Whirlwind Holidays!

Wow! It seems like time just crawls and flies at the same time. So much has happened in such a short time. Let me back up and recall the events...

December 6th promised to be a night full of fun - Clint's company party was that night and we would be enjoying a relaxing evening of games and good food and prizes! The party was wonderful and afterward we went upstairs to the hotel room we had decided to stay in. We so rarely treat ourselves as a couple, so we had decided to splurge just a little. The room was amazing, but we when we started to settle in, I realized that I had a missed phone call on my cell phone. It was dad... He knew we would be busy until late, so I was curious as to why he had been trying to call. His voice message was vague and haunting: call me back soon. When we called (at 11:00 at night, mind you) we were horrified to find out that mom had been admitted into the hospital. This completely came out of nowhere and I was devestated at the thought. Clint immediately wanted to pack up and drive back to Fort Worth, but I realized that driving that late would not be safe and mom would probably be asleep anyway. Maybe I knew in my heart that we would be in for a terrible ordeal and we would need a good night's rest. Well, the "good rest" didn't exactly come because I cried myself to sleep, Clint holding me the whole time. That night was terrible... we didn't know what would happen and why this had come about all of a sudden...

The next morning we awoke very early, checked out of the hotel, and rushed to the hospital. When we arrived, we found mom lying in a bed at Baylor Cityview hospital. There was too much confusion to truly understand what was happening. As the day progressed, we heard a word that no family ever wants to hear - Leukemia. "We don't know for certain" and "we will need more tests" but we all knew that this was not going to be good. For the next 2 days we cried, held each other close, and cried some more. I don't think that little family chapel had ever seen so many people! Our days dragged horribly. Mom had a bone marrow biopsy and the tests came back positive. My mother, my best friend, my everything, had Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Research shows that this particular form of cancer is very fast moving - if not diagnosed and treated, it can be fatal in a matter of weeks. The doctor told us that if mom had not come in, there was a good chance she would have been gone by Christmas.

Just let that sink in for a moment... imagine your loved one not exhibiting any signs (or at least no major signs) of illness, gone in 3 weeks. The thought is enough to make you stop and re-evaluate your life. I know that we all re-evaluated our priorities after this.

Mom was transferred to another hospital with a more advanced oncology ward where she was started on chemotherapy within days. If you have never had experience with chemo, you might be surprised to learn just how toxic this stuff is. Nurses suit up before setting up the IV bags. A pix line has to be run so that the chemo can be delivered straight to the heart so that it can be diluted before it has a chance to damage veins. Horrible stuff. But, it saved my mother's life. The first week of chemo was actually better that I would have imagined. There were very few side effects and we were very thankful that God was bringing us through this as painlessly as possible.

Then, the chemo ended and the struggle began. Mom's hemoglobin, white blood cells, and platelets began to drop staggeringly - she received platelets and blood transfusions almost daily. Her appetite dwindled until even the thought of food caused her to feel nauseous. She started to lose her hair. Once again we all sent prayers up to heaven, praying that God would touch mom's body and heal her.

As we prepared for a Christmas in the hospital, we set up a tree, strung lights, and tried to make the experience one that we could all enjoy, despite the circumstances that we unexpectedly found ourselves in. The house in Leander needed to go on the market, and we all pitched in to make it sale-ready. Mom's hope was that the house would go on the market by Christmas. On Christmas day the house was listed and ready. We all cried as God answered yet another prayer.

New Year's Eve was a blast as we all sat in the hospital room snacking on munchies and watching tv. The nurse and the tech came in at the stroke of midnight and we all toasted to a happy new year (with sparkling grape juice, of course).

A few days later, mom was declared to be in remission and was able to go home. For the first time in a month, mom was free from the hospital. For about a week, we were able to celebrate all of the blessings God had given us. You begin to see the world in a whole new light. Every moment of your life should be cherished. Even when the times are hard, and you are sure that you can't make it through your situation, each minute is precious. Each day is a gift from God.

All too soon, mom had to go back in to the hospital to begin her first round of consolidation therapy. We began to relive the effects of the chemo over again. Again, mom was tired and needed to sleep all the time. Again we had to be very careful to make sure that we didn't bring in any germs. Again, we spent so much time at the hospital with her.

Mom is back home now. After a brief return to the hospital following her first round of consolidation, she is doing great! She starts her next round on February 13th, so please pray that all goes well. The house in Leander has an offer, that my parents have accepted, and we are praying that all goes well with that.

God is moving in miraculous ways that we could have never imagined. Our family is so close, but God has brought us so much closer. Relationships have been mended, hearts have been changed, priorities re-evaluated, bonds strengthened. Who would have ever guessed that cancer would have made our lives better? No, everything is not "safe" yet. We still wait for every procedure and every test with bated breath. But, we are constantly reminded that God is still and always will be in control of our lives. He is guiding our paths, making them straight for His will and His purpose.

Through this, God showed me a Scripture passage that has really touched me deeply. I have adopted it as my life's verse and quote it every chance I get. Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." ESV

Lord, I come before you right now, humbled by your mighty power. I am in awe of the awesomeness you display. Your Will is perfect and your path straight. You are the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus, my heart is so full of love for you - you have never forgotten us, you don't neglect us. Even through the toughest time in my life, you are here, holding me in your arms of comfort. Without you, I am nothing. My works are meaningless, my good intentions trivial. With you, through you, and only because of you, I have the hope of everything. My life has meaning because you provide the meaning. To know that I am your treasure and that you desired me when I was so hopeless I could not even know to desire you is empowering. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for dying on the cross to redeem me from my sins. Thank you for rising from the grave to give me a hope for the future. Thank you for your boundless grace that reaches out to me in my time of need. Thank you for your salvation. Please give me the strength and the deligence to seek your will every hour of every day. Continue to work in mom's body. Give her the strength to continue on through the hard days. Give us the strength to praise you continuously. We love you. It is in your name we pray. Amen.