Thankful Thursday.....

Well, another Thanksgiving has arrived.  It does not seem like it could possibly be November 25, 2010.  Where has this year gone!?!?!?!?  As I sit here typing, my 20+ pound turkey is finishing up in the oven, my potatoes are ready to go into the pot to start cooking and I still need to mop the kitchen floor..but, it's only 7:45 a.m.....so I have a little time :)

I cannot adequately express my thankfulness....words fail me miserably.  But, I am thankful to God for giving me life and a family, friends and a wonderful church family that are such a blessing to me and give me great places/opportunities to serve (which I love to do).

I am thankful for a husband who is caring and understanding.    He is supportive and a hard worker....and Godly man who cares for our family.  He has had to deal with a lot and overlook a lot since my recent surgery as I have not had an easy recovery...and I am still adjusting to life with artificial hormones.  But, he has handled it (and me) with grace when so many spouses would not not have done so. 

I am thankful for our daughter, who is really becoming quite a young lady.  She is eleven and plays the part well (for better or for worse), but I have seen her mature in so many ways in recent months.  I am proud of her and thankful for her kind and helpful spirit when that shines through.  Her sense of humor is incredible...and I am SO glad that God gave her to us. 

I am grateful for my health.  It's not perfect...but at one point this year, I was concerened about a mass.  We were relieved to learn after a LONG wait from pathology that it was not malignant.  And, even with another recent procedure...even though we were not too concerned about a blockage/tumor causing the symptoms I was having, it was nice to get that 100% confirmation..again nothing of that sort.  Yes.....I am facing some challenges that still have to be ironed out....but nothing that is life threatening...and for that, I am grateful :)

I am thankful for my parents and my mother in law as well as other family members who are so kind and loving and supportive. 

I am thankful for the freedom to make a school choice...and at this time, we have felt led to homeschool Abigail.  I am also grateful that I am blessed to teach two outside classes (American History and Latin) of which Abigail is a part....as well as teaching piano and voice lessons to several children.  I love teaching in various capacities and working with such WONDERFULLY sweet children.

I am thankful for friends near and far...and for things like Facebook and email that have allowed me to reconnect or simply help me stay closer to those who are my friends when I cannot always see them in person due to schedules that just don't mesh as often as we'd like. 

I am grateful for scrapbooking...my most favorite hobby and part time business as it has brought me many friends and an opportunity to relive many memories as I commit them to the pages of a book.  It also allows me the opportunity to set up 'memorial stones' (Joshua 4:7) for my child and future grand children/great grandchildren....to share what God has done in our lives as a family. 

I could go on and on....but my turkey needs to be tended to as do other lunch duties.......so I will stop for now.

But, I will say, that I am grateful...so grateful for God's love for me...and all that He has done for me and through me.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

lazy bones.....

Two weeks have passed since my surgery (well actually two weeks and two days)...and I still feel like a big old LAZY BONES!!!  I returned to the doctor for my post-operative visit on Monday (a bit earlier than scheduled..because I thought an incision was infected).  While the incisions were healing pretty well to the outside... I learned that the stitches that were supposed to be dissolved were not cooperating...thus causing some issues..not really an infection, but an inflammation.  So, Dr. Purvis removed those stitches and that problem was solved :)   I also had been battling a secondary infection since just after the surgery (unbeknownst to me).  It was fairly mild until last Friday...but enough to make me feel a little icky and finally escalating to a point that I was having some pretty notable symptoms.

Now I am on antibiotics for the infection and meds for the spasms....and if I can just get over this allergy/sinus stuff, I think I will be feeling almost normal again!

At the visit, I got my pathology report and praise the LORD!!!!  the mass was not malignant...though it was large (half the size of the ovary) and the type of mass it was is known to be quite painful. 

I will return for a follow up visit two weeks from today...and we'll discuss my next round of treatment.  Every case is different....and in my situation (because of age and family history) I have decided to follow the protocol until I reach my 50's unless there is something that pops up along the way to let us know that is not wise.

My advice to anyone reading....listen to your doctor...but also know your body and do your homework..then prayerfully make the choice as to how you will proceed.

Happy Birthday, Grammy!!

Today is Grammy's birthday!  (Bruce's mom)  I won't say how old she is....but I will say that she seems WAY younger than her years!!!  We love you and we are blessed to have you as a part of our family :)