I'm sure I really should post more often, I'm sure, but ..... either I'm sleeping, or I'm doing as much of nothing as i can.  Oh, and drinking tea.  It's challenging to find something worth saying about those activities.  

God is indeed at work in my heart but so much of it is not yet in shareable format.  It's rather like a baby growing  you may not notice a lot of change in a day, or even a week but then boom, all of a sudden they are sleeping through the night, or outgrowing their clothes & you realize that things have been happening.  Thats how I feel spiritually right now.  There's no way that all this that I am going through is pointless in my life.  

It IS challenging, and hard, and emotional.  It's many things that, well, in my humanness I would rather avoid.  But the reality is God has me right here for a reason.  I am being reminded of so many things I learned in the last years that I need so badly right now.  Mostly I am being forced to lean on Him.  To reach my arms out to Him and receive that grace & mercy that He promises in Hebews 4:16

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

I must live right there, at the throne of grace, receiving grace & mercy.  Without it I will not get through this.

This is a challenging time both physically, spiritually & emotionally.  I desperately need your prayers for all those areas.  My husband has returned to work, simply HAD to do that, Kate is carrying a full load here & I struggle to be so limited in what I am able/allowed to do.  I would love to have Mark home all the time but it's simply not an option.

Thank you for your prayers in ALL these areas my friends,

After a tough week, too much bleeding & some really awful tasting changes in my tea, I am now 24 hrs free of bleeding.  I wish I could be excited & hopeful with this, but I'm not quite there yet.  It AM thankful that the tea is doing it's thing & despite how hard it is to drink it some days I will keep on keeping on because it's working.  

I'm dealing with what appears to be depression & anxiety & am most appreciative of those who and will be praying for me.  It is difficult to take every thought captive & make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5) these days but I must do it.  It's not about how hard or easy it is, it's about obedience.  I know that .... but I still surely do struggle with it.

Today we are heading for a last minute trip to Fredericton AND picking up Ben!! Will soon have all four of my chicks in the nest for a few days.  That will be fantastic. And noisy.  And there will be moments I will wish it was warm enough to ship them all outside. :D  But i am looking forward to it.

I have missed my Christmas prep. the kids did a lot of decorating, and yet none of my nativity scenes are up! :(  It takes a fair bit of rearranging for them & I just have not had it in me to do it, or to try to verbally help others do it.  Next year.  Or maybe I'll have Christmas in summer this year :)  Whenver I am in better shape physically I'm so gonna do it. :D

For now, I have gifts that need wrapping & laundry that needs putting away.  I'm gonna do what I can do & then lay back down again. Any progress has got to be good progress.  :)

Christmas is upon us & I am going to enjoy it! :)

A few highlights from our decorations for you

I got out of the house today. It was FANTASTIC!!!

I didn't do much, mostly I sat in the van & let Mark and/or kids do the shopping for me. But I did get to roam around a little bit & pick out a few things for Mark and the kids stockings.  I appreciated that more than I could express.

of course, I had to take my tea along.  Drinking over a litre of warm tea one sip at a time takes up a bit of my day.  

I came home from our outing thankful to climb back onto the bed & veg again.  It may be hard to sit & rest as much as I have to but it's fantastic to have a place so comfy and full of love to do so!!!

Thanks so much for the prayers today my friend.  I made it through another day & have hope that I will continue to do so.  

love to each of you, and have a fantastic week before Christmas!

Short but sweet to say the last few days have been tough.
I'm not by nature someone who enjoys spending days resting on the couch, nor do I love tea :D

A few days ago bleeding picked up again and it's been hard not to panic.  However, Giao is, thankfully, only an email away and with the adjustments he suggested for my tea things are looking up.  

I still ask you to continue to pray for that PEACE of God for me. It is so hard to live in obedience to Phil 4:4-7, and 2 Corinthians 10:5, and a multitude of other verses I have learned over the years that show us, show ME, exactly how I need to be walking through this journey of life.  

Depression is not a new struggle for me either, and it it is rearing it's ugly head, hovering waiting for weak moments when it can jump in & try to take over my thinking.  

Oh how I need your prayers my family & friends.  Yes, for physical healing but also for emotional & spiritual healing, and strength.  Pray for my husband as well, not only is he taking care of a lot of the housework, he's also taking care of me.  I know that isn't aways an easy task.

One week to Christmas - are you ready? I'm not! That's a whole nuther can of worms that I'm not delving in to today!!

