After getting tossed from the wig store yesterday, I stayed kind of low profile today. But it was a good day with Anna-Lee, Tim and my dear friend Ruth.
With her playful ways, Anna-Lee continues to make me laugh each day. She is a delightful daughter and a helpful roommate all the time, especially now. And on Tuesday Allyson will join us for almost a week!! Allyson will be great medicine with her gift of silliness and laughter.
Tim is just my rock with his Midwestern approach to life. He is always quite logical, never in a panic, and always keeps me focused on the many aspects of life other than this nasty cancer. This weekend he moved furniture, cooked, ran errands and spent almost two hours putting together a wooden file cabinet purchased from the office supply store – “Assembly Required.” He transformed my bedroom into a bedroom/home office/den with a TV and DVD player. I’m not sure how I would be holding up without his constant giving self.
And then there’s Ruth who skipped church to come over and have coffee this morning. She’s my pragmatic friend, a manager extraordinaire, which is why Ruth’s become my task master. She’s the one who helps makes my lists of what needs to get done. Today, we worked on my friend Patty’s suggestion – to put together a chemo bag, kind of like those car trip bags I used to make for the girls for long road trips. I had no idea that each time I go for chemotherapy, I’ll spend the entire day at the UAMS Cancer Institute. Patty and Ruth gave me some great ideas for my own bag – from blankets and puzzle books, to music and DVD players/laptop. Dear friend Ruth then goes on a shopping spree and fills my bag with the very best goodies a girl can imagine!!
I sit here tonight and feel so very blessed. Since receiving the verdict last Wednesday, my heart has been filled with so much love from my family and dear friends. Rebecca and Melanie have been my UAMS carpool buddies, while Sheila took me to run countless errands on Friday. Leslie & Eric have been my anti-oxidant nutrition and dinner consultants. And Skip just makes me laugh while also stopping by to fill my birdfeeders. Beautiful flowers from Eric and Lynda, Hugh and Michelle, Tom and Kristy, Randy, Kay, Marvin & Charisse, Vicki and my colleagues at AAIMS and Lighthouse for the Blind. Love and health tokens from Marion & Carolyn and Gerry; bath goodies from my fellow Trustees at Philander Smith; a lovely prayer shawl from Erin and the ladies of St. James Methodist Church; healing crosses from friends at Pulaski Heights United Methodist, healing hands from Liz & Mary; a handmade peace sign from Kate; longtime friend Kevin sends me a new friend from Buffalo – also a single mom and breast cancer survivor; heartwarming letters from Jimmy, Martin and Jay; beach clothes, cupcakes and soft nightgowns from Lindsey & Julie; angels from Alice, Jamie & Marylou and a lovely angel pin from Sarah and her mom; inspiration books from Beth & my grandmother; lavender from Ken & Sandy and a lavender neck pillow from Aunt Kay; prayers cards from Uncle Pat and prayer messages from longtime friends at First Methodist Church in Hot Springs; my first knitted hat from Pamela; food from Angela and Eden, the Bishop and Elaine, and Mary York Shermer; food certificates from family friends like the Rutherfords, Faulkners and Speeds, and my friends from the United Methodist Foundation; visits from Colette, Grant, Jim & Sarah, Carl, Melinda, Jane, Angela and Eden, and many more. Sweet phone calls from Kate, Neal, Charlotte and countless others; fun field trips with Mary Ruth. Jordan and niece Emily are my prayer warriors, while Ellen keeps me focused on my need to focus on me. And then there’s the wonderful Brenda, who along with Rebecca and Clay, are making life much easier for me to continue to my work from home. Then there are hugs in the grocery store from Clarice and Frank and Gary and Jane. And I can’t even begin to list all the beautiful cards and letters and emails. I’ve already filled one basket and have moved to a second one. It’s overwhelming . . . And then of course there is Mom, Dad, Mike, Bari, Alice, and my cool girl cousins in Texas. Close family means much, to my girls and me.
God is awesome and so are my family and friends. With God and my family and so many dear friends in my heart, can cancer break it? No way! Thank you to all my dear friends for your love, and helping me keep heart. If love can heal, I’m almost there.
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