My Thoughts - My Journey

I have enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Day with my family… However the pain of my Hand-Foot Syndrome side effects of chemo just does not let up. I am not been able to close my fingers down because of the swelling and pain and I have new open places on my feet that are bleeding. I know this phase will be behind me soon....Praise God!  But, for tonight I would appreciate some prayers lifted for pain relief and also for swelling to go down. My hands and feet feel like they are on fire! The pain is a combination of burning, open tears in the skin, and nerve pain. Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia (Hand-Foot Syndrome) disrupts the nerves in the hands and feet which causes pain and throbbing. It occasionally has given me  neuropathy, but I am so blessed that it had always been only for short periods of time.  I am so happy to be nearing the end of this phase of my cancer journey. Thank you for praying for me. God is forever blessing me! He is my Rock and my Fortress...

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Heaven is home for God’s children. The world’s pressure to fit us into its mold is suffocating. Paul encouraged, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world” (Romans 12:2). One of the greatest survival tactics we’ve been given is prayer, an open channel of communication with the one true God. He has the power to move in our lives and through our circumstances. Prayer al lows us to unload the burdens of this world into His capable hands and plugs us into peace here on earth. Praying the word of God is a powerful tool of comfort in the world we live in. Dear Father, creation sings of Your majesty. Created in Your image, we are a direct reflection of You. Every good thing comes from You. Every note of love and goodness we feel and extend is rooted in Your great love for us. Whether we know Jesus yet or not, we know love. We all know what it feels like to love and be lo...

It has been a rough 6 months. I went to my Oncologist, Dr. Bondly, at the Bruno Cancer Center on November 14th. I got my regular blood work and all looked good, except I have low Vitamin D again. So, she gave me another prescription for 3 months.  Dr. Bondly gave me a check-up and said that all looked really well. She was proud of how well I have done and how I have remained strong through-out my cancer journey. She does want me to have a colonoscopy in January and also a bone scan in January or February. We discussed the medications that I have been on and am now on and again, she assured me that I am on the best program for my type of cancer. This Sunday, November 24th, I will begin "prayerfully" my last round of chemo. WOW! That sounds awesome to me! I asked Dr. Bondly about when I would be able to have another PET Scan to see where I stand? I was told that after all of my treatments that I would be have another scan to see if any residual cancer got through my ...

Don't listen to the world when they tell you who you are, what you are capable of, that you are less than, or not worthy. Those are all lies of satan. We learn in John 8:44, "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."  Satan is also sly and cunning. Sometimes it is difficult for us to decipher truth from his lies. We often fall prey to the negative voices in our head or to the dismantling words of others as we allow ourselves to shut-down, be cast-out, and made to feel set-a-part from those who are deemed better, more worthy....by the "approved" of society. Satan will often use those around us to bring us to doubt.  Not only does he cause us to doubt ourselves, but satan might also cause us to start doubting God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It might not be direct or even noticeable to you, however, satan can make us question our salvation, how much we are loved by our Father, are our prayers even being lis...

What is our mission as believers of Jesus? We are commissioned by Jesus, Himself, to teach the lost, make disciples, and baptize them. Disciples make disciples, and they make disciples....and the journey continues. “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and mak e disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 If we REALLY love as we have been instructed, then discipling others will be our central focus as followers of Jesus. If we LOVE others, we will do all in our power to bring them to Jesus. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus...

I really hate being a whiny baby (not really a whiny baby....but you get my meaning), but the pain in my feet and hands… Especially in my feet… Have just been so intense today. Between the burning of my feet and the swelling, I have not been able to go to church for the last three Sundays.  Today has just been extremely painful and when I put my house-shoes on to walk, I virtually have to unstick my feet from my house-shoes to get my feet out of them because my feet have so much heat. Today I rode to Irondale with Ashleigh, M ichael, and Norah Jane and it was just a disaster. I wanted to get out of the house for a few minutes and I wanted to go to some thrift stores to look at old jewelry. I like to disassemble old jewelry to re-purpose it with jewelry I make, but all I could do was drag my feet across the floor with intense pain. I’m not sure if it was the pain or just the chemo, but I also got really nauseated. I ended up shedding just a few tears because it has been one...