A Winter View

Here is the view from our patio and living room window on a cold winter's day! Don't let the sunshine fool you! :)

Same Kind of Different As Me...

I have just finished reading a book which has had a most profound affect on me. There are a few books which I have read that have had touched significant nerves within me. I can probably list them on one hand. This book is one. I highly recommend it as a "Must Read" by everyone!

It is an amazing true story written by the two men it involves, Ron Hall, who is an international art dealer, and Denver Moore who could be likened to a modern-day slave, in every sense of the word. And, it also involves Ron's wife, Deborah, who brings these two unlikely men together. :)

Denver was a homeless man who Miss Deborah "latched" on to. Finally, Mr. Ron, gets Denver to go out for breakfast with him. As Denver finished his breakfast, he asked Mr. Ron a pointed question: "What you want from me?"

A direct hit, I thought, and decided to give him a completely unvarnished answer: "I just want to be your friend."

He raised his eyebrows in curious disbelief and a long mmoment of silence strecthed between us.

"Let me think about it, " he finally said.
I didn't feel rejected, which surprised me. Then again, I had never formally asked anyone to be my friend.

Fast forward a week....

"...He [Denver] stared down at the steam rolling up from his coffee cup. "I been
thinkin a lot about what you asked me."
I had no idea what he was talking about. "What did I ask you?"
"'Bout bein your friend."

My jaw dropped an inch. I'd forgotten that when I told him at the Cactus Flower Cafe that all I wanted from him was his friendship, he'd said he'd think about it. Now, I was shocked that anyone would spend a week pondering such a question. While the whole conversastion had slipped my mind, Denver had clearly spent serious time preparing his answer.

He looked up from his coffee, fixing me with one eye, the other squinted like Clint Eastwood. "There's somethin I heard 'bout white folks that bothers me, and it has to do with fishin."

He was serious and I didn't dare laugh, but I did try to lighten the mood a bit. "I don't know if I'll be able to help you," I said, smiling. "I don't even own a tackle box."
Denver scowled, not amused. "I think you can."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, keeping me pinned with that eyeball,
ignoring the Starbucks groupies coming and going on the patio around us. "I
heard that when white folks go fishin they do somethin called 'catch and
release.'"
Catch and release? I nodded solemnly, suddenly nervous and
curious at the same time.

"That really bothers me," Denver went on. "I just can't figure it out. 'Cause when colored folks go fishin, we really proud of what we catch, and we take it and show it off to everybody that'll look. Then we eat what we catch...in other words, we use it to sustain us. So it really bothers me that white folks would go to all that trouble to catch a fish, then when they done caught it, just throw it back in the water."
He paused again, and the silence between us stretched a full minute. Then: "Did you hear what I said?"

I nodded, afraid to speak, afraid to offend.

Denver looked away, searching the blue autumn sky, then locked onto me again with that drill-bit stare. "So, Mr. Ron, it occurred to me: If you is fishin for a friend
you just gon' catch and release, then I ain't got no desire to be your friend."

The world seemed to halt in midstride and fall silent around us like one
of those freeze-frame scenes on TV. I could hear my heart pounding and imagined
Denver could see it popping my breast pocket up and down. I returned Denver's
gaze with what I hoped was a receptive expression and hung on.

Suddenly his eyes gentled and he spoke more softly than before: "But if you is lookin for a real friend, then I'll be one. Forever."

This is just a very small example what the book is about. I really don't want to share any more because I don't want to take away from your experience of reading it, if you decide to do so. Oh, I hope you DO decide to read it. It is so worth it!!!

Broken Wrist Pics

These are a few of the pics of my broken wrist, my momento brought home with me from our vacation in Arizona. It was in several pieces, according to my surgeon, but now it is all together and aligned as it should be, as of this morning!! :) One handed typing is not my cup of tea so blogging may be a little slow for a few days. Pain meds :) do not go very well typing with both hands, much less one hand! Lol!!

Mexico!!!