Leaving you with a song I found on my FB memories.  You know as kids how many of us wrote letters to the future us? Well, I'm certain God gave me that song on this day 4 yrs ago for ME, today.  I hope you enjoy as much as I am.

G

Today I am working hard at getting Christmas up.  Mark is still not feeling good so for the time being he is asleep, but i cant complain I had a nap earlier!  My energy is still not high, but it is a BOATLOAD better than it was for that week I was home between trips to ottawa.  I am thankful for that.   The trick now is to keep working on the stanima without over doing it!  In some ways that was easier in a motel room 10 hrs from home where there wasn't a lot to do ... and in other ways MUCH nicer in my own bed.  My bed is actually calling to me right now! 

I am still living with a great deal of peace in my heart, and still asking you all to please continue to pray for that peace.  God has great things to teach me through this & your prayers will help me get there!!! 

I'm getting a sore throat which I have to very proactive about NOT letting happen. Giao is concerned that if I get sick I will lose all progress we have made.  Lots of colloidal silver going & sleeping as often as  I can.  I would welcome your prayers in this area too! 

We really need the energy to make a kick butt chicken soup! 

for now I am answering the call of my bed & going back to rest for a while.  What doesn't get done today will still be around tomorrow. :)

Later, friends,
G

It's been FANTASTIC to be home today! We've been moving pretty slowly as Mark hasn't been feeling great & I have been low on energy as well but we got mostly unpacked & everybody stayed fed.  I even got some laundry done.  Tomorrow I have high hopes of getting our tree!!! 

Incorporating this tea into my daily life has been more challenging here at home, there are far more distractions.  I managed to do it today & I will tomorrow as well.  I'm 2 weeks in to the month I need of no bleeding, and holding on tightly to hope.

I do ask that you all continue to pray for peace for me.  God & I talked a lot on the way home yesterday & I have a much better grasp on that peace I have been asking for - but we all know the enemy will sleep in where he can & boy & how is he ever. I simply have to keep running to the Lord each & every time - as well as doing my part and keeping my thoughts obedient to CHRIST.  (2 Cor 10:5)

It's bedtime and I'm tired & ready for some good sleep.  We were encouraged again today with finances to help us through this. Thank you so much for listening to the Lord my friends & giving to us.  I look forward to seeing you rewarded in heaven one day!

Love to each of you, maybe I'll have some pictures to share tomorrow. :)


G

Tomorrow starts off very early, with us needing to have the van loaded & be on our way by 7:30 am.  Unfortunately most of the loading of the van lands on hubbies' shoulders as I am unable to be much help at all.  Once that's done, we'll hit the clinic or my appointments & then after a few stops be on our way.  

We would surely love to have your prayers behind us as we get ready to roll in the morning and as we travel.  Tonight has been stormy here in Ottawa, we are hoping and praying that it will have settled down by morning.  



God is with us, and we are in the palm of His hand, no matter WHAT happens.  oh how good it is to know that.

I am not going to promise an update when we get home, but I will try to at least let you know we're home in once piece. :)


love to all of you,
in HIM

G

I seem to be finding myself apologizing for the length of time between blog posts lately.  I have sat down & started blogging on several occasions.  It's not like there's nothing to say, but there's no real updates.  I'm going to my appointments, I'm drinking my tea, I'm resting a lot & staying warm.  As problems arise, and they do, Giao tweaks my treatment &/or my tea and we carry on from there.  But there is no real information to share.  My body isn't currently bleeding,  but it threatens in regularly.  There are numerous things I have do to, lots of if/then situations.  I'm having a boatload of information going in over these days & sometimes it's all i can do to process it.  Every time I se Giao there is something new to learn & remember, there's another question or another bit of response from my body that requires change.  Tomorrow I will see him for the last time for this visit, and I will have to make sure that everything I need to know is firmly tucked in my head.  I WILL have email contact with him over the next weeks & he will instruct me on how to deal with things as they come up, but honestly?  The idea of being long distance from my team here in ottawa is emotionally challenging.

I have struggled to talk much about all this, as I find the more time I spend on it, the more emotional I get about it.  I am convinced that God is going to heal my body of this bleeding but I don't now when - other than when He knows is best - and it is hard to wait, not knowing just what will happen between now & then.  I have spent so much time talking to Him, asking both for healing and for PEACE.  I struggle so much with that! That elastic faith I posted about earlier, oh how little idea I had of just how much my faith would be stretched.  This is hard. it HURTS. 

I memorized Phil 4:4-7 a few months ago.  It couldn't be more timely.  

