I'm Thankful

Ginger's lymph nodes are slightly smaller!  Dr. H said that it would probably take a few days to get any response from this last one-two punch of chemo, but I honestly didn't expect anything.  Her breathing is a little easier, which is such a relief to me.  She even seems to be moving a little bit more quickly, which I take to mean that she feels at least somewhat better.  I'm not in denial, I know what's still coming, but at least it doesn't seem to be happening in the next couple of days anymore.  So, I'm very pleased.  And thankful.

I'm also thankful for my family.  My sister-in-law called to check on Ginger.  My sister & nephew called to check on me, as did a cousin whom I haven't talked to or seen in 15 years.  Granny gave her condolences when we spoke last night.  Of course, Mama & I talk daily, & she cries when I do & speaks God's truth to me.  Michael's right by my side, trying everything he can to alleviate my suffering.  And then there's my eternal family.  Several of my brothers & sisters in Christ have emailed, called, or left comments here to offer their encouragement & support.  I am so blessed to have so many loving, godly people in my life.  If any of these people are reading this, let me say that I can never convey to all of you how much it has meant to me to have your love & support.  I love y'all deeply & am thankful for you.  I'm blessed to have y'all in my life.

Things To Be Thankful For: Condemned Heaters

Man alive, has today been . . . interesting.  Not necessarily in a bad way, but certainly in a somewhat adventurous way.  It all started when flipping the switch didn't turn on our heater.  Not a huge deal - we are in the South, after all, & it's not been terribly cold.  By northern standards, it's probably bordered on summer-like weather!  This is also the third winter that we've had this issue.  The first time, it was easily fixed, & last year flipping the switch several times made it kick on.  That wasn't working this time, though, so we had to call our trusty electrician company.  Mark got it working, delivered the expected news that there was a part that needed replacing, & was just wrapping it up when we heard a very abnormal flickering sound.  It was obvious that there was a large flame getting too much oxygen in a very bad place.  Long story short, we now have a condemned unit because it is both a fire & a carbon monoxide hazard!  Obviously, we can't run it & have to order a new unit.  And tonight's supposed to be our first frost!

When Mark told us the bad news, I laughed & Michael said, "Well, God knows we're a one-income family trying to honor Him in how we live & give.  He knows we're financially stretched, & He has a reason for this."  All of that reading on suffering & God's sovereignty is seriously helpful when you're surprised with a situation like this.  Not that this is anything like what others are going through even as we speak, but it's still a little trial that presents an opportunity to fret & be upset.  God kept us from that reaction, & I thought it might be good to write down some of the things that I'm thankful for in this little predicament of ours (in no particular order):

     -Mark diagnosed a very serious problem before it became a very serious problem.
     -This didn't happen on a weekend, in the middle of the night, or in a snowstorm (hey, there's a chance it could happen . . . a very slim chance, but still).
     -We have space heaters, an electric blanket (thanks to a very quick trip to W-M), & warm clothes.
     -The dogs can be our bed buddies if we need extra warmth.  ;-)
     -Mark's already gotten the ball rolling on getting us a new unit, which will hopefully take place in the latter part of next week.
     -It warmed up a bit today, so the house wasn't frigid.
     -My very gracious Mama is going to be our financing department; we abhor debt, & it's a relief to not have to worry about interest.  We're incredibly thankful for my family's generosity in helping us out with this.  We will pay you back quickly!
     -We like the house really, really cold when we're sleeping; for the next couple of nights, we get that for free!  ;-)
     -I had an opportunity to show my faith in God & His care of us when talking to Mark about this unexpected little expense.
     -This is an opportunity for Michael & me to observe how God cares for us even in the unexpected, even when we don't have $4,500 saved up.
     -God is always faithful to care for us & uphold us in unexpected & scary situations.
     -God is always in control, even when we're not.
     -We got to see how little "in control" of our lives we are.
     -This is another way that God can strengthen our faith in Him.
     -If we ever sell, a new unit is a good selling point!

Isn't it funny how bent out of shape we can get when we don't get our way?  Yet, if that heater had come on like we had wanted it to, we could have been killed in a house fire or by carbon monoxide poisoning.  Rather than get all huffy about the incovenience, we're thankful that God had His way & preserved our lives.  No matter the situation, there are always evidences of God's grace.  Isn't He the most marvelous God?!

Ginger's Update

I'm just going to give a quick update about Ginger's cancer treatment for anyone who is wondering.  Since I last wrote, Ginger went through a week & a half on Prednisone to shrink her lymph nodes.  We were waiting to hear back from the oncologist that Dr. Hammond confers with, & in the course of that time (about a week), Ginger's nodes had grown & then - alarmingly - 2 other nodes that have never been there before suddenly sprang up & swelled up to tennis ball-size in a matter of days.  Poor Dr. Hammond's staff had to endure more than one sobbing/blubbering phone call from me.  They were so kind & caring.  Long story short, the nodes shrank with the Prednisone & we have had her in once for the administration of the drug that did wonders for her last summer: L-Spar.  She had a rough couple of days last week right after the chemo, but she's perked right up & is back to normal.  She goes in for another administration of L-Spar this week, & we'll find out at that time where we go from here.  I appreciate everyone's prayers & support more than I can say.  I know not everyone understands my feelings; a lot of people don't get as attached to their pets.  It's hard to explain, but I do appreciate your prayers & support.  Thank you.