I cannot believe I let my 4 year blogging anniversary slip right by me! But I did. You see, October 25, 2004 was my first foray into the blogging world. Oh my! I was so timid, unsure of what I was getting into, yet, on the otherhand, excited...eager to share with my niece Claire and get her to join me in this new adventure. I am so glad she did!!! Now, I have to say it was her brother Dan who enticed us both to try this new adventure. We three continue to uphold the family!

You might be asking how on earth could I forget this most momentous day?! Well, I was boarding a plane to Mexico!! Yes, you read that right...Mexico!
We stayed at the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta but toured all around Puerto Vallarto, too. It was the. most. posh. place. we. have. ever. stayed!!! It was a tiny taste of how the 'rich and famous' must live. Who would have ever thought last year at this very same time our Pilot Dad was so very sick, fighting for his life. And now, a year later we were on the beaches of Mexico.



We snorkled.














Of course we did the shopping/bartering in Old Town and strolled along the Boardwalk.




One of the other highlights was Pilot Dad para-sailing!



Not only did we spend lazy days around the pool, and in the lazy river.....

Then there was the day we went kayaking and spotted so many iguanas!


Not to mention the ones by the pool area...

So, from Pilot Dad and Pilot Mom we will say adios from one of the many sunsets we saw while eating our dinner on the beach!
This was a truly indescribable experience for us!!

Nana 08/20/1917 - 01/29/2001

~~~~Nana~~~~

August 20, 1916 - January 29, 2007

This was taken the day before her 90th birthday, the day before everything happened.









This picture of Nana was taken in the rehab center where she stayed until December 1, 2007.









Here she is back home December 8, 2006.




What can be said? I miss her terribly. Especially when I come in with "big" news. When I found out that my bridal veil was missing from my bride's box I felt such a loss not being able to turn to her and share my sadness.

I rejoice with her that she is out of her physical pain that her frail body endured for so many years. I rejoice that she is walking with her Lord, sitting at His feet like Mary, taking in all He has to share. I rejoice that she is in reunion with family and friends long gone. I rejoice that when I see her next we will both be perfect, just exactly how our Lord originally intended for us to be. Finally, perfect fellowship because God did everything for us. I'm so thankful He desires Relationship!

The Latest on Pilot Dad...

Here is the very latest news on Pilot Dad. We had an appointment with his radiologist today for a followup from about 10 or 12 days ago. Since then he has lost another 8 pounds. :( The infection is still ongoing. His oncologist ordered more blood work including a re-do of his calcium since that came back high. Tomorrow PD will go in to see his oncologist at 10:30 for a fungal and aerobic bacteria swab of the throat and mouth. Also the radiologist ordered blood cultures done today at the same time as the other blood work. Most of this we won't know anything for about a week.

The radiologist is beginning to think that maybe it is a deep tissue infection. She isn't sure if we should do another CT scan and compare it with the last one 3 weeks ago or would having a MRI be a better thing to do. She will be talking with the oncologist this evening and making a determination about that.

If it is a deep tissue infection then maybe iv's would be the way to go since the oral antibiotics do not seem to be touching it...at all. If they cannot figure out why he is so sick then he will be sent to an infectious disease doctor. His radiologist was kind enough to write to a note to his work explaining he cannot come back to work while he has this unidentified disease. She also didn't want him expending any more calories by working when he needs to be keeping the calories to put on weight. He seems to be losing the battle for weight gain. :( His wedding ring fell off the other day. :( He now weighs less than when we married.

As you go about your days would you lift PD before the throne grace whenever the Lord might bring him to mind? It would be greatly appreciated. Pray for the doctors to have wisdom, discernment, and attention to little details which may be of significance. Pray for PD to begin to gain weight, to stop running a fever, and begin to feel better. Pray for patience for me, that I not grow weary, and that I remain focused on the Lord's faithfulness, grace and mercy.

Update on Pilot Dad

As many of you know, Pilot Dad has not been feeling well since the end of August. We, being the medical experts that we are, thought it was thrush because of the coating on his tongue. He has had it several times throughout this ordeal known as throat cancer. He looked on his pill bottle and he still had a refill left so he got his antibiotic refilled. Normally after just a day or two of taking his antibiotic he would begin to feel much better of the thrush. But he still felt bad along with an awful taste in his mouth. In fact, he would go so far as to tell you this is the worst he has felt in all of the cancer treatment. I'm talking physically...the fatigue and general feeling of "ick" and "yucky" and to be more precise, to quote him exactly, "extremely crappy." (He is not including the pain stuff in this assessment.)

I called the radiology doctor this morning to see when we could get him in to be seen. After all, he still had the white "stuff" on his tongue and the terribly foul taste in his mouth, not to mention the extreme fatigue. How I praised the Lord because they put him in at the end of the day...but it was still today! He didn't have to wait until tomorrow!

She checks him out and tells him that she does not think he has thrush but he still needs to finish that antibiotic for the thrush. It is her thought that he has some kind of bacterial infection, hence the awful foul taste in his mouth and the general feeling of malaise. So she prescribed a different antibiotic to begin taking twice a day (amoxicillian). Hopefully this will get him back to liking the taste of food once again! And I pray he will gain some of his strength back so he can work more than his 4 hours a night. He will go back to see her two weeks from today.

We have been quite surprised because they had been telling us how fast you begin to recover once you can eat, and the radiation stops, etc. One day, all of a sudden he took a bite of something and spit it out because it tasted so awful. Once we get a few of the new antibiotics in him the food should begin to taste better again and I can go back to having a hubby who likes to eat again. I hate eating by myself!!!

I'll be blogging a little less today and tomorrow (Thursday & Friday) because we are getting new windows installed in our home! Yea!! This is the last major renovation for our home. We are done. Kaput. FINALLY!!! So, I'll be on, "lurking," and I may or may not post. I'm just pleased that our weather is going to be great for window installation. Yesterday and the day before we have had quite the storminess in our area which included flooding and trees being uprooted and, of course, the proverbial roof being torn off, and let's not forget the house struck by lightning which caused a fire! And over 50,000 homes without power! But tomorrow will be sunny and in the 70º's! You can't ask for nicer weather than that!

Conversation regarding death...