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Don't be anxious about ANYTHING.  My faith has grown strong over the last years but that's a tall order right now.  but look at how that verse ends!!!  The peace of God, which passes ALL UNDERSTANDING, will guard your heart & mind in Christ Jesus.  That is the peace I long for, the peace I am continually asking God for.  I am constantly having to take every thought captive (2 corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.) and putting my thoughts on to those things that are RIGHT, pure, lovely, etc in order to have that peace. It's not easy. In fact it's a downright battle these days.  I need your prayers on this folks.   I am constantly in prayer asking God both for healing & for peace.  

This is truly a challenge of my faith & I'm here asking you all to please continue to pray for me, I need this peace. I need victory in this area of my life right now.  

And now, it's time to head out for some blood work.  Fun times. :)   Tomorrow we head home & I am both thrilled to pieces & a little emotional about being so far from my team.  God has it!

I don't know why my font changed & I can't make it change back.  I've decided to not care and leave it alone.  :)

There really isn't a lot to share today, but I was thinking of all your people as I sit here sipping way on today's share of my tea.  It's not pleasant, but when I asked God to heal me I wasn't specific on HOW .. and if this tea is His way then I will drink it & not complain.  I might make quite a face fairly frequently tho ... :D

Today was a good day. We had no appointments which is nice sometimes, so we got to sleep in a little & had the free breakfast here at the motel.  It may not have been the healthiest start to the day but it sure did taste good.  Tomorrow I will have to get back on track with healthier eating.  At least I have been finishing my tea on a daily basis!

I've missed home today. It was good to see pictures of my kids & talk to them on Skype, but it will be wonderful to get home next week!   Tomorrow I have a friend coming to visit tomorrow & I am so looking forward to it! I have found the city a lonely place to be & have been asking God for some connections.  It's going to be fantastic to have Donna & her hubbie visit!! Too bad she doesn't want to share my tea.  :D


The movie Back to the Future movie is playing in the background. I heard the line 'you loaned me your car without telling me it has a blindspot" is making me laugh.  Laughter is a good thing & it seems I manage to do a lot of it most days!  

I hope each of you has a wonderful, restful sleep tonight & starts tomorrow off with JOY in your heart.  Always remember Philipians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS .. and AGAIN I say it, REJOICE.  Living this way WILL change your life and that of those around you too.  

till tomorrow ...

We are home from my acupuncture & Mark is getting my lovely tea ready for me to enjoy <cough> I mean drink!!!   Thus far all symptoms point to the fact that it is helping me & that is fantastic news!!  it tastes terrible but that isn't a huge concern right now. I will do what it takes!  It did make me laugh when Giao walks into the room today & asked me if I survived the tea.  :D

The difficult part of this tea is not the taste so much as the cost.  It's a little more than $20 a day to keep me drinking this.  That adds up really quickly, and looking ahead at the month of December it is more than a little overwhelming.  yet again my elastic faith has to come in to play - this tea is helping, and if it's what God has for me then He WILL take care of the cost! 

I have a few little christmas things around the room to make it cheery.  I need the added cheer these days!  :)

Please do continue to pray for us here in Ottawa, I've really been missing home & my faith is being stretched  as I look ahead to the cost of this tea.  I will come through this with a stronger faith, but right now it's hard to do! 

Thank you so much for all the love & support!

G

Again I am here to say SO sorry for being awol so long.Sunday was a challenging day!!!  We woke up at 4 am with the plan to leave by 5.  By 4:30 I knew the plan was changing & just a few minutes later I was at the hospital.  We were there for 10 hrs while 2 units of blood dripped their way into my veins & then we left home at 3 pm, much much later than we had anticipated, but joyful in the knowledge that God had a purpose and a plan for us leaving that much later!  The trip was long, the weather went from rotten to not to bad, back and forth until almost here when it was suddenly dry and good driving.  We were ever so grateful to arrive! 

 We arrived in Ottawa late Sunday night completely exhausted & in need of so much rest.  I didn't get much that night, in fact I was so tired still on Monday morning that I ended up not getting treatment that morning.  Giao said she he does to me makes my body work & I would be more tired than ever when he was done. He gave me an rx for a tea made with chinese herbs & told me to go back to the motel & sleep. I did!

The tea is not any amount of fun to drink, it has a very  bitter taste, but I get through it.  I slept Monday afternoon and then last night I got 10 yrs sleep. It was fantastic!  Today I have been missing home, but ya do what ya gotta do right?

