Wednesday, April 16, 2014

On Hiatus

For any who have wondered how my 3-month hiatus is going (until next scans in May), I am doing well. I have my ups & downs, of course. I'm eating better - and gaining weight, which is not really a good thing, since I tend to eat the worst things. I've got a goal to give up sugary treats - candy, cookies, cake - as soon as I eat the mandatory Reese's peanut butter Easter eggs and a few pink Peeps! I can tell that it affects me in ways that I don't need or want & I know, deep down, that cancer loves white refined sugar. So why would I purposely put that junk in my body? Am I crazy? Addicted is more like it. That ends next week. It will be hard, but I've done hard things & I know I can do it again. I want to feel better, body & mind, and I want to feel motivated to exercise to make what muscles I do have stronger. I want to stop cancer without resorting to surgery or radiation or chemo. It seems so simple, to starve those nasty cancer cells and make them disappear on their own. 

I also believe that God gave me these three months to worry about something other than myself. Dean had a terrible case of bronchitis that went on & on until he finally got on meds, Janessa has gone through some health issues that needed my attention, and other family members have needed time, love, and support that I've thankfully felt well enough to give. Amazing how that works, isn't it? And it's great to know that He is so aware of each of us individually that His blessings are exactly what is needed at exactly the right time. He is my source of strength, always.

One of the blessings I recently received was being able to go to the temple with my sweet niece, Audrey. She's preparing to begin a full-time mission in Mexico in a couple of months. She is currently a student at BYU & chose to go to our beautiful Bountiful temple. It was a special, sacred experience & I was grateful to share it with her, my mom, two of my sisters, & my Aaron and Lindsey. Again, it was a blessing in this time of waiting & being well enough to participate in such life-changing events.

It will soon be Easter. It will be a low-key celebration this year at our house, but we will certainly be counting our numberless blessings. Because Christ loves me, I try harder to be better every day. There will be more updates as time goes by, but for now, I'm enjoying the service I can give to others. It may be small, but my heart is full of gratitude to be at a point of giving instead of taking...

(Pictures: the beautiful Bountiful Temple and an Easter picture taken in about 1967)