I had a discussion last week with several people. It began by an innocent comment involving the timing of a person's death. Now, I don't mean to step on anyone's toes at all. That is not my intention. The woman who made the surprising comment is a godly woman who I admire greatly and respect her even more. It had never dawned on me that she held this particular viewpoint. What is it you ask?!

The comment which had been made was, "Well, if our son were to die over in Iraq then I know that he would have died that same moment here at home. The Lord would have just used a different medium to accomplish His desired will." My friend then responded, "Well, God knows when you are going to die but I don't believe He has planned it. Since He knows the beginning from the end He knows when you are going to die."

I asked her if she had any Biblical support to back up her reasoning. She never really shared any, other than she did mention Hezekiah asking the Lord for 15 more years at the time of his near death. Of course, I had intended to use Hezekiah for one of my sources. :) (2 Kings 20:5-6)

I thought for a minute as other people were throwing out questions. Then I shared, "It seems to me that God Who, according to Acts, has "determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live," [Acts 17:26 NIV] would be in control of the times people die. Furthermore, I do believe that in Psalm 139: 16 it states very clearly, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." I went on and shared that God is so precise to know the number of the hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30) why wouldn't he also determine the day of your death?

The more I thought about it the more convinced I became. After all, God is not a god of confusion. Why would He be so careful about where you live, how many hairs He places on your head but not care about the detail of your death? Finally I thought, "God planned His own Son's birth thousands of years before He was ever born and prophesied when that would be. He also planned His exact hour of death. If God planned His birth and death why wouldn't He plan our births and deaths? Ours just aren't prophesied like Jesus' was."

I guess the above is why I believe that it isn't cancer that kills someone, nor is it a car crash, or war or any other act that is so often associated with death. When a person dies it is their appointment with God. God may have used the car crash, or the cancer or the "whatever" to accomplish His divine will, but He alone is the one who calls us before Him.

That for me, brings such comfort. However, I can understand why some people may not be so comforted with these thoughts. Hebrews 9:27 makes it very clear that it "is appointed to man to die once and then comes judgment..." My friend, if you are one who has not trusted Christ for your future won't you please do it now?

Cancer's Unexpected Blessings...

Cancer's Unexpected Blessings

When you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change.
Tony Snow

July 20, 2007

Commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced that he had colon cancer in
2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush
administration in April 2006 as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23
Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced that the cancer had
recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen-leading to surgery in April,
followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House
Briefing Room on May 30. CT asked Snow what spiritual lessons he has been
learning through the ordeal.

Blessings arrive in unexpected packages--in my case, cancer.
Those of us with potentially fatal diseases--and there are millions in
America today--find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our
mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the
height of presumption to declare with confidence what it all means, Scripture
provides powerful hints and consolations.

The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the why
questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick?
We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are
designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.

I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is--a
plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly,
great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a
central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give
out.

But despite this--because of it--God offers the possibility of salvation and
grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to
choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our
Creator face-to-face.

Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send
adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes
you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and
swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You
fidget and get nowhere.

To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into
life--and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this
earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction
that stirs even within many nonbelieving hearts--an intuition that the gift
of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken
enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, mind,
and faith to live--fully, richly, exuberantly--no matter how their days may
be numbered.

Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want
lives of simple, predictable ease--smooth, even trails as far as the eye can
see--but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He
places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and
comprehension--and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The
challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably
strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not
experience otherwise.

Answered Prayer

Well, our cooler is working again. Praise the Lord! I saw on one of the thermometers it was 105º F this afternoon. I was running any kind of errand I could think of so I wasn't in the hot house. What was the problem? We don't know. The circuit breakers or whatever it is on the fuse box all checked out perfect. I've laid down the law...if it acts up one more time...we. are. getting. a. new. cooler. Period!!! We aren't even in our normal time of triple digit temps yet.