Tomorrow I will see Giao again and we'll see how things will go from here.   I'm sure there is more tea in my future ...  <shudder>  :D

I'm STILL tired tonight but will try to share more tomorrow.  Tonight I picked up just a few small christmas-y things for our room.  It brightens the place up a little!!  Our room is fantastic,  here's a few pics for y'all. :)

(I got my chair again!!!)

So you all prayed with me for a miracle, and God has granted it.  We have the funds needed o get back to Ottawa and are preparing to leave bright and early tomorrow morning.  I am having great mixed emotions -, I am thrilled to be able to return in time for treatment before Christmas & I am also struggling with being away from home for 2 weeks. I am a home body!  That said, this is very clearly the direction God is sending us in, to have raised the money as quickly as  He did. I believe this is right, I believe in HIM, We CAN Do this together!!!

I do have another miracle I am asking for.  My body responses to The treatment to stop the haemorrhaging by doing just that - bleeding heavily.  I am asking God to please keep that from happening, and I am here asking you all to pray with me, asking God for that very same miracle, and that the treatment will indeed stop the constant bleeding on a long term basis.  When that is taken care of we can start working on whatever else is going on in my body!

I will keep you all posted as we progress through this trip and we appreciate your prayers so much  Mark will be off work for the 2 weeks & while we will feel that when we get home, we also know that God has that, too!!!

thankful to have each of your prayers, and t know that HE IS IN CONTROL!!

with love and many thanks
G

Hello my friends.

It's been a few days since I was here,  I apologize for that.  However, I have had to spend most of my time in bed, hopefully sleeping.  Sleep has been tough, pain is a poor bed companion & an even worse sleep companion! 

I have also struggled mightily with eating.  My body will feel hungry but put food in my mouth and every part of me revolts.  Smoothies have been my main source of nutrition & I am thankful they can be made to be quite healthy.  

I have been in communication with the cancer centre & the acupuncturist will be away for three weeks over christmas.  The only way I'll get my two weeks in before then would be to be there this coming week.  It seems very unlikely, but I'm praying for that nonetheless.  The challenge in waiting will be dealing with the symptoms that make life rather difficult, and bring on more anxiety than I am comfortable with.  I am SO THANKFul to know that GOD HAS IT ... and yet the crazy hormones & chemicals etc in my body right now are not so willing to calm down & I find every day a challenge to get through.  We're taking one day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time, and doing all we know to do.  I am ever so grateful for the friends who step in and talk me through long hard evenings, who have an understanding & are willing to live out 2 Cor 1:3-5!!!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God

This has been life changing for me as those around me live it out!

It's time to rest this poor body again, doing anything at all takes a whole lot more energy than I have.  A huge Happy thanksgiving to those of you in the US, I trust you see more to be thankful for every day!


G

I have managed to get through the last 24 hrs or so.  Things are still not ideal but I am grateful to have been able to continue to avoid more medical intervention.   It may come yet but I'll be thankful for today!

In the last couple days we've had some monetary gifts come in & that is SUCH an encouragement to our hearts.  It feeds the hope that we may get back to Ottawa after all & oh how we needed that today.

My struggle continues to be FAITH.  I KNOW God has this.  I know everything is in HIS control.  Yet it continues to be a challenge for me to live in that PEACE that comes when those truths are completely accepted.  

1 Thessalonions 5:16-18 says:

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Give thanks in ALL circumstances .... even when nothing makes sense & life is full of overwhelming, even when ANYTHING is happening.  This is my struggle right now folks, and I need your prayers more than I can say.  

Mark is scheduled to work tonight & tomorrow night & I am truly battling the idea of him being away & potentially out of reach.  I want him right here, beside me, at all times - but it can't be that way right now.  

Peace.  I need peace.  I must do what I have to do to get it & yet ... it seems out of my reach.  

This is my heart folks, the read, deep inside me gut wrenching emotions are here on the screen.  Im glad I haven't shorted out my computer while I typed. :)  

Writing it all helps, and the hope that I can help someone else out there helps too.  Keep the prayers coming, the messages,  the encouragement, it ALL helps.  In the end I only want to finish well, to hear my Abba Daddy say "well done, good and faithful servant".  

G

Thank you for the prayers my friends.  It has been a challenging evening here no doubt.  I'm still struggling, truth be told, but the situation is a little less dramatic than it was when I posted a few hours ago & for that I am THANKFUL. I have to hold on the 2 Cor 1:8&9.  

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.


