Dear Reader:

What in the world happened this year? Normally by now all my pumpkins and “Boo’s” would have been decorating my house for at least a couple of weeks? Fall has officially come and my house is still summer. (And it still feels like it outside unfortunately…)

Hum….let’s see…what could have caused the delay? Could it have been Hurricane Florence, an upside down mountain trip, a series of weekend family birthdays, medical test appointments and office visits, and Boo Boo grandmother stay-overs and help-outs? Yes…I think I can forgive myself for lack of time and even remembrance of pumpkin decorating.

When I returned home yesterday I immediately fell asleep….poor Eva Cate came down with a stomach virus and Mandy, Tigger, and I were all up most of the night with her Thursday night. When I woke up mid-afternoon I fixed something to eat and felt like I had re-entered the world of the living. It was time to start pumpkin and “boo boo” decorating.

I just got a few spots completed…but at least the process has started and I now have the weekend to keep working on it along and along…which these days works best for me. Here is my first fall decor to appear this year. (Some of these are new…thanks to birthdays presents from many of you!)

Thursday night, while Mandy was attending a parent night at Eva Cate’s school…Aunt Kaitlyn came over to start  Eva Cate on yoga lessons….she soon found out that Jakie was not about to be left out. (By the way keep washing your hands Kaitlyn….I don’t want you coming down with a stomach bug!)

Wednesday Gin-g (Bless you!) took me to my Lab Work appointment and Cat-Scan where you might have seen the three of us doing a “selfie” with Sheila, our favorite CT-Cat Scanner on yesterday’s post. We then ate lunch (thanks for my beautiful necklace Gin-g!) and I headed over to Mt. Pleasant.

Thursday morning, after dropping Eva Cate off at her school (at 7 a.m.) I watched the sun coming up on the canal while the moon said good-bye…a beautiful sight. I said a special prayer that the Cat-Scan showed no mestastatization at my appointment that afternoon.

I know I had lots of other prayers from family and friends and you just don’t know how much  it meant to me. It had been eight months since my first Cat-Scan. It is the scariest part of living with cancer…kind of like waiting for the other shoe to drop….is it still dormant or active again…has it move internally this time or re-surfaced …present but perhaps unaccounted for?…

Being human these are the questions that plague us cancer patients while sitting in the office waiting for the oncologist to bring back any report. I took out a piece of paper and wrote a quick message….thanking God for being with me this far and praying that all was well.

 Dr. Jeter walked in and said “All is clear.” There was no evidence of it mestastatizing. I felt myself sinking back in the chair with relief and letting out a big breath….unknowingly I had been holding my breath from the time the door knob turned. I suddenly felt lighter than I had in quite awhile.

(This, by far, was my best birthday present!) My white cell blood count remains very low however, so she will check it monthly with flu season approaching and we will pray I don’t catch it or any other serious infection since my immune system is compromised under the daily oral regiment I am on. Still, right now, today, this moment I am well and living my life to the best of my ability!

One thing was so sweet, that Dr. Jeter said when I showed her my writing pad and the quick message to God on it…she looked at me and said “You do know even if the report had turned out differently…it was still okay…God always has a Plan B…which I knew…if needed.” 

When I got in yesterday there was a package on the porch from Michele Jones, a wonderful friend from church. I could not believe my eyes when I opened it…a birdhouse made completely out of wood called the “Little Chapel Birdhouse.” It so closely resembles St. Jude’s that tears  sprang to my eyes.

It had been made from an organization called Ten Thousand Villages…a world-wide organization to change lives around the world selling homemade gifts from talented villagers living in third world countries. This fact just makes it even more special. I can’t begin to thank you Michele for such a thoughtful gift!!!

So until tomorrow….Father….Place Your light in us as we do a pumpkin so we can share it with others while blessing our bountiful gifts of life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh