a 12-year-old girl whom I never met but who still
impacted my life with her joyful smile, strong faith, and determination lost
her battle with cancer. They, and many others I know have walked a difficult
journey they didn’t ask to be on. So, again I ponder . . . what to do with God
in times like these?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some believe that if you try to live a “good” life, God won’t
allow bad things to happen, or He’ll at least fix them before they get too bad.
The problem with this theory is that each of these people who felt the sting of
death has loved and served God wholeheartedly. While none of them led perfect
lives, they desired God to be honored in their lives and lived out their
beliefs. I am seeking (imperfectly, of course) to do the same, yet, here I am
on this journey I don’t want to take.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am persuaded that the better plan than hoping bad things
won’t happen is to be prepared for whatever comes. That means you should know
what you believe BEFORE you have a need to live out the full extent of those
beliefs. This journey is where I will see what I really believe. It’s one thing
to say I believe in God’s sovereignty, love, and goodness. It’s another thing
to walk that out on the pothole-filled roads of life. Starting with a firm
foundation will steady me when the bumps come. If I believe this life is about
me and is mine to live as I wish for my own pleasure, I’m not going to be very
sturdy if this surgery doesn’t go smoothly or those biopsy results come back
with bad news. If I believe that my life is God’s to use for His glory, I will
trust that even this situation is meant for good by my sovereign, loving God .
. . even if it doesn’t look good to me. (Romans 8:28-29)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, what is my foundation? What do I believe? I believe that
God created man in His image. Man rebelled against God and sin entered the
world. Man was separated from God forever, but God made a way for that
separation to be repaired (John 3:16). He paid the penalty that we earned by
sending His Son Jesus to live the perfect life we could not live and to die in
our place, that we could be reconciled to Him. Jesus willingly paid our debt
and calls all who believe to confess their sinfulness and to turn from their
rebellion to Him and live a life that seeks to honor God (Philippians 2:5-11).
As His children, we are not promised a smooth path. In fact, He promises just
the opposite. (John 16:33 and others) However, He also promises to be with us
always. (Hebrews 13:5 and others)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What does this have to do with my situation? Everything! If
I believe in God’s plans and purposes, I will not be deluded into thinking that
my life is about my happiness. Rather it is about Him being known to those who
are in need of His salvation, and it is about my growing in holiness, that I
might be more like Jesus. Sometimes, He chooses to do that through prosperity,
comfort, and an easy path; but often, it is through hardship. Joseph was
betrayed by his brothers and wrongly imprisoned (Genesis 37); David was on the
hit list of the king he faithfully loved and served (1 Samuel 19-30); Paul had
an ailment God didn’t heal (2 Corinthians 12:7) and was beaten, imprisoned
(Acts 16 and others), and died for the sake of Jesus; and Jesus took the weight
of sin that was not his to a cross where he died a brutal death (John 19,
Philippians 2, and others). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They all realized that this life was not about their comfort.
They knew it was about God’s story, not theirs. So, here I stand with wobbly
knees, walking head-on into a stormy and dark path. I know that this story is
not mine, though. It is another small chapter in God’s story. Through this
trial, I hope my faith will be proven genuine as I keep my eyes on the cross of
Jesus Christ and trust that this is the path He wants me on for His glory. (1
Peter 1:3-9)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My fears for my children’s future and the possibilities of
what they may have to face as a result of this situation cannot trump my belief
that God loves them as much as He loves me. Whatever happens, if they are truly
Christ-followers, He will take care of them (John 15:12, 1 John 31-3, and
others) and guide them on the path that will make His story bigger in their
lives than their own story, and it will be good. (Romans 8:28-29)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, here I go. Lord, help me to persevere in this trial and
fight with everything in me to beat whatever this thing is, but help me to also
live out what I believe, that “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians
1:21). I have no intention of dying anytime soon, but either way, I win. Help
me to remember that and to love you more deeply every day, knowing that you are
good and holy and you have lavished your love on me and my family. (1 John 3:1)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-86136104146273691452014-10-08T11:36:00.001-07:002014-10-08T11:36:42.550-07:00Addicted<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am an addict. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am addicted to something I’ve never even had. I know it’s
something I need, though, and it would make my life so much better. In fact, I
crave it every second of every day. Oh, my desire for it is sometimes disguised
as other things, but it’s always lurking in the shadows, just beyond my reach.
Sometimes, I want it so much I can taste it and I do whatever I can to have it,
knowing deep down that I’ll never acquire it, but feeling somehow that I must.
