If you personally didn’t wake up tomorrow, are you, the reader…Yes YOU, are you able to confidently know beyond a shadow of a doubt what will happen to your soul? The gift of having a cancer diagnosis has given me more courage to share that I can be certain (and so can you) that my soul will be eternally joined with my Creator. There’s evidence and hope in one and only One. I’ve learned not to fear death thanks to Dr Mary Neal’s encounter in 2016 and her book ‘To Heaven and Back’. I’ve learned not to question this reality or wonder if it’s true. Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 messianic promises (statistically that’s impossible unless it’s true!). Jesus died and rose from the dead (no other religions have a leader that accomplished that one!). Those who witnessed it went on to share it with the world and practically all of them were brutally murdered and willingly died in order to share this Truth so that you and I could hear it today. The book Stranger On The Road to Emmaus has been a favorite of mine and can be freely downloaded from the author’s website and it spells out how Jesus made a way for us to be assured of our destiny after we die. You simply can read the book if you don’t know any details about Jesus or read it even if you think you know the story. Jesus said that being a good person has nothing to do with going to heaven. Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through Him through faith alone. I do believe. I trust in Jesus and the gift He gave me by paying for my sins so I don’t have to. I keep my eyes focused on Jesus alone. One book of the New Testament quotes in Hebrews where there are several translation options and several supportive scripture verses that share just one of many truths. Believing in living multiple lives & reincarnation is a slap in the face to the One who gave up His life for me. Therefore, it’s my greatest hope that anyone reading this will investigate for yourself if you haven’t already and put your faith in the work of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Messiah! And Him alone! If just one person reads my blog and puts their faith in Jesus, it’s all worth it.
I also have chosen a WORD for 2025. It’s continue.
CONTINUE…
living,
being positive regardless of circumstances,
sharing my faith in Christ alone,
growing in knowledge of the Lord,
reading Scripture daily,
sharing smiles and compliments with others, adventuring,
working on healthy relationships,
having healthy boundaries,
loving yourself well,
being fit,
eating smartly,
encouraging a special friend in her faith walk,
with your cancer treatment.
Just CONTINUE!
I kicked off the 2025 New Year chilling out in sunny Florida for over 2 weeks praising God for the arrival of my new grandchild! And as much as I would love to share the details and photos, out of respect for my daughter and her family’s request, I can only say that all is well and prayers of health have been answered! What I can say is how incredibly grateful I am to still be alive and well and to have the physical strength to experience this gift of time! It fills my heart to hear the sounds of my granddaughter calling out my name over and over, to sing her Edelweiss and Amazing Grace while she falls asleep in my arms, and to serve my daughter and son-in-law with a hot cup of coffee in the morning, with laundry done, closets cleaned, dishes washed and dinner made so they can rest before I returned to Ohio. Thankfully before the baby arrived we did make it to the beach and I got in a good power walk along the shoreline!
As oppressively hot as the South can be in the summer, admittedly the winters in Florida are quite lovely with temps much warmer than in Ohio! And while we all donned sweatshirts and Fall jackets, sipped hot tea to warm up in the mornings, I am a little bummed to have missed the 10” of snow that fell back home in Ohio. John got to try out our new snowshoes that we gave each other for Christmas as he had that special experience of breaking trail at Caesar Creek!
My Floridian friend, Lisa, doesn’t understand how anyone can look forward to snow and thinks I’m a little crazy but I can’t wait to clip on my new snowshoes and hike out in the woods where a blanket of white pure snow awaits me!
It was lovely to have one of my dearest friends from Ohio join me for a night out in Florida where we watched pelicans fly and yachts docked in the marina! She always joins her parents in Florida for a couple months close to where I was so we got a night out together! Thanks Karen for being a faithful friend who loves me so well!
Once I returned to Ohio so that I could receive my infusion at The James Hospital, it was good to be in my own home for a couple nights, doing my own routine. On the morning of my infusion, I treated myself at a delectable Columbus, OH bakery called Dan-the-Baker. Their citrus melange danish with blood oranges, tangerine & grapefruit with edible violet petals was off the charts! I know… No…it’s not Whole Food Plant Based, AND yet it was unbelievably scrumptious. Now back to greens and beans!
My nurse during the infusion, Stacie, was as sweet as they come.
She was new to the floor where I get my infusions and she wasn’t aware of my Gratitude Bell inspiration. So I got to share with her how it came to be. Here’s the link to the Bevin Bell company that made these bells in my honor and the poem I wrote to go with it.
Gratitude Bell
Stage four will not define me
Because I have a choice
Gratitude is the song
In my heart and in my voice
Today ring these bells
Softly to remind
Yourself and others
To be grateful and be kind
Come on my soul
Find the strength
To lift up your song
And your attitude
No matter the storm
No matter the pain
There’s always a choice
Of Gratitude
By Tricia Wonderly
However, being home didn’t last long because John and I headed to Michigan for a special evening lantern lit snowshoe hike at Hartwick Old Growth Forest in Grayling, MI with my former sister-in-law and her hubby. We stayed at a beautiful lavender farm and got to snowshoe on their private 7 miles of trails before the evening event. I’m now a huge fan of snowshoeing! And now that we own our very own, John and I will be seeking out more snowy trails!
