They're Baaack!!!

Once upon a Friday, the little people returned from the Sahara Desert. On the way home, they must have stopped somewhere for percussion lessons. Some of them took marimba lessons, others took up the timpani, and some took up the xylophone. And there was that crazy one who liked the tubular chimes. 

By midday, they were warming up and I was feeling miserable. By late afternoon, the little people were all warmed up and the concert was beginning. Boom, boom, boom - up and down my legs. I asked them to stop, but they just played on. 

I tried watching the Phillies game, but that was depressing. It seems like everything was depressing yesterday - the weather, the food didn't taste right, the weather, the food didn't taste right, I had no ambition, I was tired, I need a job, and my legs were hurting. Too much for one day, so I talked Ben G. into a leg massage and went to bed. 

Today has been a little bit better. The little people seem to be taking a long intermission and food is slowly beginning to taste better. Maybe the little people will not be annoying the rest of the day and I can get something done!!!

Please continue to pray that the little people would leave me alone. 

Pray also that I would find employment, soon!!!

Thanks!!!!! :)

Only by His Strength,
Sandy

1/2 to 2/3

It was a good feeling to walk into MD Anderson this morning being halfway through my dates with Mr. Chemo. 

My day started with my normal appointment with my oncologist. After taking my vitals, etc., the doctor was a running a little late, so I went back out to the main waiting area to hang out with my Mom. While waiting, the nurse came out and gave me the bad news ... my platelet count was low, again, and I need to go get another finger prick and see if it was higher today. So, I took the short elevator ride to the 3rd floor, praying all the way!!! Even as the girl was squeezing my finger to get the blood into the vial, I was praying and praying and praying. 

Back to the 2nd floor, to wait for the doctor. After a few minutes, I was called back. Check up went well and of course, I love making people laugh!!! The best news was that my CAT scan was still clear of cancer!!! Yes, I said ... NO CANCER!!!!!!!!! WooHoo!!!!!!!!! And my platelet count was high enough to have my date with Mr. Chemo!!!!!!!!!! Double WooHoo!!!!!!!! :)

I grabbed my stuff and Mom & I headed up to the 3rd floor for my date. I finally got my date started about 11:45am. Mom stayed through lunch. I then took a nap for about an hour. Since Mr. Chemo is not a talker, I jumped on my computer and caught up with emails and Facebook.

And yes, I was the last patient on the floor today. I love the nurses. Mary Jane was my nurse today and even though she was super busy, she made time for me!!!! :)

The following was the prayer at the end of my devotions this morning:

Father, I praise You for being my Peace in the midst of a stressful day. I can't always see Your hand at work or even understand or like Your process. But I do know that I can fully trust Your heart of love for me, Lord. When the stress of life tempts me to worry, help me to trust You instead. When it seems like my life is spinning out of control, give me Your strength to stop and remember that You are God and that heaven is not in a panic! Right now, I choose against the tyranny of stress in my life, and I choose to trust You instead. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me.

It reminded me of Pastor Marty's message on Sunday from Revelation 11 that "God Doesn't Do Random." Pastor Marty concluded with this thought, "Relax, He's got it!" And then talked about how Revelation 11:15 was the basis for one of the greatest classical pieces ever written, Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus." And that's how I felt today!!!!

And it was great to walk out of MD Anderson at 5pm and be at 2/3!!!!

Today & every day ....
Only by His Strength,
Sandy

All Things

The following is selected parts from my devotions this morning. It was written by Mary Southerland, one of the Girlfriends in God, but she so eloquently said what's on been on my heart throughout this adventure. It was a great reminder!!!

A daughter was telling her mother how everything was going wrong. "I am failing Algebra. My boyfriend just broke up with me, and my best friend is moving away," she wailed. Her mom listened patiently, and then asked, "I made a cake for dinner. Would you like a snack?" The girl grinned and said, "Sure, Mom. I love your cake." The mom smiled and asked, "How about some cooking oil?" The daughter looked surprised at the offer and responded with a loud "Yuk!" The mom tried again, "How about a couple of raw eggs?" With a look of confusion, the daughter said, "Gross, Mom!" With a smile, the mother offered, "Would you like some flour or maybe a cup of baking soda?" The daughter responded, "Mom, all of those things are gross!" The mother cut a piece of cake and placed it on a plate with a fork. As she handed the delicious snack to her daughter, she explained, "Honey, all of those things seem bad when you think about eating them alone, but when they are put together in the right way, they make a delicious cake."

