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| YAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
I'm overflowing with praise and thanks today....because my Mom is cancer free!! That's right, she had just about the best possible PET scan. When there is lots of hypermetabolic activity on a PET scan, that's oftentimes an indication of cancer, and those scans are said to be "hot." Mom's scan was completely COLD--paragraph after paragraph of phrases like, "NO HYPERMETABOLIC..." and "RESOLVED...."
Here is the "overall impression" from the scan:
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| Who knows what some of these words mean--but it's all good!!!! |
So what's next? Well, just surveillance now. She'll have to decide when to have her port taken out, and she'll have more scans every 3, 4 and 6 months for the next 5 years. After that, she can go down to one each year. Probably some of the best words she heard from the Oncologist today were "no more chemo!" (Chemo is a bit of a dirty whore. Albeit, she gets the job done!)
I just....am so overwhelmed today. I am so humbled and in awe of God and the blessings He's given us! We are so undeserving of it, but I am so thankful for His grace that is promised to us each day. It is new every day! Not just some days...EVERY day! It doesn't mean there's always a happy resolution to cancer, but it does mean that we can get through it. We can choose to believe there's something we can learn and take from EVERY situation in life.
Probably almost a year ago, I found out my kitty had cancer. Now, she's cancer free, hopping around on 3 feet like a champ.
About 6 months ago, I found out my Mom had stage 3 lymphoma, and she's here, healthy, and cancer free today.
Recently, I had to take a 50% pay cut...and now husband is slated to get a promotion that will likely make up the difference.
We are blessed, people. All of us. And not just in the midst of our circumstances, either--THROUGHOUT them. These trials have molded (and continue to mold) me in positive ways that I had no idea they would--in all areas of life. We all have the power to decide how to respond to tough stuff. Those things can just be problems, or they can be opportunities--but it's always a choice. I would say a much easier choice when you believe things like this:
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| If He says it, He doos it. |
When I was locked in the bathroom with 3-legged Jo, I spent my time reading excellent, Godly books about marriage that have strengthened husband and I.
Out of this crisis with Mom has come a deeper relationship with Jesus than I have ever had, and a deeper reliance on Him. Anxieties start to fade away, and it becomes easier and easier to spend my time thinking about reasons to be thankful instead of reasons to worry or fear. My prayer this morning was not simply, "Lord, please let her be cancer free." It was, "Lord, I really want her to be cancer free (duh), but THANK YOU that your ways are better than mine--regardless of the outcome today."
Releasing worry about money has led to weekly random acts of kindness each Sunday, where husband and I give something to a random person we encounter that day. Side note--this is so much fun. From giving a $20 to the person behind us at the grocery store, to adding an extra $20 to a waiter's tip...people are so shocked when you give them something for nothing. There should be a lot more of this in the world, if you ask me!
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| Love this. We all always have SOMETHING we can give to others. |
Life will always be a journey with ups and downs. And I'll probably always struggle with lots of the same old struggles. But one of the wonderful things about being human is that even if you can't change your circumstances, you can change your thinking. The human brain NEVER stops maturing. As long as you are alive, you can continue to mature in your thinking, your learning and thus, your life.
So I say again...I am a thankful little bugger today! And I shall leave you with some wonderful words from Helen Keller, which, I think, sum up the kind of mind I want to have each and every day.
"Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."
-Helen Keller
Hugs and love to each of you,
S