So praise the Lord for His mercy in allowing the cooler to once again come on after dinking with it. I praise the Lord for the "investment" of numerous fans over the last several years. Downstairs, with the fans going, and one doesn't move much, it is significantly bearable without being too hot.

Jim went to church...nauseated, hurting, etc but it was good. He sat out in the foyer, on the couch, so he could get up and go spit etc as needed without disturbing anyone. One of the blessings about being in the Lord's house is we have a new air conditioning system in our church because we have a new church building. We had our first service in it back in March. It was a long time in coming but it was fabulous to finally be through with construction so we could worship in it.

He is not talking very much at all. Hurts too bad. The pain medication is being consumed again, right on time. :)

I guess that's about all for our day here. We are going to hit the bed early tonight so we can get up and get busy in the morning. Well, technically, that is so I can get busy in the morning. LOL!

Blessings to all! Thank you, Pilgrim Pals for all your prayers! And, thank you to everyone else who has been faithful to pray! Especially our family!!!

Only 3 more treatments!!!

This will be a very short post because I awoke this morning sicker than dog. (No offense to the dog world.) But of all the days to be sick...I couldn't believe it. We had a window man scheduled to come out to give us a bid which had to be canceled. Then, our furniture was due to arrive this afternoon and it did!! Pics will have to follow after I feel better. But PD had to take care of all that. Our good friend C drove him to his radiation treatment and will again if she is needed tomorrow. However, I am desperately praying that I will feel 100% better!

He only has 3 more treatments!!!

Only 4 more treatments left!!!

My prayer partner and I planned on getting together this evening for prayer and dinner. Actually we planned on it yesterday but a friend of ours whose husband is out of town asked to join us for dinner. That was okay because we had already set aside tonight too so we just decided that we would pray later this afternoon over an early dinner.

Again I am reminded to be 'flexible' when making plans. Right before C had called to tell me she was on her way, I received a phone call from an elderly widowed friend who is recently back in town, now to stay. It was her daughter and husband's anniversary today and they were off celebrating. She called to see how Pilot Dad is doing as well as myself. During our conversation she asked if we could go out to dinner tonight. I told her I would call her back and let her know.

Then the phone rang and it was C telling me she was on her way. I explained the situation, how my heart had been moved to include her in our dinner plans. We could still pray etc...So we decided to pray first then pick up S and we thought of another elderly widow, D, to invite. So I called S back and told her that C's husband was out of town too and, what would she think about inviting D along too? She was delighted with the whole idea! Well, it turns out it is going to be her birthday on Friday! So the two 70+ year olds and the 50+ year old women had a delightful dinner this evening.

I have to remind myself to remain flexible to God's leading and direction. I should not be rigid in my scheduling of my day but allow the Lord to direct my steps for His purpose. Two ladies were lifted up and encouraged this evening by the fellowship of two other ladies who were delighted to sit and listen to them share what was on their hearts and minds.

Now, I am off to bed. I do not want to be awakened in the middle of the night like last night. I want to sleep through until it is time to arise and face a new day...truly a gift from the Lord! :D

Only 5 more treatments!

Good morning, everyone! How did you all sleep? Well, I hope! It is quiet this morning. I awoke at 4 am and haven't been able to get back to sleep...yet. I kind of thought this pattern of mine had actually ceased but I see it hasn't totally gone. Do you realize that Pilot Dad has been off work for 3 months, 1 week and 2 days? That staggers my mind when I think of the time like that. In all that time he went in for 1 day of work. My starting point for all this was April 16th which was the day of his first surgery. And now, IT. IS. ALMOST. OVER!!!!!

The other countdown which we are experiencing is the date Pilot will arrive home for a short visit!! Only 17 more days! Pilot Dad's last day of radiation is July 17th and beginning today we only have 17 more days until we see PILOT!!! No wonder I am unable to sleep!! The thoughts just keep exploding in my mind, so full of joy and happiness, excitement, and did I mention JOY?!!!

Well, it's now about 5:30 am and if I want to be able to get through my day I need to go back to sleep for a short while. See you later!

Only SIX more treatments!!!!

A week from tomorrow (Tuesday) will be our last treatment!! If it is possible for 2 over 50 adults who are so tired and slow, we would almost be giddy! ;)

I'm listening to Pilot Dad as he composes a new arrangement of music on the keyboard. He plays by ear and "tries" to learn the notes but he sits and it just flows. The tune he was "composing" is so mellow and restful. Just what I need today.

Besides our heat hovering at 100º F or above we are having to deal with so many fires. The biggest one which has closed our major north/south freeway has now become the largest fire we have ever experienced in our state. So far, it has scorched 300,000 acres. They have had to close our freeway several times since it has jumped the road so often. We are even experiencing the gray haze of smoke in SLC. The last I had heard it was still 0% contained. It has affected us asthma sufferers something terrible. The fire began Friday from a lightening bolt.

