Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving is just a week away and the time of year that people take inventory of all the things that have happened over the past year that they are thankful for. 

I, on the other hand, give thanks to my Glorious God every single day. The year has had its ups and downs but the most magnificent news was in February when they said that my endometrial cancer was not active. (They do not use the word remission, but I am okay with that.) I have decided to wait until after the New Year to have any more testing done to see where I am with the cancer.

I am thankful to all of my family and friends that continue to support me.  I am especially thankful to my dearest and best friend Rebecca. God put her in my life to help me through all of this. She is the sister that I never had. I cannot forget Laurie who also is like a sister and is always available to make me laugh and take care of my cats. I do not know what I would do without these wonderful women.

There are so many things that I am thankful for that it is impossible to list them all for fear the list would go on and on and on. I put on Facebook last week that I was thankful for every breath I take – and that still holds true.

I pray that your Thanksgiving is filled with the joys of family, touched by the beauty of friendship, and warmed with the blessings of the day.

“It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor." 

~ George Washington

How can we not believe in miracles.

Jeff Markin: Back from the Dead, Reborn Into the Light

Click on the words above to see the video.

A true story by Helen Roseveare, Missionary

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. 

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. 

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). 

'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in  Central Africa  it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. 

'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. 

During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.' While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?' As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this. 

Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. 

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! 

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the......could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!' Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'

'Of course,' I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.
There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.
Let's continue praying for one another.

Autumn in Colorado

It is autumn in Colorado and this is the first year that I have had the opportunity to really take the time and enjoy the scenery. Rebecca and I took off after church on October 3rd and did a road trip down south - in her convertible. It was absolutely the most amazing, perfect time of the year to see the color changes. We returned on October 7th.

We drove from Denver to Montrose - Sunday, to Durango - Monday, to Blanding Utah - Tuesday, then back to Glenwood Springs - Wednesday, and back to Denver on Thursday morning. We were back in time to have lunch, get the bulletin done and attend staff meeting.

Switzerland America in Ouray

We took the Million Dollar Highway from Montrose to Durango - spectacular! And, on this beautiful highway we had a 20 minute delay for road work. Not a big problem we took lots of pictures.

As we left Blue Mesa Lake we had not picked up speed yet when a deer ran across the road in front of us. After stopping to look at us he went over the embankment. I jumped out of the car to get a picture. When I started to get back in the car it was rolling so I just shut the door. That is when I noticed that we were on the road - there was no shoulder. We were blocking traffic - including a police car. He waved everyone to go around us and came up on my side of the car. He wanted to know if we had a problem so I just blurted out that a deer ran in front of us. He asked if we hit - no. Were we okay - yes. And then I said "I just wanted to take a picture of it." He told us to be careful and not to stop on this section to take any more pictures.

We spent the day in Mesa Verde seeing the Indian dwellings. We had lunch in the park and actually cooked out on Rebecca' little cook stove. We had Salmon, corn on the cob, apple dumplings. What a great lunch. In fact, we only at out one time during the four days. Two of the places we stayed did serve breakfast so we took advantage of that.

Utah was breathtaking. Pictures and more pictures. The only problem is that pictures do not do this beauty justice. There was just so much to see in our short trip that it is hard to tell about all of it. This is the longest time that I have been in a car since before I got sick. I had a wonderful time but I have to admit that I was exhausted once I got back.

Thank you God, for the beauty around me everywhere,
The gentle rain and glistening dew, the sunshine and the air,
The joyous gift of feeling the soul's soft, whispering voice
That speaks to me from deep within and makes my heart rejoice.

~~Helen Steiner Rice

Mario

Mario is getting bigger and more beautiful as time goes on. He is a strange little cat but that is what makes cats interesting. They each have their own personality just like people. This picture was taken in his backyard. Notice I said "his" backyard. He never went outside until he moved in with Laurie. It is fenced in and the cats get to go out everyday, several times a day. They love the backyard. Laurie and/or Craig watch all three cats while they are out there.

I sure do miss him but he pays little attention to me when I am there. He has a new home and he is very happy there.