Other times, my desire for it drives me to despair. Still, other times, I’m
sure <i>you</i> have it . . . and <i>she</i> has it . . . and <i>he</i> has it . . . and I.WANT.IT! And then
there are those times that I think you <i>should</i>
have it, and you should display it to me to fulfill <i>my</i> desire, but you don’t and you won’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What is this intoxicatingly powerful thing I so desperately
need? <i>Perfection</i> . . . just
perfection! If I could just have it, I know I would be fulfilled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are many character flaws (i.e., sins) I have struggled
with in my life, but I have never been an addict . . . or so I thought. At
times I have been proud, lazy, discontent, aimless, selfish, fearful, critical,
impatient, harsh, and I’ve even been a “perfectionist” (which I used to see as
a positive). I’ve also been depressed, short-tempered, a nagging wife, and an
exasperating mother . . . but never an addict. Nope, I’m good on that one . . .
except, I have been . . . and I <i>am</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Recently, as I was spending some time in prayer and Bible-study,
my addiction punched me in the face and then wrestled me to the ground. I
actually read “Perfection is an illusion<w:sdt citation="t" id="-690841954"><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> CITATION Lys14 \l 1033 <span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--> (Terkeurst, 2014)<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>,” in my Bible study
book. The author proceeded to list some specifics: “There is no perfect job. There
is no perfect school. There is no perfect spouse. There is no perfect ministry.
There is no perfect way to raise kids. There is no perfect house. There is no
perfect route. There is no perfect decision.<w:sdt citation="t" id="-1013447819"><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> CITATION Lys14 \l 1033 <span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--> (Terkeurst, 2014)<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>” What?!?! That is
nonsense! It must be! How can I want it so much and it not even exist?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, I say that I know there is no such thing as a perfect
decision, and I subscribe to the belief that God gives wisdom to those who ask
(James 1:5) more often than giving specific signs. I believe that as long as we
are seeking Him and walking in His precepts, He gives us liberty to do what we
think is best. The problem is, <i>perfection</i>
is best -- and I want it! How can we have liberty to make a choice, because
SOMETHING has to be the <i>right</i> choice,
right? One choice has to be better than the other, doesn’t it? And how will I know
which one that is? I need to get it right! It needs to be perfect!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And by the way, you do, too! Or I’m not happy with you. You
see, this need for perfection in
everything is that addiction that lurks in the shadows, sometimes, disguising
itself as other things; that thing that others sometimes seem to have when I’m
so aware of my lack and need of it; that thing that I’m sure you should be able
to provide for me, yet you refuse. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is where there is a head-on collision
of what I think should be and what is reality. Recognizing my addiction has
revealed to me that:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m proud, it’s because I think I’m pretty close to </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> . . . at least in some area
where you lack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m lazy, it’s because I can’t achieve what I think
I ought to be able to achieve </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfectly</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m discontent, it’s because life isn’t </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m aimless, it’s because I haven’t figured out the </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> path for my life at a given
moment.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m selfish, it’s because I want what I want, which
would be </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m fearful, it’s because something I do (or don’t
have the courage to attempt) might not be </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m critical of you, me, everyone, and everything, it’s
because none of it </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfectly</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> pleases
me.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m impatient, it’s because my needs or wants weren’t
met in the </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> time and method.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m harsh, it’s because I’m trying to show you where
you aren’t </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> . . . so you can
be perfect next time.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m a perfectionist, it’s because well, I want it .
