Be Joyful in All Things

Mom's pathology report came back. The mass was cancer. It also means she has cancer in another location. The next few months will be spent trying to find the primary site.

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to be Joyful in All Things.

All Things....those two words encompass the good, the bad, and the ugly.

True joy seems to be a hard emotion for many folks. People are certainly happy but joyful...well...that's different.

Why?

I'm convinced that true joy walks hand-in-hand with contentment. Contentment comes from a personal relationship with our Savior. Contentment is a fringe benefit our salvation.

However, worry and fear will cloud the joy in our lives. Since I'm a "worrier" by nature, I have to consciously decide to focus on the joy.

Even in the middle of uncertainty and pain, there are brief moments of joy...gentle teasing, spontaneous laughter, sweet memories, and dreams.

Rest in those moments. Rest in the joy. Rest in Him.

This lady is a beautiful writer and her words were a blessing to me this weekend.

I'm a Strawberry Diva

Last spring I started a raised strawberry bed. Well...truth is Bob started the bed. He built it, filled it with dirt....you know....all the hard jobs. I just planted the crowns.

I had purchased this variety and the planting instructions recommended removing the blooms until the end of June. Only a few, tiny berries appeared in July and August and I was certain that I was a huge gardening failure.

BUT...after the hot days of summer disappeared, the berries kicked into high gear. I picked right up to the first frost.

However, last fall's production is nothing compared to this spring. I've already picked around 10-15 pints in less than 2 weeks. These berries are huge and sweet.

Proof that I am strawberry diva :)

P.S. A good friend recommended this book to me. After reading the book, I decided to return to gardening and focus on purchasing more local products. It's a good read for anyone who is interested in eating better and helping their local farmers.

A long recovery

Mom came home on Tuesday. She was still weak but we were hopeful that being home would speed up her recovery.

My sister called on Thursday morning worried about mom's progress. Her O2 levels kept dropping and she was having hallucinations. By the end of the day, she was re-admitted back into the hospital. She'll be in the hospital over the weekend.

A small clot was found in her neck where the central IV had been placed. Hopefully, taking care of the clot will also take care of her other symptoms.

I'm headed back down to the hospital. This is one time that living in the mountains is a huge inconvenience. The hospital is 55 miles away and it takes over an hour to get there.

Please continue to keep her in your prayers.....

A Sharpshooter

We traveled to the 4H State Shotgun competition this weekend. Adam hit a perfect 25 at district which qualified him for the state competition.

He hit 20 at the state meet. He was a little disappointed but my "eternal optimist" was already planning for next years meet before we left.

By the time we gathered the group together for a picture, he was back to his cheerful self. He was "striking a pose" in the picture above. He planted those hands on his hips, stuck out his chest and announced to the world that he was ready for his photo shoot. One of his coaches turned to me and asked, "Who does he get that from?" I just shook my head and said it was some weird DNA mutation.

I love this boy.....he is a delight.

An Update on my Mom

My mom's surgery went well. It was approximately 8 hours long and the doctor was happy with the results. Initially the mass was thought to be a biliary cystadenoma. However, the initial pathology report was inconclusive. The recovery has been tough, but she gets a little stronger each day.

For those who said a prayer for my mom.....thank you.