Last Saturday I went to Laurie's (they were out of town) to give Mo his pills (he has cancer). There are only about three of us that feel comfortable giving Mo his medications. Jan was there to feed the cats and she was still there and had the three cats out in the backyard (Mo, Noir, Mario). I saw Mario stalking something and then he finally pounced. It looked like a snake but it was weird looking and it kept curling around. It was only about 3-4 inches long, had little tiny black beady eyes, and it looked like it had been chopped off. It was about the size of a nickel in diameter. Mario kept putting his paw on it but I was afraid that he would try to pick it up in his mouth. I finally got a pine cone and pushed it under the fence. When I got home I looked it up on the Internet and yes, there is such a snake that is known as a blind snake. It has no teeth so it can't hurt the cats. Laurie and Craig have found their den but no one knows how many there are - just where there is one, there are more.

"How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." Psalm 104:24

Do you need washing?

(I have a friend whose sister has terminal breast cancer. She has been on chemo or radiation for over two years now. She has two teenage sons. I saw this story on her blog and borrowed it for my blog. I know that she would not mind if I share such a touching story.)

A little girl had been shopping with her mom in WalMart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence.

It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there, under the awning, just inside the door of the WalMart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, “Mom let’s run through the rain”, she said.

“What”, mom asked. “Let’s run through the rain”, she repeated. No honey, we’ll wait until it slows down a bit”, mom replied. This young child waited a minute and repeated, “Mom, let’s run through the rain!” “We’ll get soaked if we do”, mom said. “No we won’t mom. That’s not what you said this morning”, the young girl said as she tugged on her mom’s arm. “This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet”, the mother asked? “Don’t you remember”, said the little girl? “When you were talking to daddy about his cancer, you said, if God can get us through this, He can get us through anything!” The entire crowd stopped dead silent…I swear you couldn’t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one left. The mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

‘Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If GOD let’s us get wet, well maybe we just need washing’, mom said. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They got soaked.

They were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don’t forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and time to every purpose under heaven.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

"I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN!"


Speak of God, for God, with God. 
~C. McAuley

I am a 10 on the scale 1-10

Today I had my last appointment with my surgeon. The very day I have been waiting for - it has been over two years since I have not had a doctor's appointment and this is going to be a much needed reprieve. Only God knows if/when this will all start up again so I will continue to take it one day at a time. I also will continue to get my blood markers done, and PET scans only if my oncologist feels it is necessary.

When I went to her office I knew that the seroma was gone and there was no more accumulation of fluid. She said she wanted to see for herself and after careful examination she admitted I was right. She once again gave me the "pep" talk about chemo and radiation therapy and requested that I go talk with the radiologist. My answer was - "no"!

I have full range of motion with my arm so she put "excellent" in my chart with lots of exclamation points. She then asked if I wanted to continue visits or did I want to call her if I needed something. I bet you can guess which option I chose. She gave me a hug and said that she hoped not to see me again under these circumstances.

I give all the glory to my God. Praising God will renew and rejuvenate you. Psalms 59 "I will sing of your strength in the morning and I will sing of your love for you are my refuge in times of trouble."

Seroma

"There are extraordinary moments in our lives when we are certain a Divine Hand has brushed our cheek, wiped our tears, and graced our hearts with a glimpse of eternity." ~Susan Duke


When I returned from Omaha I had an appointment with my surgeon. The seroma, this time, was only a third of what it has been so I feel that it is starting to slow down. I choose not to do another procedure with Interventional Radiology. My surgeon confirmed that I know my body better than she does and will respect my decisions. Although, she does get her little dig in each time about doing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. I told her that "if" the cancer comes back I will deal with it. I just want to live as pain free and productive life as possible. When God is ready to take me home - He will!

Since there will not be a lot to report on my health at this time. I think I am going to write about my many blessings starting with my move to Denver in 1996 and the reason I moved. It will be in segments and one at a time because it probably will turn into a book. But this is my journal of my journey and it is the only one I have, so I will keep writing.

A friend who cares

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.  The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. 

                                                                        ~Henri Nouwen