God often works the same way. We sometimes wonder why He allows us to go through such difficult times, but when God puts those hard times together as only He can, they work out for our good. We just have to trust Him to do so.

There are no accidents with God, nor is He surprised by anything or anyone in the life of His child. God uses even the most horrendous circumstances for our good. Every circumstance comes to us for a purpose, bound by God's love and plan, and faithfully delivered with His permission. 

Do I like going on dates with Mr. Chemo??? Absolutely not!!! But as Mary said in that last paragraph, "there are NO accidents with God." (emphasis mine) 

Was I surprised when I woke up in Trauma ICU unable to speak because the breathing tube was still down my throat and informed that not only had my hernia been repaired, but they found a mass in my pelvic region and did a complete hysterectomy??? Absolutely!!!! But God wasn't surprised. He knew from the beginning of time. 

I now must TRUST Him that it will all work out. From test results to dealing with Mr Chemo & the "little people," I have faith that He is leading me on this adventure for a purpose. Will I know what that purpose is??? Maybe I will and maybe I will never find out. All I can do is follow Him. Are you following Him???

For my Prayer Warriors: 
 -I go for my blood test on Monday, March 24. Please pray all the levels will be in the acceptable ranges so I can get my treatment.
- I'm scheduled for my 4th date with Mr. Chemo on Tuesday, March 25th. Please pray the possible storm away. We prayed it away before, please Lord .... send this one away!!!!!
- I'm looking for part-time employment. Please pray that God will lead me to the jobs He wants me to have.

As always, thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement. Love & hugs to all of you!!!!!

Only by His Strength,
Sandy

CAT scan Woman

CAT scan ... nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, CAT scan ..... (think Batman TV show theme song)!!!! I know, I'm dating myself. 

I arrived at Cooper in Voorhees for my CT scan at noon. They promptly gave me the "yummy" iced tea tasting contrast to drink. I had approximately 15 minutes to drink 2 styrofoam cups of the stuff. Thankfully, I brought a straw. For me, it makes the stuff go down a bit faster & easier. Then, I had to wait for my scheduled appointment time at 1:30 pm. 

Shortly after 1:30pm, the technician/nurse came and got me. I changed into a beautiful hospital gown and then was escorted to the CT scan room. Now came the moment of truth, trying to find a vein for the IV. After tapping both elbows and both hands, she finally settled on my right wrist. She wasn't sure it would hold, but I was praying!!! And I knew many others were, too!!!!

After, the technician and the machine took the required pictures of my insides, the IV was removed and I was able to use the facilities. Then I got dressed and drove home. Once home, I feasted on toast, a banana, and yogurt, then took a nap. Exciting, I know!!! 

I won't know the results until my next doctor/oncologist appointment on March 25th. I'm just praying that everything is still clear & cancer free!!!

Thanks again to all my prayer warriors. I'm blown away by your faithfulness and love for me!!!! 

That's all for now. I'm heading to the creative studio to do some quilting!!!

Only by His Strength,
Sandy

Bye-bye little people

Last night, the "little people" were given tickets for the red-eye flight. They packed their little hammers and headed out. I sent them on a nice vacation to the middle of the Sahara Desert. I know they will be back, but until they arrive again in a few weeks, I can thankfully live a pain-free life.

Also, over the past several weeks, I've been noticing a little bit of neuropathy on the bottom of my left foot. Weird, I know, but hey.... it's me!!! If you would pray that either it would not spread or that it would go away completely, I would be most grateful.

I'm so thankful for my church and the Women's Ministry programs. I'm currently in a Bible study called "Why Do You Believe That." Over the next several weeks, we'll be studying apologetics. And that's not being "sorry" for what I believe, it's making a case for what I believe and why I believe in God. I know I won't always have all the answers, but I want to have confidence to share what I believe in a loving, engaging way without any of the fluff. 1 Peter 3:15 it states, "...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..." I want to live this verse and the verse below everyday!!!

As always, thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and hugs!!! I wish I could throw a giant party when this is all over to give each prayer warrior and encourager a BIG hug. Each of you has made a huge difference in my life!!!!

Only by His strength,
Sandy

Two-timer

Yes, I've been back together with Ben for the past 24 hours. Mr. Chemo tried to be sneaky this time, but God graciously allowed me to be fairly pain free on Thursday as I diligently worked on getting our business webstore up & working. However, by Friday night I felt like little people were beating on my shins with little hammers. Ben stepped in and allowed me to get some sleep along with a couple of Advil.

