This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! ~ Psalms 118:24
Dear Gemzar – *insert sarcastic tone here* Thank you so much for helping me recall the wonderful sensation of morning sickness! That was something I thought I would never, ever experience again, and my life-path was sorely lacking because of it.
Dear Zofran – *insert giggle and a Happy Dance here* Thank you even more for un-doing Gemzar’s trip down memory lane!!!
Dear Cherry Ames, Princess Pea, Architect and DirtBike – I love you.
Dear Mr. Pea – I love you more.
Keep the Faith.
::faithful – prayers of thanksgiving and joy for Jenny – Happy Birthday!; praying for Jane as she continues with her recovery from back surgery, embracing physical therapy; for my kids as they head back to school, for focus, enthusiasm and [of course] learning; for myself and Mr. Pea, for courage as we forge through this Chemo Valley.
::news from the cancer battlefield – Since I’m sure you’re all bouncing with anticipation to know what’s going on, I’ll just jump right in. We met with my oncologist Dr. Cloven last Friday to finalize “The Plan”. After much prayer and research, Mr. Pea and I had pretty much decided to go ahead with adjuvant chemotherapy to be as sure as possible that there aren’t any more cancer cells lurking and waiting to attack. Dr. Cloven’s commentary closed the deal. She said, “If it were me, and knowing what I know as an oncologist, I would do the chemo now. It’s easier to kill a few cells than it is to kill a tumor.” Yep. Exactly. That’s the grim reality of ULMS – if it comes back, its fatal; just a matter of how long you choose to fight against the inevitable.
So All-Righty Then. I get a port installed some time this week, and the first chemical cocktail infusion is scheduled for the afternoon of January 16.
::creative – Does halfway tidying the house count? Tossing out umpteen-year-old eyeshadow? How about dusting?
::pondering – Being bald. Really. Here it is the coldest winter in Texas in forever, and in a few weeks I won’t have any hair to keep my head warm. Why am I so focused on the bald part? Injecting my body with chemical poisons doesn’t phase me, nor does the thought of feeling tired and nauseous for months on end. But bald? I can’t stop thinking about it, and what it will feel like and look like. As with most things, I bet the reality will be a thousand times less awful than the anticipation. Besides, there’s a wig and dozens of beautiful scarves just waiting to be put to use.
::delicious –
::fun – DirtBike and I were mountain bike trailbulding on Saturday. That red squiggly line on the map is what we were working on. DirtBike cut down several trees; I helped clear brush off the trail and visited with my friends.
That’s me holding not one, but TWO pulaskis. Oh yeah. I’m a two-fisted privet mangler.
::fashionable – Brown dress pants, orchid purple sweater shell, marled navy, brown, orange and purple cardigan, brown boots.
::looking ahead – Gearing up mentally and physically for the huge task of traveling through this valley. I can rejoice, though, because I don’t have to hike alone.
Keep the Faith.
Happy New Year!! I really like New Year’s Day, complete with the grogginess that follows a night of staying up too late, noshing on rich tidbits and sipping champagne. I especially like watching the Rose Bowl Parade (all those flowers!), cheering through an afternoon of college football and eating black-eyed peas.
I really, REALLY like naming the New Year, a reflection I began a few years ago.
There is a common practice of “Naming the New Year”. This name serves as a focal point to direct our days, weave our weeks together and attach month to blessed month. Just as a North Star, or the straight arrow of a compass will redirect the lost, weary and confused, so our word for the year can gently lead us back on the path we have set out for ourselves. All steps are directed by God the Father, but the way in which we choose to walk is up to us. (From Jenny at Plain Grace.)
The coming year is going to be challenging for my family and me – I’ll be starting a full course of adjuvant chemotherapy to [hopefully] prevent a recurrence of the leiomyosarcoma. Despite the enormous task of “getting Mom well” ahead of us, our year is brimming over with the promise of good things! Cherry Ames graduates from college and will start working as a registered nurse; The Architect will embark upon his senior year in high school; Princess Pea will move forward in her studies as well, and DirtBike will learn how to drive the family car. Mr. Pea and I are going to take a post-chemo trip to Europe, something we have wanted to do for more than twenty years.
So many blessings, such an abundance of Grace. Every occasion is a call to rejoice in the beautiful-ness that is our life together. And with that, I choose to name my year…
For despite my fear that cancer will kick my butt no matter how hard I fight, despite my concerns for my husband and my kids as they step up to take care of me, despite all the other stuff scrambling for attention in my brain, life is good. And it’s not just the special occasions like graduating from college, or taking on a mountain bike race, or going on a long awaited very special trip. It’s the plain vanilla regular every day routine of work, school, play and church that is so wonderfully sweet, so amazingly precious. We have friends who love us and we eat and live indoors. We have health insurance!
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! ~Psalms 118:24
I’m going to be bald, exhausted and most likely crabby for many months…but I will Rejoice every day, and be glad.
Rejoice, my friends, Rejoice. Keep the Faith
Keeping the Faith 
You must be logged in to post a comment.