Every day....every moment....

Life changes every day...every minute....for all of us.
I have a new granddaughter, Amity Hazel, and she is two weeks old today. What a beauty!

Meeting Amity for the first time

The beautiful new family of three

Jennifer, Amity, Pat, and I

Jennifer and Amity 

Amity Hazel

I have always stated....where there is life, there is death. It is so true but sometimes sobering when it comes to the death word. I pray for all who have lost a loved one...a son... a daughter, a friend, a parent, or the town's best friend, Father Jerry.  Our Heavenly Father knew Father Jerry could not live in this agony for 15 months so he scooped him up and put him in God's kingdom much sooner. WOW.....in the grand scheme of things, do you know how lucky Father Jerry is right now? No struggling of any kind, but peace in God's Hands. Peace. P.E.A.C.E.

Jennifer, Amity, and Father Jerry before Amity and Jen were discharged from the hospital on September 19th, 2013

Pat returned from a hunting trip to Wyoming late Monday night, so I have been here with Kate for the week. I had my Aunt Belinda and Uncle Don Pottorff here from Lee's Summit, Mo for a class reunion. Belinda is my father's youngest sister.

My mom and sister Sarah took me to chemo today and my numbers seem good. I told Dr. Dy that this was my last visit before another trip to Houston and MD Anderson, and by looking at my lab work, what does he think I will hear. He thinks things are stable and the chemo is still working. One side effect right after chemo with Irinotecan is called "the sweats" and they last all day and into the night after I get chemo. I get no sleep...some from steroid and some from going cold to hot to cold to hot....on and on all night long. But it is ok....God is good to me and it gives me all night to talk to Him......about any and everything.

I walked 3 miles yesterday with Kate and it was nice but I was sore by evening.  I did not walk today after chemo as it was about 5 when I got home and the chemo makes my legs a little shaky for a fast paced walk. Tomorrow!!!  I am signed up for the Heart Walk this Saturday with Jill Kessler Weiler and we will persevere!!!  This is not a timed walk/run so just finishing and being a part of something so crucial as the American Heart Association is a good enough reason for me!!

Several people have stated to me that I have not posted for quite awhile. So, I went back over my last two posts before this and it just broke my heart to re-read these posts. Read them yourself and you will especially understand if you are from Richland County.  I have not posted much about myself as other people needed prayers for healing more than me. I am just grateful for every day that I feel so wonderful.

I will finish with a card I bought a few years ago. I read it often not only for myself but anyone with a problem....struggling in any walk of life we might be on at the time.

LIFE'S PATHWAY
At times, life's path seems filled with things
that make the going rough,
And we wish there were a smoother road,
 for we feel we've had enough...
But if we pause a moment
and remember who's in charge,
The hills that loom ahead of us
no longer seem so large,
and every rock before us. when we know we're not alone,
becomes, not just a stumbling block, but one more steppingstone.
You've overcome so many things, and, every time, you've grown
Through sheer determination and the wisdom that you've shown. So, as you face this journey, from the moment that you begin, Know that God will guide you, and you'll have the strength to win.

May God's peace enter your heart right now and calm your soul. May your Faith only deepen with so many tragedies in our community right now. Have faith that God is in control always and that He is with us always.

I will keep you posted as my trip to Houston closes in. I ask for prayers of strength and that a calmness comes over me as I get that scan-xiety a few days before the scan. I thank God for each and every person in my life. New friends, old friends, family, and my doctors from Olney, to Effingham, to Springfield, to Houston, Texas!  May God be with ALL of you!!

Hugs and Prayers,
Patty