Sunday, July 30, 2017

Updates

I've been away for the last several months (hopefully, someone has noticed), but now I'm back, barring any other life-altering, shattering, overwhelming-ness events in the near future.
Sometime in May, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a whole lot of hurry up and wait which is very draining on the entire family, but in the end, we realize that everyone we've talked to, dealt with, seen, within the healthcare community has been absolutely wonderful. I'm partial to Kettering Health Network in Kettering, Ohio because that's where I received such excellent care when I had breast cancer. I think they are absolutely the best! I have yet to meet even one person there who didn't give 110% all the time!

While all of this was going on, I had a breast MRI as a follow-up with my cancer care and it showed something suspicious. In the end, it was nothing, but I had to go back for an MRI guided needle biopsy which is double horrible for a person who is claustrophobic, like me. So, there's scheduling, waiting for the results, and a million things racing through my mind. It's really difficult to just "wait". Waiting is an unintentional cruelty that must be endured when it comes to testing and diagnosing. I knew from past experience that the best thing I could do for myself was to keep busy and try not to dwell on it, but that was just impossible. At the same time trying to be there for my mom and what she was going through often meant trying to minimize what I was really thinking and feeling. Everything else just got put on the back burner and I finally feel like I can start moving forward again.

My mom is doing great and is currently in her first week of estrogen blockers, so we'll see how that goes. So far, she's been getting headaches from it, but I'm hoping she gives it a couple of weeks before giving up on it since some side effects do lessen over time.

Anyway, this is a short, and probably dis-connected little post about what I've been up to. There's so much to write about all of this...breast cancer touches so many families. So, hopefully I will stick with following through on writing about my experiences and my mother's because our two cancers were completely different from one another.

Read the Bible in a Year Week 26

Week 26
Sunday, July 30                       Judges 16:23 - 19:30
Monday, July 31                      Judges 20:1 - Ruth 1:5
Tuesday, August 1                   Ruth 1:6 - 1 Samuel 1:7
Wednesday, August 2              1 Samuel 1:8 - 4:1
Thursday, August 3                 1 Samuel 4:2 - 8:22
Friday, August 4                      1 Samuel 9:1 - 12:25
Saturday, August 5                  1 Samuel 13:1 - 15:9

Sunday, July 9, 2017

The Right Road

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

This passage was the subject of today's sermon, and is what I consider my "life verse". There was a very long period of my life when I was no longer reading the Bible, no longer attending church, and I wasn't even praying.

I got so caught up in life and everything seemed to be going wrong; I was unwilling to take the time to include God in my life. I suffered for it. I tried to deal with everything by myself, and failed miserably. Finally, I realized that God was still there, working through others to reach me, granting me blessings and mercy. Finally, I returned to Him, made Him the focus of my attention. Finally, my burden was lightened.

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26 (NKJV) (emphasis mine).

He comforts me, guides me, and answers my prayers. He is with me always. Trust in Him.

Read the Bible in a Year Week 25

Week 25
Sunday, July 9                      Joshua 21:1 - 22:34
Monday, July 10                   Joshua 23:1 - Judges 1:36
Tuesday, July 11                   Judges 2:1 - 4:24
Wednesday, July 12              Judges 5:1 - 7:25
Thursday, July 13                 Judges 8:1 - 9:57
Friday, July 14                      Judges 10:1 - 12:15
Saturday, July 15                  Judges 13:1 - 16:22

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Read the Bible in a Year Week 24

Week 24
Sunday, July 2                    Deuteronomy 32:48 - Joshua 2:24
Monday, July 3                   Joshua 3:1 - 6:27
Tuesday, July 4                   Joshua 7:1 - 9:27
Wednesday, July 5              Joshua 10:1 - 12:24
Thursday, July 6                 Joshua 13:1 - 15:19
Friday, July 7                      Joshua 15:20 - 18:10
Saturday, July 8                  Joshua 18:11 - 20:9