Hello! It's been a week or more since we've chatted...all has been well. We've spent the week just "living"...taking care of details of life and trying to live normally. A dear friend asked if I can go 5 minutes without the cancer being "right there". 5 minutes would seem like a 2-week vacation!

Just some updates...I had a 2-week check up with the radiation doctor and all is well there. Everything has healed and I won't need to check back for 3 months.

The wig - hee! hee! I went back to Linda my wig-gal this week and she said, before I could say anything, that this was not the right wig at all for me. Hurray! She exchanged it for the one in the studio that I tried on & was tickled with. She's letting me use it for the time being if I need it before the new one comes in. She has ordered a new one for me - hopefully just like it (she tried to explain the details to me, but I just couldn't grasp "hand-tied", "mono-top" and all those technical wig terms because, remember, I'm still "on vacation" from cancer this week...and really, I don't want a wig, I just want my own hair).

We had a wonderful few days with our children & grandchildren...they came to stay with us for a few days. Yes, they live right here in Rockford, but their new a/c didn't have any freon in it and it was in the mid-90's earlier this week and just plain miserable in their home. Jenn said when all the chocolate in the house liquified, from peanut butter cups to chocolate chips, it was time to find cool air. So they came here - and we enjoyed our time together tremendously! We grilled out, filled the kiddie-pool, ran through the sprinkler, and just enjoyed one another. (They have returned to their home and the a/c installation man is coming next week to add the freon!)

Then yesterday we spent a little of the afternoon taking some family pictures. It was a most bittersweet time. Since this diagnosis, I have had it in my mind to do some "family" pictures with Kurt & Jenn and Mia and Livi. It's been a long time since we've had a family picture and I wanted to do it, well, now. Kurt is a wonderfully talented photographer and very creative with scenery, etc. besides being most patient. We headed to the park and enjoyed our time with bubbles, in the water fountain, on the play equipment and just in the out of doors. At times, tears threatened to overwhelm because this thought of "if it weren't for this horrible cancer..." kept rearing its head - yet I was pleased that we had the time to take some pictures of these good times.

Though the cancer is always there no matter the conversation around me, no matter the activity, no matter the wonderful company alongside - the bigger and greater presence is that of our God. Do we grasp His omnipresence? His omnipotence? His - well, all those big words? " 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'....so we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' " (Hebrews 13:5, 6)

All is well, really. I still have a few more days of "vacation" before chemo starts on Tuesday. And it's a holiday weekend, besides. We have plans to be with both sides of the family & spending time with friends, near & far...then there's the blessing of worshipping God together on Sunday with all our "family" there...just making precious memories along the way. I cannot explain to you my overwhelming gratefulness to God for every day, simply each day.

Love to you all...thank a veteran for their service to our country this weekend (or anytime, for that matter!)
Don & Deb