Into the Unknown

If you've watched any Disney movies in the past couple of years, you'll remember the popular sequel to Frozen ... Frozen 2. In the movie, Queen Elsa and her sister Anna are ruling over Arendelle when Elsa starts hearing a voice calling to her. She sings the iconic "Into the Unknown" song, reawakens the "spirits," and then Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf set off to find the "unknown" voice and why it is calling to her. After finding the enchanted forest and learning new information about the death of her parents, Elsa takes off alone to follow the unknown voice. You'll have to watch the movie to find out the rest of the story. 

Fortunately, there isn't much "unknown" when you're on your sixth date with Mr. Chemo. After my follow-up appointment on Tuesday, where they ordered another CT scan and advised my numbers were going in the right direction, I asked a few questions. Of course, without definite details, the answers were somewhat hypothetical. Because my CA-125 only dropped from 76 to 67, I asked what if my CA-125 didn't get back to a "normal" level of 35? I was advised that it would probably depend more on what the CT scan showed than the actual CA-125 number. Armed with that information, I head up to the infusion floor for what was to be a long day hooked up to Mr. Chemo. After my usual napping and eating lunch, I worked on some business stuff for a while. Towards the end of my infusion, there was some commotion on the other side of the partition from where I was seated. The girl in the chair was crying out in agony. I don't know what was happening to her body with the treatment, but I could tell she was writhing in pain and that she was scared. There were several nurses with her trying to calm her down so they could remove her IV. They were also trying to reach her doctor so they could prescribe something to reduce the pain. At that point, I just stopped whatever I was doing and bowed my head and prayed. After what seemed like a long time, the doctor actually arrived, called in some meds, and helped calm everything down. By the time I was unhooked and ready to leave, the girl was much calmer, and I thanked the Lord for answering my prayers.

On Wednesday, I had the same nurse as the girl from the night before. Without giving personal information, she let me know that the girl was much improved by the time she left on Tuesday night. Because I arrived early on Wednesday, I was taken earlier which was great because my nurse advised that they were going to slow down my infusion because I always seemed to have a reaction. So, after all the pre-meds, etc., I took a nap, ate my lunch, and watched a movie. Soon it was time to say good-bye to Mr. Chemo, but since my regular ride could not be there for a couple of hours, I texted my fabulous neighbor to see if she could come and get me. Thankfully, she was available and soon I was on my way home!!! Thank you SC!!!

So, as I write this post, I am waiting on the unknown. The dictionary defines unknown as not within the range of one's knowledge, experience, or understanding; strange; unfamiliar. I don't know what the CT scan will reveal. I don't know what my blood work numbers will be. I don't know what the doctor will say. I don't know how that will impact my life in the short term. 

What I do know is the following:

Noah didn't know how to build an ark, but God knew.

Moses didn't know how to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but God knew.

Esther didn't know that requesting an audience with the king would save her people, but God knew.

Joseph didn't know that being sold into slavery would someday save his family, but God knew.

Daniel didn't know that eating his veggies would save him from lions, but God knew.

David didn't know that being a shepherd would one day make him a king, but God knew.

Mary didn't know that her firstborn son would save the world, but God knew.

The disciples didn't know that following Jesus would lead to new life, but God knew.

Zacchaeus didn't know his life would change when he climbed a tree, but God knew.

Saul didn't know that encountering a light on a road would change his name and lead him to the life of an itinerant preacher, but God knew.

We all have unknowns in our lives - relationships, employment, health, financial, and the list goes on. It's how we deal with the unknowns that make all the difference. Do you withdraw into fear and anger or do you dig deep and trust in God? I love this quote by Corrie ten Boom, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." It goes hand in hand with the quote, "I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future."

As the days pass, I sometimes find myself worried/anxious about the future, but then I remember .... God knows.

This is a popular song on Christian radio. It's by a sibling group called CAIN. And yes, that's their last name. It's a fun video with bright colors and deep meaning. Enjoy!!!

Prayer Requests:

** Wednesday, March 30 - 9:30am ET - CT scan

    - Please pray for a very clear scan. The results of this test may determine if I am done with chemo or I need more rounds.

** Tuesday, April 5 - 7:30am ET - Blood draw

    - Please pray for a lower CA-125

** Thursday, April 7 - 9:45am ET - Doctor appointment

    - Please pray for a good report & wisdom for any decisions that need to be made.

** Please continue to pray for all the organizations, religious & national, that are working with the Ukrainian refugees in Europe. Pray also for the millions of refugees that are heading into the unknown. **

Only by His Strength,

Sandy

Just a Little Pixie Dust

As soon as the final seconds tick down in the Super Bowl, the MVP or the quarterback of the winning team gets asked a very important question phrased something like, "Hey, you just won the Super Bowl. What are you going to do?" With a silly grin on his face, the player responds, "I'm going to Disneyland/Disney World." This tradition has been going on since 1987 and will probably continue for many, many years. In fact, this year's winner, The Los Angeles Rams had several team members in Disneyland the very next day. They rode on a float with Mickey and celebrated their hard-fought win. 

Well, my sister and I didn't ride on a float, but on February 3rd, after my 4th chemo, we flew to Orlando for a few days of sun & fun with Mickey & friends at Walt Disney World. We had lunch with a friend from high school and his wife. We had a great time catching up!!! 

However, the main purpose of our trip was to attend my uncle's memorial service near Daytona on Saturday and visit with my cousins, most of whom I had not seen in probably 10 years. It was a nice service remembering my uncle who served the Lord in several churches for his entire life adult life. Here I am with my sister and my cousins.

