"Quiet..."

For lack of a better word things have been 'quiet' lately; not to equate quiet with easy. Unfortunately, the word easy does not fit into the equation of life as we know it for any of us and especially mom. Quiet here just means nothing majorly unexpected occurred. An answer to prayer is that mom was able to get her blood drawn at the last lab appointment. Thank you for praying for her in this way. Even so, plans are in the works for her to have surgery to have a port put in. The appointment for the blood draw was successful but a struggle to say the least, so it's port time. We are grateful this is an option even though it is not desired. Our prayer is that this goes smoothly and is uneventful. She continues to take medicine to clear the blood clot that formed in her leg. The doctors feel certain this is working at destroying the clot. It is also a good sign that Mom is no longer experiencing the pain in her leg that signaled the problem in the first place. But we do ask for prayer as her stomach is beyond tender from this medicine that is given by means of injections. Pray for her as she endures this twice daily. Mom also completed her round of chemo for this month. Her body did not tolerate the 'medicine' as gracefully as last month; she experienced more sickness this time on top of the shear exhaustion that it brings. But Mom is amazing, and although her body did not respond as well, SHE tolerated it. Did I mention that she is amazing?! In all this, Mom continues to get stronger! She is working so hard; it's inspiring. As I said before, things aren't easy. She's in an uphill battle against a nasty Ogre who goes by the name GBM. But in the department of strength and endurance she's coming out victorious. She will be the first one to tell you that she is weak. And this is true. But more importantly she is stronger than she was even a week ago. (She will be the first one to tell you this as well ;) And she is gaining this strength even in the midst of chemo set-backs and a daily dose of muscle deteriorating steroids. (Both of which I consider a cousin to the Ogre) She has shown her 'might' in such considerable ways that her physical therapist is discharging her from his services. We are grateful for him; not only for his role in helping Mom start to regain her strength but also his twice weekly dose of care, kindness, stories and smiles. So what lies ahead for this month is a follow-up MRI. This is routine and will be happening on the 23rd. On that day, she will also have a consult concerning the port. Before the end of the month we will have the results of the MRI and have more details on the upcoming surgery. You can be praying that both these things go well, and that any anxious thoughts from mom and the rest of us will be put at ease. And in the meantime we continue to take a day at a time, count our blessings, and trust fully in our Lord God and Savior.

Truth-be-told, sometimes a day is too much to swallow. So instead we take it hour-by-hour. Pray for mom and the rest of us during these times that we will not forget to praise God for the blessings because they are NOT lacking. I am grateful that in these moments we are reminded what a mighty God we serve as we rest in the strength only He can provide. God is so good. Thank you for your continued thoughtfulness, concern, and prayers. Mom's LARGE card basket is busting at the seams. Even on the more difficult days when it is hard to force out a smile the love, care, and encouragement from you brought by the way of these cards helps to bring that smile out.

Thank you! Blessings to you all!