REGIFTING

Regifting has always bothered me. Can someone not put enough thought and effort to purchase or make a gift for someone rather than giving something they don't even want.

This had been my thought on regifting until I had a new perspective. On Jan. 13th after a visit to the oncologist to find out my husband's test results, my thought process changed. His tests were all fine, no changes from three months ago! That's a huge praise to the Lord. It hit me that God had "regifted" my spouse to me all over again. That's the kind of regifting I'm talking about! But when I thought even deeper, I realized that's what each day is....a regift to each of us...to do it better or just differently than the day before...another chance and opportunity to worship our Provider, Healer, Savior, Prince of Peace, Lover of my soul, Sustainer....on and on His attributes go. In fact He regifted to us an opportunity to spend eternity with Him after Adam and Eve sinned through His only Son.

Regifting? I think I love it!!!! What about you?

Things I've Done

Which of these have you ever done? The ones in bold are things I have done before. Some are on my "bucket list"....better get started on some of them and become a little more of a risk taker! Life is short!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (a little craft business years ago with a friend)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (I thought it was, but the guy was being careful :/)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life (I helped try once while working at Continental...)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessed Thanksgiving!

For blessings past and blessings today,
We thank you dear Lord.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
(Picture approx. 1988- Justin, Jaime, Rebecca, Jim and Emmalie)

Christmas Excitement

I love Christmas!!

I love Christmas! I love that we are celebrating with good health this Christmas! I love the sounds, smells, memories, and traditions of Christmas. The kids in our family always open new pajamas on Christmas Eve. This began with a purpose to have the children look cute in their Christmas morning pictures and quickly became an expected gift regardless of the age of the children. On Christmas morning, all children must pose for the annual "at the top of the stairs" picture before racing into the family room to tear into presents. After presents, we have the standard home-made biscuits and all the fixin's followed by hubby reading aloud the Christmas story. What is your family's tradition? I'd love to hear.

Enjoy the picture from last year's "top of the stairs" very early Christmas morning picture.

Precious Time

Time is such a precious commodity but we tend to waste so much of it on meaningless tasks, conversations, whims, and worries. The past 2 months have made me recognize this fact even more so. I feel as though the Lord has given us another chance to do life "right". I know we won't accomplish that every day or every minute but at least as a result of cancer touching our lives, I am aware of the need to try. I am aware that every minute sleeping next to my spouse, watching him breathe, engaging in conversation together, sharing a laugh or tears are special......special never to be regained moments but yet moments that make memories. It is my choice what type of memories are made. Now, I do not live in fear but in the very reality of the present because that is all any of us are promised.

On October 15th, Jim's scans and lab work were clean and the lesions on the lungs remain unchanged. That's good news! We have a 3 month reprieve before a repeat performance in January. We have laughed, loved and lived so much more since the diagnosis in August simply because our perspective has changed. Our faith has grown and become tangible in so many forms. You know faith truly is a gift wrapped in many layers. We have unwrapped so many of those layers lately and are just getting to the precious gift inside. A gift that is indescribable, uncontainable...the very character of God Himself. Faith is believing that God is....simply that He is the great I AM and all that that entails. I am finally able to say, thank you for allowing cancer to touch our life. Thank you Lord, for making me aware.

To My Little Bit

Happy Birthday, to my Little Bit. Twenty-four years ago today the Lord blessed us with you, our sweet Emmalie Joy. You have lived up to your name....devoted one filled with joy. You have taught us so much through the years. Your optimisim and spirit of encouragement have been a balm in our home and lives throughout the years. I will never forget the day, you were 4, and you asked if had not miscarried the baby before you if I would have still had you? WOW!! I quickly replied, I am sure we would because our lives would not have been complete without you and God knew our family would not have been complete had you not been born. I still feel the same way today! Today, you celebrate as a married lady, but forever you will be my baby. I'm glad you are my friend, my teacher, my encourager, my sunshine, my tiny-tot, my little bit, my child, my daughter....heart of my own heart. I love you so much! Continue to grow in God's grace! Happy Birthday! I celebrate you today! I'll love you forever; I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be!

STORMS

Storms seem to come in waves..... At least that's how my life, our life, has been since August 27th. That is the day that will forever be etched in my mind as "the" day we discovered that something was not quite right with my precious hubby. On August 28th, CT scan results were relayed to us. A very large mass was inside his left kidney, renal cell carcinoma, kidney cancer. The big C that naively I thought would never touch us. No family history, no symptoms, no abnormal blood work, perfect physical in May, nothing that would have indicated there was this vicious disease brewing in his body.

We have seen many of God's miracles already....a very "in tune" GI doctor that felt the enlargement during one of those routine palpitating on your tummy type exams and who had received "cancer" news himself about his toddler-he understood where we sat that day. An appointment at MD Anderson was scheduled on the following day all because Jim "just so happened" to miss a meeting with a customer on August 28th who "just so happened to be" the vice chairman on the board of directors at MD Anderson. We were in for the appt on Sept. 3rd, less than a week after diagnosis, with one of the top surgeons/urologist that specializes in large tumors of the kidney. While there we asked when would surgery be (understand I thought you have a mass this big...it's coming out tomorrow! This is my man! So I packed bags prepared to check into the hospital. NAIVE!). Usually it takes 2-3 weeks to get on his schedule but "he just so happened" to have a cancellation for that Friday morning! So this whirlwind got crazier....radical nephrectomy of the left kidney, 26 lymph nodes removed and many other areas biopsied, probed, pushed and shoved (oh, and the gall bladder came out which is what sent us to the GI dr. initially). Four days after that, Jim was doing "better than the doctor ever dreamed he would be" but it made him uneasy to send him home just 4 days post surgery. We came home on Wed., 5 days post surgery and 48 hours before the hurricane.

IKE entered our world on the 12th of Sept. Our home and family were spared but not our electricity. One week we played 'survivor' with no water (we have a well), no flushable toilets (we have a septic system), and no lights. Our kids located a generator and window a/c on Thursday before this storm making life bearable. Poor hubby, couldn't help do anything before or after the storm and it wore on him emotionally.

God's power has been evident. The staples are out, biopsies and lymph nodes were clear but the mass, a little larger than a grapefruit, was indeed clear cell kidney cancer, which appeared to be confined to within the inner wall of the kidney! Now, a grey cloud looms over our heads as we await Oct. 10th for rescans, to check out 3 very, very, small lesions in the lungs that looked suspicious. If there is no change or increase in numbers of lesions we just continue to rescan and observe. If there is a change, we begin drug therapy. Please pray....we covet your prayers so much. God's hand has been in this since the beginning and we know He will walk the journey with us whatever that entails. I long for many more days alongside my spouse that I entered into covenant with 34 years ago and selfishly I beg God daily for that!

The songs and scriptures that come to our mind during these days...and it's only been a month, are those we learned as little children...back to the basics. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves ME! Yes, Jesus LOVES me! Yes, JESUS loves me, for the Bible tells me so!" No matter what, no matter where, no matter the name of the storm.