With Gratitude, Optimism Is Sustainable

I was cutting up pineapples in order to grill and dehydrate them for this upcoming September when John and I plan on living in the Canadian Wilderness for a month! We have dreamed about this for years! We will have only a canoe, tent and gear for fishing and cooking. Besides what fish we catch to eat (being plant-based now changes things for me entirely, so I’ll have to decide just how much fish I’ll allow myself to eat up there) I’m having to dehydrate or vacuum seal ALL our food which is why I’m starting to dehydrate now!

 

As I did that delicious preparation, I was scrolling through video reels and one came up that stopped me in my tracks, put a tear in my eye and made me want to share it with those who read my blog. This is one for the record books! Click on this link!! His profound words are POWERFUL! 

Then it made me think how grateful I am that Bevin Bells company agreed to make me a Gratitude Bell that others can buy for their own reminder to express gratitude to God for their blessings. I ring mine almost daily and it always elicits a response of claiming out loud what I’m grateful for in that moment. While it is still my hope that these will be placed in every cancer infusion center to encourage stage four cancer patients, most of the bells that I am aware of are hanging in people’s personal spaces, and it would be my hope that everyone reading my blog would consider getting a bell for their home or a friend to support the company that so graciously made this bell specifically for me. 

I flew to Florida on March 28th to visit my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter and I’m especially grateful I get to spend this Easter with them to witness beautiful acts of faith in Jesus.

Unfortunately, on Friday night while drying a crystal glass, it just broke into two and the sharp glass shard rammed right into my palm leading me to the ER for 4 sutures.

The PA asked if I was ok with a medical student to suture it and for some odd reason I just really wasn’t in that frame of mind. I’m usually one to always help out students but this night I felt differently and asked the PA, Josh, to suture me up himself, which he gladly did. Come to find out he’s a Christian and sings in his church choir in Naples, FL area. I asked him if he was familiar with my favorite worship song, Gratitude, by Brandon Lake and he had not heard of it so I played it while he put in my sutures. He started humming along to it and I knew he was the perfect person for me this night!  He was such a gift from God and I love how my Heavenly Father takes such perfect care of me! Thankfully, only 4 stitches later and I’m going to be just fine.

 

Josh, the PA said he was sorry that I had that happen, but in that moment, I was so grateful that I got to see and experience God’s care for me and then the thought that it was Good Friday came to mind.  I had only 1 cut and was bleeding which made me pause and think how Jesus willingly took 39 violent whip lashes with sharp bones and metal shards on MY account…whew! I was so humbled to think how intense and unfathomable that excruciating pain must have been and how much blood must have poured out of him! Thank You, Jesus for going to the cross and enduring it all for me! 

This weekend I’m really thankful that I get to spend it with this little lady and her parents.

Sad that my hubby couldn’t come down with me but he’s working hard on our WonderVan. This weekend he’s putting in the flooring!!

 

Last week we started applying the olive ash burl veneer on the bench seats. It is even more exquisite than the photo shows. 

And today, April 3, 2024, I’m back up in Columbus, OH for my every 3 week infusion. It’s the first time I actually saw my oncology team since that amazing PET scan where Dr. Johnson called me on the phone to inform me of my clean scan!  (The past 2 infusions I only got the infusion but didn’t see the oncologist first).  I wanted to record them actually saying it to me, in person, so Amber who is the PA for Dr. Johnson and who did my exam today was gracious enough to let me record her making the official statement of that clean PET scan done several weeks ago. 

I did ask if there were any studies that have been done where stage 4 breast cancer patients with clean scans extend treatments out longer than 3 weeks. Unfortunately, Amber said she’s not familiar with any and suggested that since I have had THE BEST POSSIBLE results with how things have been done, and that it’s probably in my interest not to change my current treatment. She said that everything I’m currently doing, including eating a whole food plant based diet, is WORKING!! She said that I should continue on this path of Herceptin/Perjeta infusions every 3 weeks and eating super clean, exercising daily and having such a great attitude! I also asked my oncology nurse how often she sees someone with stage 4 breast cancer get CLEAN scans where there’s NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE? She said it’s not very common at all!! 

She was in full agreement with me that it was a gift from God and a miracle! This brings to mind my absolutely favorite scene from The Chosen. Every word is powerfully moving to me and helps me accept whatever happens on my cancer journey. The miracle today of healing IS great news but I remember these words from the Bible book of Job and am humbled. This photo is the sunrise from this morning as I drove up to get my infusion! KJV is for my dear friend J. O’B 💕