All of this reminds me of an illustration I heard a number of years ago about surviving God's wrath. In the olden days when people traveled across our country by wagon they were sometimes confronted by a raging fire. The way they would combat the fire was to burn a large area themselves. Once the area burned is large enough and is doused out the family would go huddle in the center of their burned out area. The fire would burn up to their burned out area and then go around it, not touching the people in the protected already burned area.

Can you envision that same idea with the cross, with the blood from passover? We stand in His blood, claiming it for us, God's rage will pass around/over us since we are protected by His already spilled blood.

Colossians 4:2, "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it [prayer] with an attitude of thanksgiving..."

My Honey!! :D

My honey is home! I'm so glad. :D He is still pretty sore and won't be going to radiation today. He isn't able to stretch out far enough on the table for his treatment. So tomorrow he will go and try it.

We are waiting to hear from the home health nurse today so we can find out how to use it. It does look pretty simple so I don't think it's any big deal.

I have a cd playing old favorite hymns while I pick up and straighten up. The clutter is beginning to derail me and I can't have that!! After all, I just got it all cleaned up not too long ago!

Have a superb day, everyone! May you constantly be aware of His great blessings all around...even the smallest. Would you take a moment and thank Him for something that He brought your way today? Just a reminder...that "something" could be something which we think is a "negative" rather than a "positive." But when it comes from God, it is always a positive! So thank Him and give Him all praise, glory and honor today!! I know I am!!

It's done....

I just arrived home, feeding the dog as I came in through the door. A long day and longer still as I have two loads of laundry to do before going to bed tonight. However, Pilot Dad came through the insertion of the feeding tube superbly. He wasn't feeling "superbly" when I left as the morphine had not kicked in. Whatever they used to numb the abdomen began wearing off late this afternoon. That produced cramping in the abdomen area at the point of insertion. Me thinks the body likes to reject foreign objects. ;) Seriously, he was hurting but had managed to eat (by mouth) 1 small bowl of jello, 1 bowl of beef broth, and 1 small carton of apple juice was downed. Tomorrow we will get instructions on how to use it etc. He is glad he is staying overnight since the pain began. The convenience of the nurse just putting the morphine directly into his IV line is wonderful. (And I am not having to do it!) ;)

Thank you for all your prayers. Knowing that people are before His throne of grace on our behalf warms us all over. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Prayer request...

Pilot Dad is being admitted to the hospital tomorrow (Wednesday) at 9:00 am for a feeding tube to be inserted. It is required for him to stay overnight to make sure there are not any complications. He will undergo anesthesia so prayer is requested for no complications to arise with that. And for a safe and normal procedure to take place. Thank you for your faithfulness in praying.

We are reminding ourselves when we can't, He can!!!

Thanking the Lord....

We had a great weekend. Filled with fellowship. Friday we went out to eat with friends and then on to an open house for dear friends of ours who have been medical missionaries in Nigeria for the last 20 years with Campus Crusade for Christ. They are now moving to Rochester, Minnesota where he will practice at the Mayo Clinic. He will also continue his research work into rickets.

Saturday we went down to our friends in Orem and were going to go on a picnic up in the canyon. However, our temperature was 100º F and the heat zaps any strength out of Pilot Dad so everyone opted for a picnic indoors where we could enjoy good old central air conditioning. :)

Then for Father's Day we went over to our best friend's home and celebrated the day together. Their daughter H's husband is in Afghanistan, so she was there with her two children, their other daughter, G, was there and then us. It was a great meal. Teriyaki chicken done on the grill, fruit salad, a jello salad with "frosting" (whipped cream), corn on the cob and homemade ice cream for dessert!! I am praising God for good food which nourishes our bodies.

We have found that Pilot Dad does better on his eating in a social situation. He picks and eats but manages to get some food down while everyone is visiting. This weekend the winners were the corn on the cob and watermelon. :) However, as the doctor reminded us today, they have no calories and no protein. I praise the Lord for good friends who help us get through the tough times.

Speaking of the radiation visit today...we saw the doctor after PD had weighed. :( He has lost 10 pounds since last Monday. The doctor was not happy with PD...well, she was not happy about the loss of weight. PD feels so bad about not being able to force himself to eat. He thinks he is "woosing out" but I tried and the doctor tried telling him that there is nothing wrong with going with the feeding tube. My thoughts are praising the Lord we have such things in this day and age. It wasn't too long ago where feeding tubes didn't exist. So, Wednesday morning is the big day. After inserting, he cannot use it for 24 hours. We will be set up with a home health nurse who will come and teach us how to use it and will bring him the supplies needed. I praise God for the medical advances we have at our disposal in this day and age.

This morning was a good morning to trim the bushes and trees out back. One of our pastor's sons offered to come over when we were visiting Friday night. His wife was at work and he had the day off so his help was greatly appreciated. Jim "supervised" and Jesse did the work and climbed up on the ladder etc. They almost finished but J will come back next week and finish up. I am praising the Lord for His continued blessings when we are in need.

"Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places" (Habakkuk 3:18-19).

A slow day...

Today has been a day for sitting on the front porch, holding hands and watching the world go by. The flag was gently blowing in the breeze and the birds were making melodies. A good day to sit back and take it easy.

Pilot Dad has had a rough two days. He did not go into work the last two nights. Tonight he will not go either. The good thing is they started him on liquid Lortab and a wonderful "Magic Mixer." It's a "cocktail" of three main narcotics and some other stuff which he can use every 4 hours, either by swishing, gargling or swallowing. It is supposed to work wonders according to other patients. Hopefully, this will provide a better night of sleeping.

The painting is beginning to move into the kitchen/family room area. We come and go and each time he has accomplished more and more. I LOVE the color! Now I am just eager to get finished with everything. Patience, patience, patience!

This looking down the hallway, toward the bedrooms, from the kitchen/family room area. The lighting isn't the best but hopefully you can see the greenish tint of the walls.

Moving forward...

I'm back!!! I apologize for my previous outbursts. Obviously I had taken my eyes off Jesus. You know, it really is ugly when it's all about me rather than HIM.

First off, we talked to the doctor on Monday (yesterday) and she is more than willing to write a letter telling the workplace that he will be back to work full time after about 2-3 weeks from his last radiation treatment. That will give him time to recoup some of his strength and energy before beginning work again.

Let's see, we noticed this morning that there are several small round patches on his face where he has lost his beard. They are not the size of a dime but almost. I imagine those will only get bigger. The doctors tell us that the "usual" time frame for symptoms to show up is around 2 weeks into treatment. Well, just for general info to anyone who might be getting ready to begin radiation treatment, don't be surprised if you begin earlier than 2 weeks, and conversely, don't be surprised if you make it to the third week. Everyone is different. Pilot Dad experienced nausea by his third treatment, the thick mucousy 'stuff' began earlier than 2 weeks, etc.

Besides the hair loss he has sores on his tongue which is caused my his taste buds trying to work over hard to do their job but the radiation is messing with them. His taste buds are changing. They had said that he might first think everything tastes sweet, then sour and finally, everything will taste like cardboard. Most things, especially water, is tasting metallic to him.

For the mucousy 'stuff' gargling with 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of baking soda in 1 pint of water (16 oz) is crucial. It cuts the mucous quite well for a little while. He can swallow it and it doesn't taste awful and it doesn't mess up his internal system, or he can just gargle it. He is gargling quite often but it brings relief from the thick stuff. He is making up a jar to take to work to have on hand.

He still hasn't come up with the best way to sleep. The problem again is the mucous. If he sleeps on his back (or his side) he eventually awakes choking on the thick stuff. He usually gets up and gargles even though it disrupts his sleep but the relief brought on by the gargling is so good it is worth it.

Let's see what else is going on...hmmmm, his nausea is being controlled by medication so that isn't a problem now. I told you about the sores on his tongue but there are bright red spots covering the roof of his mouth and going down his throat. He is still making a valiant effort with his eating but we have bought a supply of Ensure to help boost what he may not be getting. We have ordered our Champion Juicer (Commercial grade) on line and it should be arriving by the end of the week. He is visibly wincing when he swallows so I think by Friday he will begin the pain medications.

We had a WONDERFUL weekend!!! How I praise the Lord for that! Jim managed to mow the yard on Saturday and plans to continue as long as he is able. We have lined up one of the teenage boys at church to come and do it once Jim is not able. (This is where we miss having Pilot at home!!! He was always so good to step in and do whatever needed to be done when his dad has been incapacitated.) We also ate Sunday dinner over at the parents of Pilot's girlfriend. Such a lovely meal out in their beautiful backyard under their pavilion. Warm and sunny with just the slightest breeze to keep us from being too hot.

One of the blessings which I have come to appreciate is the extra time Pilot Dad and I have been able to spend together. It has caused us to slow down and smell the roses! We are in the midst of redoing our home. We decided PD had to conserve his energy so we hired a pastor friend to do the painting. The flooring and counter tops should be ready to go in sometime toward the end of next week. The carpet has been ordered and should arrive in about 2 weeks and then all that will be left is to have the new furniture delivered. This all began before we ever knew it was cancer so we have explained the situation to everyone and they have been really great to work with us.

Oh my goodness! This has become quite the missive!! If you have persevered this far in reading then I salute you!! :)


Psalm 31
In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed; in Your rightousness deliver me...For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me...Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth...I will be glad and rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul...But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand...Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; save me in Your lovingkindness...How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men!...Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD.