Thursday, December 4, 2014

The Finish Line

Today is the day!
Today, cancer got kicked to the curb, checked off my list, project completed, mission accomplished and all those other them there cliches.

Let's review the objectives/prayer requests from my first post:

  • That God is glorified in this journey.  (many of you have said yes, that one happened) 
  • Being cancer free is also very high on my list.  (as of today, YES!)
  • Prayers for the boys (and Janet) as we all process this info  (we've all processed well)
  • Focus at work (we’re kicking off a big new project this week).  (Project completed)
Woo hoo!!! 

I wish I could have captured the confetti throw at the radiation office on video, but there was no one else there to capture it so you'll have to enjoy the last dot coming off the door instead (Take 4 finally got it).  


I thought I would share what I learned from having Cancer.

  1. God is good.  All things work together for the good of those who love Him; according to His purpose.  
  2. There is good and bad along the way.  You can look for either one as you go, and you are certain to find what you look for.  
  3. Larry is a great caretaker.  He did just what I needed and backed off when I wanted to be independent again, but checked in often to be sure.  
  4. I have great family.  All had encouraging words at just the right time, shared fun pictures, stepped in and just did things, and J did a really good job of understanding when I was 'done' for the day.  Plus he convinced me to teach him to play tennis during all of this.   
  5. I have great friends.  From the meals, texts, rides, visits, calls, spa day, all were great.  It was fun to visit with each one, especially when we got to be together in real life.  
  6. Other people get sick and need prayer support in their life too.   
  7. Getting better is a process and it's good to have fun things to do, to look forward to, and to mark off even if the next thing is an un-fun thing. 

     (someone started a countdown to Christmas break today)
  8. God's word must be in your heart, your mind, and your soul before the trouble hits.  When you need it most, is not when you can look it up in your Bible or on your phone.  Every time I really needed it I was strapped/trapped on a table or machine and told not to move.  
  9. I felt better 99% of the time when I exercised, even when I didn't want to.  
  10. I can survive without sugar in my diet.  It took practice to say, "Oh, no thank you," but it wasn't my favorite thing.  I think I ate too many celebratory cookies today, and might need to take a break again for a few days.  



Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth. 

Karen asked if I had a theme song, and while I liked her suggestions, Sandy gave me this idea way back in April; Mandisa's "Overcomer".  Here's a link to watch it yourself.  


Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations; his marvelous deeds among all people.

I won't post as often going forward, but might have a thing or two to share and will.  :)  Thank you so much for all your encouraging words over these last many months.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Three to Go

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  Ours was very laid back and I got to do plenty of cooking, but didn't have to clean up every time, thanks Cousin Clayton, and that's always a great combination in my book.

I'm thankful that there are only three more zaps to go.

My skin is on fire.  It does not feel good and I am not able to sleep on my right side, which makes for a restless night.  My ideal sleeping pattern is to rotate like a hotdog at 7-Eleven.

Last week I got a new medicine to take away some of the heat and even Jackie Chiles told me I could put the balm on.

Dr. N2 looked at my skin today and said it looks hot (not in a creepy way), but good.  He was certain I would make it through the remaining treatments without issue.  I'm whiny, but I'm also certain I'll make it too.

I am also thankful that my brain was back to work today as well.

Of course I am thankful for God's strength in getting this far.  Just a little bit more to go.  I would still appreciate your prayers getting over the finish line.