Yesterday, I scheduled my CAT scan for Thursday, March 13. Praying that I'm still cancer-free!!! 

Today, was a wonderful day where I got to celebrate at a baby shower for Beka & Gary from my choir family. The are expecting TWINS next month!!!! The girls from their mini-church planned a wonderful party. I'm looking forward to meeting these two ones!!!

Praying again that the pain will disappear overnight so that I can worship pain-free tomorrow!!!

Only by His Strength,
Sandy

Third Date with Mr. Chemo

What a day!!! During my doctor's appointment, I was advised that my platelet count was under 100 and that I would need to get another blood test before I could go on my date. And you know how I dislike blood tests!!! However, they only had to prick my finger to get the required amount of blood. While they were squeezing my finger, I was praying!!! Then it was a waiting game & I put the urgent prayer request out. 

GOD ANSWERED MY PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!

After about 30 minutes or so, I was advised that my platelet number was up significantly and I could proceed with my date!!! Hello Mr. Chemo!!!!!! 

Mr. Chemo really needs to work on his dating skills. He is a terrible conversationalist. He must be the strong, silent type. Again, because of his lack of communication skills, I took a nap, ate lunch, and worked on personal and business things. We parted ways about 4pm ET and despite his boring dating skills, Mr. Chemo asked me on another date on March 25 and of course, I said yes!!!

Thanks again to all my prayer warriors!!!! You ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Pictures from my day below:

Lobby of MD Anderson Center @ Cooper
The color changes behind the tree!!

View of the Philly skyline from my treatment station.

Mr. Chemo!!

Mr. Chemo with Cooper Hospital in the background.

Only by His Strength,
Sandy

And the Award goes to .....

Last night was the Academy Awards. A night to celebrate the best in film. A night to hopefully win a golden statue in front of your peers. A night that's a big deal in Hollywood.

There were several performances/speeches that caught my attention and got me thinking today.

The first one was Pharrell Williams singing his best song nominated song, "Happy." I'll admit, it's a fun song. It makes me smile. It makes me want to dance. On Metrolyrics.com it states that "'Happy' was written for the 'Despicable Me 2' soundtrack by Pharrell Williams. Pharrell came up with the idea for the lyrics by asking himself what being in a good mood truly feels like." But I'll ask a deeper question. Is your happiness based on your mood??? If I feel good and/or look good, I'm happy???

The next was an acceptance speech by Darlene Love after receiving the Academy Award for Best Documentary. The film was called "20 Feet from Stardom" and based on Love's life as a rising entertainer in the Stevie Wonder era. She began her speech by praising the Lord, then breaking into a few lines from "His Eye is on the Sparrow" which states, "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free, For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." That kind of happiness is only found in Christ.

Then there was Matthew McConaughey's acceptance speech for Best Actor in Dallas Buyer's Club. He was one of the few actors to acknowledge God's role in his life. He talked on 3 points. The first was he needed someone to look up to. He basically said that he wanted to thank God and he looked up to him and said God was all about gratitude. His second point was he needed something to look forward to. Here he talked about his family and how his mother taught him about respect. Thirdly, he talked about someone to chase. This, to me, was a little bizarre, but he talked about chasing his "hero" which was himself 10 years in the future and then when he got to that milestone, he would again "chase" himself for another 10 years. He realizes that he will never catch up, but he wants to find out how that guy turns out.

All those actors/actresses that attended whether they were nominated, just attenders, or they won the award seemed genuinely happy. I would be happy, too, if I wore a designer gown, had beautiful jewels adorning my ears, neck, and wrist, and was on the arm of a gorgeous man.

But in my book, happiness is based on solely on circumstances or mood. What I want to have all the time is joy. Joy is defined as an emotion of great delight caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. I believe that the exceptionally good & satisfying thing is a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of verses that talk about joy. Just read Philippians 4. It talks about joy & being content in all circumstances.

When I accepted Christ into my heart and life at age 9, God didn't promise me I would never have any problems. He did promise me that He would never leave me alone to deal with my problems. And that's why if you see me, I'm truly doing great, even when that leg pain is unbearable, because He is with me and he is the true joy-giver!!!! And to me, that a big deal!!! 

Thank you to my prayer warriors for praying the snow away!!! We only got 2-3 inches at my house!!!

Please pray for safety on the roads as we journey to MD Anderson @ Cooper for my doctor's appointment at 8 am tomorrow morning. And please pray for a good report and an easy day with Mr. Chemo!!!

Love & hugs to all!!!

Only by His Strength,
Sandy