. . all of it . . . to be </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m depressed, it’s because I am, or life is, not </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m short-tempered, it’s because you’re not </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m a nagging wife, it’s because my husband is not </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I’m an exasperating mother, it’s because my children
are not </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">perfect</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, you see, all I need is perfection! Then, it would all be
perfect!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Aaarrgghhh! So, this whole “Perfection is an illusion,”
route is very unsatisfying. Why do I crave something so deeply and completely
if it doesn’t exist? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am thankful to say, that as quickly as the realization of
my addiction knocked me out and wrestled me to the ground, the balm of healing revived
my heart!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While perfection may be an illusion in this messed up world
we live in, it DOES exist. Jesus IS the “Perfect.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He is the perfect I long
for, and that is why I know the craving, why I even know that lack that I have
and that there is something more that I need. I have seen a glimpse of
perfection, and I want it . . . so much that I ache for it continually. I am
persuaded that He put that longing in my heart, not so that I can seek perfection
in you or me or this world only to continually be disappointed (not to mention,
steeped in sinful reactions because I’m not finding that perfection) but to see
that things are NOT as they should be in this world, and nothing will fully
satisfy that longing here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is only ONE Perfect. He is the image of the invisible
God (Colossians 1:15-20), whose way is perfect (Psalm 18:30) the only One who
can fulfill my need for perfection. And He did. He is the Perfect Sacrifice
that took away my sin, that gave me hope, that gave me life, that will ultimately
make <i>me</i> perfect (Hebrews 10:12-14). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My longing for perfection, now that I see it for what it is,
should continually make me long for HIM, to know HIM more, to reflect HIM more,
to see you and me and others with HIS eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lord, help me to continue to crave this perfection I’m
addicted to, but help me to look for its satisfaction ONLY in You, The True Perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476608856062770893.post-76380035225105308552013-11-04T08:39:00.000-08:002013-11-04T08:39:41.508-08:00Remembering the Journey<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. There is just
something amazing about seeing new places for the first time. Sometimes,
though, the best journey is to retrace the steps of your past paths. The first
trip never uncovers all of the wonders of the surroundings. Going back to see
what you missed is a wonderful way to discover a new appreciation for the
places you have been.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently, I had the opportunity to do just that. I was asked
to share “my story” at a large Bible study gathering. As I retraced
the steps of my past, I discovered a fresh dose of God’s grace. It was there
the first time and every time I have been back. Still, each journey down the
roads of the past causes me to discover a view I missed the first time and to
once again be in awe of the God who never left me by the wayside when I detoured
from the way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, on my wedding anniversary, I’d like to share what I said to
the ladies last week. The journey is a bit long and the road is rocky, but
should you choose to read my story, I hope you will be reminded of God’s grace
in your own journey and will revisit your own beautiful destinations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(As you read, it might be helpful to know that our Bible study is on Deuteronomy and the journey of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery to the freedom of the Promised Land.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I don’t have time to tell you my story of salvation this morning, but I’d
like to share my Israelite story with you. It’s a tale of having a godly
heritage, turning away, then being redeemed and blessed beyond measure by a
gracious God, and finally, the need to pass on our faith to the next
generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Like the Israelites, I came from a godly heritage. We
did the things we were “supposed” to do: went to church every Sunday, prayed
before meals, and didn’t participate in what many would consider the worldly
things. But we also didn’t engage in discussing what we believed or why we
believed it. We just sort of coasted on what we knew. So, when my biggest test
of faith came, I was not prepared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Skip to when I graduated from college and moved to Florida.
I started working for my brother and planned to do that temporarily and then
move to Nashville to try to become a Christian singer. Instead, I fell in love
with a coworker who was a great guy and treated me better than most of the
Christian guys I had dated in college. Problem was, he was an atheist. At first,
I thought I’d just “missionary” date and that he’d surely become a Christian.
However, I quickly found myself in over my head. While he told me that I was
the only Christian with a brain that he’d ever met, I quickly found that my
Christian brain was failing miserably. I could not effectively explain what I
believed or why I believed it when he challenged me. I would give a couple of
verses or maybe what I call Christianese answers, like “I just know that I
know,” when I didn’t know how to answer his questions, and he would shake his
head at me and poke holes in my answers. I found myself shaken and confused. I
asked him to just investigate Christianity and give it a solid chance, and he said
he would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the meantime, I started living contrary to everything I
said I believed. (As the Israelites fell into idolatry when they did what was
right in their own eyes, I also fell into the idolatry of wanting a man more
than I wanted God.) I stopped going to church and even stopped being able to
pray. I would ask others to pray for me, because I just couldn’t face God, and I
didn’t know how to give up what I wanted. For a while, this guy stayed true to
his word to look into the claims of Christianity, but with me not really
walking with the Lord and not being much of a “missionary” girlfriend, he
quickly lost the urgency to do it. Over the course of our 2-year relationship,
there were many break-ups and difficult times as I struggled with conviction in
my heart, and I finally decided the only thing I could do was to leave town or
to accept that my distance from the Lord would be permanent, because I saw no
way that this guy would ever become a believer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before I worked up the courage to walk away, though, we took
a little trip to the Florida Keys. This guy had his private pilot’s license,
and the trip was only a couple of hours, so off we went. (Keep in mind, I’m
skipping a lot.) On our way back, we hit some unexpected bad weather and were
blown off-course over the Everglades, which is a huge swamp area where there are almost
no landmarks to get you back on track. We started getting low on fuel as we tried
to find our path again, and the wind shears were throwing us around like a rag
doll, bouncing us up and down with huge roller coaster drops. I was certain
this was God’s punishment and my just end as I saw my life flash before my
eyes. Little did I know that my atheist boyfriend was in the pilot’s seat “making
deals” with this potential God, that if God would get us down, he’d start
really studying the claims of Christianity again and trying to believe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fast forward . . . God DID get us down, and I started noticing
apologetics books, which explain and defend Biblical doctrines, lying around
the house. Within the month, he started going to church with me. (I had started
going again after the plane incident.) Another month went by, and one day, I
noticed he took the bread when the communion elements passed by. I thought I
was going to jump up and scream right there, and he just looked at me with a
sheepish grin. After that church
service, he told me about his “deal” with God and said that once he started
studying the evidence, he realized that there was no other valid explanation
for our existence other than God and His explanation for things in the Bible.
While he had believed intellectually for a few weeks, he had wrestled with his
pride, not wanting to admit he was wrong. (He had been a fairly proud and vocal
atheist.) But now, he could no longer go on as if he didn’t believe, and he
surrendered his pride and his heart to the truth and grace of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fast forward to the rest of our lives . . . God brought both
the proud atheist and this wayward Christian through the wilderness and to
repentance, and we were married (and have been for almost 18 years). Within a
year of Eric’s conversion, it is bittersweet for me to say that he knew more
about Christianity than I did, though I had been in the church from the womb.
God’s Spirit moved in Eric in such a way that he started listening to preaching
in his car, reading apologetics books, and devouring the Word of God. God put
men in his life who invested in him and lived out an example of a godly life as
a husband and a father. While we have had much baggage to deal with in our
marriage, God has shown us just how amazing His grace is to redeem the wasted
years! He eventually even blessed Eric with the amazing privilege to be an
elder at our church in Atlanta. Now, Eric is passionate about teaching our
children (and anyone who wants to listen) to know what they believe and why
they believe it and is passing on a deep faith to the next generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some things I want to say in closing as I reflect on these
chapters of my story (and I am saying these things to myself as I say them to
you):</span></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I do NOT recommend missionary dating OR ANY
OTHER disobedience to God that we might be tempted to justify in our minds!
</b>Although God was gracious in my situation, not all of these stories turn out so
well. As with the Israelites, there are consequences to disobedience, even WHEN
God redeems those wasted years. I am so very grateful to say that God’s grace
brought about Eric’s salvation in SPITE of me, not because of me, but we have
suffered many consequences of our sin in our marriage.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Know what you believe and why you believe it, so
you will be ready for the day when your faith is challenged or tested.</b> I can’t
stress this enough! Whether through the verbal challenge of an unbeliever or
the circumstantial challenge of tragedy, or even success (as God warned the
Israelites would happen to them), your faith will be tested.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Don’t grow complacent in your knowledge and study
of the Lord.</b> He desires and expects us to know Him deeply and intimately. We
cannot coast in our faith, assuming we have the Lord figured out or that we
have mastered the Gospel, or we will eventually be like the Israelites who
forgot who the Lord was and what He had done for them and what He required of
them. We must continually preach the Gospel to ourselves, so that we remember
what He has saved us FROM and what He has saved us TO, and avoid having the
forgetful and hardened hearts the Israelites had.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>ZEALOUSLY teach the next generation. </b>Moms,
grandmothers, aunts, teach the children the truth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6
and many other passages command God’s people to pass on His truth to our
children, and in 1 Peter 3:15, we’re commanded to be ready to give an answer to
anyone who asks of the hope that is in us. It is not something that the church
pastors are solely supposed to do. WE are commanded to do it, when we sit in
our houses, when we walk along the way, when we lie down, and when we rise. Many,
many studies show that churched people walk away from their faith in the years
after high school. I believe it’s because many never fully grasp the truth of
the Gospel. They coast through the easy Sunday School answers but when trials
come, they don’t know how to fight the hard questions of the faith with the
knowledge of the truths of God, and they end up frustrated and confused. We can
combat this within our families by knowing the Word of God and passing on a
love for it to the next generation.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Finally, pray and trust the Lord. He is
sovereign, AND He is good.</b> If you or someone you know is struggling with a
situation that seems hopeless, remember that as with the Israelites, He knows
your heart, the giants of life that you will face, the wildernesses you may wander
because of your own disobedience, and the idols that you need to rid yourself
of. Although things can seem daunting, pray and trust Him. He is the Lord, the
one who can bring YOU out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
out of the wandering desert of wasted years, and into the land flowing with the milk and honey of His abundant grace through Jesus Christ!"</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remembering,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Donna</span><br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03170315874737709236noreply@blogger.com2