On Friday, my sister and I visited Disney's Animal Kingdom. We started off with breakfast at Animal Kingdom Lodge's Boma restaurant which has a large buffet of yumminess. Then it was on to Animal Kingdom. It was a very warm day and although we didn't see as much as we wanted, we enjoyed the day and seeing the animals. After walking a little over 6 miles, we had pizza at the hotel and then collapsed in our room while watching the Olympics.

Sunday's park was EPCOT. Knowing how big the park is and how much we wanted to do AND for our physical well-being, we both rented scooters to "zip" around the park. It was a cool, cloudy day, but we had fun. We had dinner at the nice Italian restaurant and stayed until after the evening show, "Harmonious" on the lake. 

It was Magic Kingdom Monday for us. After renting scooters again, we waited in line at the Main Street Bakery for these enormous Mickey cinnamon buns. They were so good!!! Once we got familiar with where everything was, we set off to do our favorite rides and attractions. But we had early dinner reservations at Beast castle!!! Squeal!!! We were seated in the "main ballroom", and it looked just like the movie. Once our order was taken, they announced that Beast had heard we arrived and would be coming out to greet us shortly and to please stay in our seats. Sure enough, Beast arrived and waved and posed for pictures. Although fairly pricey, we thought the appetizer, prime rib, sides, and dessert was worth it. After dinner, we rode our favorite rides - The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and of course, It's a Small World. At the end of the night, the new "Enchantment" show on Main Street was fabulous. We didn't have a great spot to watch, but it was a great ending to a great day!!!

Since we were flying home Tuesday night, we were going to spend our day at Hollywood Studios. Between the line for the Skyliner and the weather forecast, we did a last-minute pivot and decided to do some shopping at Disney Springs. We were sure glad we made that choice because while we were there, we put our new ponchos to good use. Then it was back to the airport for our evening flight home. We arrived at the airport so early, that we couldn't even check-in!!! After wasting some time and grabbing some food, we checked in and found our way to the gate. 

Three days after returning to the real world, I had my blood drawn to see where my numbers were for my upcoming date with Mr. Chemo. Thankfully, my CA-125 dropped to 76. Although I was anticipating a lower number, it was lower and that was a good thing!!! My platelets were good, too. So, onward to chemo #5!!! WooHoo!!! 

Thursday was my follow-up appointment where I was deemed "normal." I was shocked, but for chemo purposes my numbers were all normal and I was sent off I went to spend the next 2 days sitting in a chair while toxic chemicals race through my body to kill the evil cancer cells. As usual, I spent my time in the chair, napping, eating, and adding products to our business website.

As I write this post, Ukraine's people are fiercely defending their homeland against Russian invaders. I saw a Facebook post from Michael W. Smith, a Christian recording artist. This is part of his post:

"I’ve been around the world many times, including places like Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia… where the foul stench of communism was once thick in the air.

And the people who once lived under it could not have been happier to finally be FREE. It’s like the weather itself was different: once gray, dreary skies gave way to crystal clear blue skies and warm sun.

I’m sickened to watch helplessly as precious human lives are once again dragged into conflict they don’t want, by power-hungry tyrants who want to return to evil ideologies and oppression. And it’s happening all over the world - not just Ukraine.

People were meant for freedom. Once they taste it, they don’t want to go back. We all just want to live our lives in peace.

Praying for peace and sanity to prevail, and for the precious lives caught in the crossfire. God, have mercy."

I love that MWS spoke of being FREE. As Americans, we understand freedom. We fought the Revolutionary War over 200 years ago to declare our freedom from England. And today, we have many freedoms that other countries do not have. 

But there is another freedom that is necessary to live a full and abundant life. That freedom can only be found in Jesus Christ. Through his death on a cross, and his victory over death, we can be free from the chains that hold us to the sin & death of this world. It states quite simply in the Scriptures in Acts 16:31, "And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'" 

I don't know about you, but as this Micah Taylor song states, I'm "Walking Free." The lyrics of the second verse are so good and so me!!! I hope you too can say that you are walking with Jesus!!!

Prayer Requests:

Friday, March 11 - Blood draw approx. 7:30am ET - Pray for lower CA-125 and good platelet numbers.

Tuesday, March 15 - Follow-up appointment 9:00am ET, followed by Chemo #6 / Day 1

Wednesday, March 16 - Chemo #6 / Day 2

Pray for The Williams family from my church who have been missionaries serving in Ukraine. They are currently safe and serving the Lord by serving the refugees who have fled. I cry & cry out to God every time I read one of their Facebook posts. Here is a part of one:

"I don’t have words to describe the depth of sorrow and confusion and hell on earth we are experiencing - living in Czech not home while half our team and church are still in UA, watching Ukraine’s beauty on fire, people are dying and it is not stopping, and the awful complexities of running a chaotic humanitarian aid group on the fly in the midst of it all.

Yet I choose to turn to Our God who sees, knows, and who included in His Word the right to wrestle with pain and worship Him at the same time. Through the pain, His presence doesn’t leave and the Bible is my true source of peace in the nightmare. I wake in the middle of the night and recite Scripture these days. Friends, I beg you to repent, believe, and turn to follow Jesus the Savior because tomorrow is NOT a guarantee! He sees what we can’t. And He is good and loving and just. I will sing of the goodness of God."

Only by His Strength,

Sandy

PS - I think this world needs some pixie dust and a whole lot of PRAYER!!!