A Heartfelt Thank-you

You're probably going to be shocked to see such a short post from someone as notoriously long-winded as me, but this is just a short "thank-you" to everyone who has reached out to me in loving concern over my last post.  You have encouraged me, prayed for me, & pointed me to Christ.  Thank you all for your love & friendship.  Thank you for being the body of Christ to me.  I love each & every one of you.

*Update:  A dear friend of mine just sent me this article from the True Woman blog that is toad-i-ly appropriate to my situation.  Just read it; you'll see.

Flip-Flops, Mud, & Tornados - A Bad Combination

This has been one heck of a week, thanks to my new need for crutches & what I call my "space boot". It's actually a funny story, if "funny" means "filled with pain, crying meltdowns, & frustrating dependence". Oh, yeah, & "family making fun of you hobbling along in your space boot". You may have heard about the storms that swept through our area last Saturday. We got lots of rain here, but the tornado warnings just danced around us without ever really twirling too close. Until late that evening. Michael had been at work for a couple of hours at this point, & according to the local stations, we were pretty much in the clear. Even so, I kept our weather radio next to me & the radar pulled up on the computer, just in case. Then, it happened. The radio blared that scary "emergency broadcasting system" noise that has never failed to unnerve me & started talking about a tornado warning for our area. I pulled up the radar &, sure enough, there it was - the first red block heading right for us. Heading right for us & supposed to be here in 15-20 minutes. Now, at this point, you wouldn't think that a girl who was raised in Tornado Alley would freak. But you'd be wrong. I freaked. I have yet to see a tornado, & I do not have any intention of disturbing this happy pattern. So, I ran around the house - frantically, I might add - gathering my things & ushering the dogs outside so I could stuff them in the car. 'Cause I ain't leavin' my babies. I would have taken the cat, too, but she had stubbornly hidden herself under the bed, & I didn't have time for a 20-minute furniture moving party. So, the dogs are waiting on the back patio, Ginger almost overcome with excitement because she somehow instinctively knows that she's about to go for a car-ride, one of her all-time favorite pastimes. Jake's not so sure about this whole thing, because he's the opposite of his sister. He's the only dog I've ever met who actually gets carsick. Literally. But we have to go. Michael & I have an agreement that I go to the hospital parking deck to wait out tornado warnings because he feels like concrete & steel are safer in that situation than wood on a crawlspace. Crazy man. Okay, so my sweeties are waiting on the patio while I run out to open the car doors so I can drag them over (I also couldn't find their leashes in my panic to flee from the wrath of the approaching tornado). Remember, it's been raining. Rain means mud. Mud that creeps over the edges of the carport & makes concrete slippery. Especially for flip-flops. Perfectly suited for those times when you're in panic rush-mode. The mud & my flip-flops became fast - though fleeting - friends. My left leg flew out to the side, & my right leg collapsed underneath me, sending me crashing to the slippery concrete, banging my knee really hard & twisting my ankle with a fabulous "pop" in the process. I'll spare you any further details about hobbling each of my darlings out to the car & driving to the hospital's deck while sobbing & shaking from the pain. I won't bore you with reminisces of my attempts to walk around my house later - attempts which ended with my collapse on the bed in complete emotional meltdowns because of the pain. Oh, & the tornado from which I so frantically fled? Yeah, it fizzled out before it ever reached us, before I even left the parking deck to drive home.

All sarcasm aside, as I was indulging myself in a moment of self-pity, I began to think of all the things I had to be thankful for in this situation. I'm a pretty optimistic person, & I do believe that there is always something good that comes from even the worst situations, always some lesson to learn. So that I wouldn't forget, I wrote them down & would like to share them with you. I want to give glory to God here for blessing me, even in this situation - which pales in comparison with those who were hit by tornados that night.

I'm thankful to God for:

-rain to water the grass & plants
-His protection from tornados
-a home that protects us from the weather
-radars & warning systems to alert us of bad weather
-Michael being able to sleep for work (due to lack of seriously severe weather)
-a safe place to go to during bad weather
-protection against possible danger in a public place
-the loving care of my husband
-medicine & bandages to kill & protect from germs & infection
-ice packs & Ace bandages
-a momentary reprieve from pain when I cried out to Him for help
-pillows to prop my foot up on
-my dogs' concern when I have a meltdown
-talking with a godly friend (right after one of my meltdowns) who shows sincere concern & points me to God
-Advil
-God's Word
-prayer
-sleep

I wrote all of these that night. Since then, I've found even more things to be thankful to God for:

-cooler weather that followed the storms
-thorough, caring doctors
-the continued loving care & help from my sweet husband
-crutches
-the workout my arms & back have gotten from the crutches
-a sprained, instead of broken, ankle
-my "space boot", which takes the pressure off so I can (oh so slowly) walk
-Advil (yes, I know I've already mentioned it. I'm very thankful for it!)
-take-out food (it's impossible to cook when you can't put weight on your foot)
-my foot is healing fairly quickly
-the care & concern of family & friends who have called to check up on me

*My most gracious heavenly Father, thank You for all of these things & so much more. Most of all, thank You for being my God & Savior. I love You. In Christ's holy name I pray, Amen.