Finally Checking-In With My Readers. Finally. Whew.

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."   ---   Colossians 3:15

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Oh. My. Goodness.

I do apologize for such a long passage of time after my last post. My excuse? Mostly, my entire life changed.

For months my head consistently was all jet-lagged. I felt like doing nothing. Really, nothing. And oh dear, I could barely walk. Remember those three steps into our kitchen (where I'd stand and encourage Tom)? Some days arriving home from appointments, I could only crawl up those steps, at times, crying.

Not a pretty sight.

Mainly the problem was once-weekly chemo and 5-days-per-week external radiation. They took much out of me.  Other treatments, too. At appointments, often I got pushed around in wheelchairs by kind folks when my walk resembled that of a sad little duck. 

Well, you get it.

The good news? All these weeks later I'm feeling/doing much better. Chemo is over, as are the external radiation days and tomorrow is my final internal radiation surgery (fourth one. Prayers appreciated.). The trips over the wild Buffalo thruway are far fewer. Whew.

I actually feel like washing dishes, cleaning house, reading, cooking, watching Youtube and writing to you. My doctor says the tumor has shrunk a great deal. And I've come away with a much deeper sense of gratitude for God than ever.

So there is my just-checking-in post to let you know I'm still around. Improving slowly, and so very grateful for Tom, Naomi and each of you who prayed for me and sent me cards, Facebook messages and posts, emails, comments here at my blog, etc. 

Thank-you.

Thank-you.

Thank-you.

Every act of kindness encouraged me so much.

I'll write much sooner next time. I promise.

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise."   --- Jeremiah 17:14   (oh, how often I've meditated upon this verse!)

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Oh, and on December 1st, my mother passed away. She was 87 and ready for Heaven and being reunited with my dad, relatives and many friends--- and that is a comfort.

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And here are some videos you may enjoy:

Five Dollar Dinners that Help (Check out all Julia's videos for very inexpensive meals, many Mexican ones which are my favorites).  Here's another one: Emergency Budget.

Here's an update for Adventures of A + K.

Ever considered a river boat cruise? Go here.

Wow, I'd never heard of this place! 

I enjoyed listening to this woman in her tiny house.

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Ooooo.... At Niagara Falls in 1910. 

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Where They Whisked Debra Away In an Ambulance. (Part One)

                                    "Heal me and I shall be healed."

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(If you can't handle mentions of blood, you may want to avoid this. I am skipping a hundred details, though.)

Oh dear. Lately I'd wished for an adventure and yikes! I got a huge one.

Thursday night around 7:00 (Gross Alert) I awoke to discover I was bleeding like horror movie crazy (well...). Felt dizzy, too. Somehow I made it safely down the stairs, laid on the kitchen floor and spoke words to Tom I thought I'd never say:

"Tom. I need an ambulance." 

He'd fallen asleep in his recliner, but he pulled himself together, made the call, and yelled for Naomi down the stairs. Then they both did 50 little things for me to prepare me to go. 

Eventually the ambulance arrived, they placed me in a rolling chair then took me out into the dark, cold night. Tom rode in the front and Naomi followed. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Picture yourself inside a toolbox being shaken and the rattling! Oh my.

At the local hospital they changed me out of my bloody nightgown, asked bunches of questions and said I needed a blood transfusion. Over the night they gave me 3 bags of blood. Oh dear.

But that continued in a different hospital! This current one had no ob gyn services so yes, another ambulance ride, this one longer, over to Buffalo. And there I stayed until Sunday afternoon. Tons of adventures over those days and so many kind, helpful people (and so many Hallmark movies and episodes of NCIS. heh.)

Yet I felt peoples' prayers and such grace and peace. And you know? I even loved the MRI. Had a mild sedative and they wrapped me in soft, warm blankets, I closed my eyes, and felt so loved.

So that's a sign of how things tended to go those days, but yeah, a couple parts were hairy-rough. One was a scariest moment, ever, but even Jesus turned that around. (More later.)

And that's enough for today, except I ended up being diagnosed with cervical cancer, around 1B. But again! Jesus has given me such peace and I truly do feel everything is gonna be ok.

Thanks for your prayers!

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Oh, and my mom is in hospice. Please pray for our whole family, ok? Thanks so much.

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

 *** "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

In Case You're Searching for My Obit :)

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."   ---1 Peter 5:10

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Yikes! Well, I certainly owe you all an apology for my lack of posts here.

When finishing my last post, I imagined things would return to hunky dory, but then my mom had a stroke and was taken to Sacramento. We thought the return home would help, but it hasn't really. It's been rough.

Please keep her in prayer.

Then this week I discovered one of my problems seems to be silent reflux. (Yeah, I'd never heard of it, either.) So I continue to make adjustments in diet and much else.

(Oh and remember when I thought I probably didn't have gluten intolerance after all? Well, most likely I do. So more research, more changes, etc.)

Five months of struggles! Somedays I'm tempted to quit believing for fully-returned strength, but then God always reminds me:

Keep searching for answers.

Keep believing.

Keep pushing through the temptation to settle for mediocre.

And keep your heart calm.

And in the meantime I watch the leaves through our picture window  change to deeper gold and trickle down. I step outside to the front porch to drink in deep gulps of autumn air.

I truly do need to take some walks and pull myself back together. Oh Honey, I have so let myself go. Probably half my problems would disappear if I'd exercise. (Imagine that.)

So please keep me in prayer, also. Thanks!

Another special thank-you to my friend from high school (and beyond), Linda, who visited my mom while she was in the Sacramento hospital.

And I do thank each of you who've checked up on me throughout the weeks. So encouraging!

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Did I already share with you the Vacation Education guy and his dad? I'm really enjoying their videos, though sometimes, he can go a bit heavy on the history of the places or the way they cook things, so I'll do bits of fast-forwarding. Oh, and Ellie B. the dog is cute in her stroller, too! 

Oh, and we've watched some good movies lately, but I can't recall their titles at the moment. We are enjoying the new tv series, Boston Blue, Sheriff Country and the 2nd seasons of Murder in a Small Town, Matlock, and Watson.

Not every season in our lives is a pleasant one, but we can have hope the next one will be.

Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. *** "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15