I'm sure God has many purposes for what He is doing in my life these days, but i can say without a doubt that one of them is for me to learn on an even deeper level how to rely on HIM no matter what is going on around me.  It is hard. It is SO hard to do, my humanness responds with doubts & fears but victory IS found in HIM.  It can be a long fought battle, and tonight it is, but one thing I can tell you is that I WILL EMERGE VICTORIOUS.  Your prayers help with that & I cannot say eloquently enough how thankful I am for them.

Tonight I'm leaving you with a song that God has used to speak to my heart tonight.  It's an oldie ... but a goodie.  

Goodnight my friends.  Thank you for the prayers, and please don't stop.  I'm asking God for a good rest, for no bleeding going forward, and that I can return to that place of PEACE I've been in so much.  I'm doing what i can do, and I know victory will be mine.

G

I need your prayers tonight. Right now in fact, and on into .. well, I don't know how long.  I'm not in good shape, I need wisdom, and mostly I need FAITH that God DOES INDEED have a purpose.  My elastic faith is being stretched to capacity & it feels like it might break.  

Please, please pray.  I will update as I am able.

It should come as no surprise to any of you that I'm working hard to raise money for a return trip to the OICC for further incredible treatment.    For that reason I have decided to try something I have never done before. :D  I am working on monetizing my blog.  It's not a big money maker by any means, but every little bit helps.  So.  Don't be surprised when ads show up here on my blog.  In fact, you can even help me by clicking on them! It won't cost you a thing & will help me get more treatment to heal this body of mine.

I am NOT going to be having an annoying number of ads, & I will shut it down in a new york moment (the ads, not the blog) if they become problematic or inappropriate.  I just want to try this to do my part to get myself back to OICC.  Right now, since I'm barely able to get off the couch I am hoping this works & I can make a little cash to help pay my way.  

Thank you my friends for your support & the clicks I'm sure you'll give me.

G

I woke this morning to sunny skies & rain falling.  It was really quite something & brought a smile to my face.

Today I'm not in very good shape at all, but thanks to Kate I have eaten well, had some company while i watched NCIS & taken a nap for a few hours.  I'm sure my body is trying to build up more blood & I am trying to give it what it needs.  Just having some home yesterday I have so much stuff I need to do, there are bags & suitcases everywhere, but I gotta take care of this body as it's the only one I have! :)

At one point I needed to eat something & there was nobody around to help me get anything so I dragged this poor old body to the kitchen to grab some raw veggies.  This made me laugh.

Tim & Kirsten grow awesome carrots at Strawberry Hill Farm! :)

My body is already screaming for more sleep & so I must have some water & then give in to it's demands.  I do hope this doesn't last for too many days, but I will do what I gotta do to be healthy again!!

Eat your veggies & fruits people, they're good for you!!!

G

We're home.  

It was a great trip, tho that's easy for me to say as I slept through most of it. :) It's good to be home, and I've already had an email from my acupuncturist asking me how I am.  I am so loving OICC & the amazing professionals they have who are so able & willing to help as well as go the extra mile.  I was confident they could help me ... and now I am more confidant still.  

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this trip possible.  We couldn't have done it without you & I am incredibly grateful for the help given to us!!!  I look forward to getting back & am ready to jump in & somehow raise the $4000 for our two week trip there.  It will be a longer trip away from home than I like, but ya do what ya gotta do.  

I am completely exhausted tonight so I'm going to say goodnight for now, but I look forward to sharing more of the journey with you!!!

Thank you so much for your help, support & love!


Au demain ....  :)

Hey there

Tomorrow morning we're leaving bright & early for home so I can pretty much guarantee you that you WON'T see me until evening. :)  

I'm looking forward to a good nights sleep & a smooth trip home tomorrow, hoping to sleep much of the trip again. :)

I wanted to share this picture with you.  This lazy boy is in the corner of our room & I loved it.  I wish I had more time to spend in it. :)  The crocheted hobbes is Katelynne's, she made it & it has become our "go to" stuffy on hard days. The monster is Bria's & it came with me to remind me of her love for me.  James loaned me his pencil case for my art pencils etc but it's not in the picture :D  

The quilt is my comfort quilt & every time I so much as SEE it it reminds me that there are people praying for me through every step of the way.  I love that quilt & am so thankful for the HOPE it puts in my heart every time I see it.  

Now I must fall into bed, tomorrow is a big day.  Goodnight all, keep on sharing my page so we can reach as many people as possible - more than we can dream of - with this message of HOPE in Christ!!

I recently found a website "Chrisbeatcancer.com".  It is a fantastic site for anyone fighting cancer or those loving & supporting those fighting cancer.  I signed up for his emails & have loved everyone of them!  Today he included a link to a video on youtube.  

It's not how you start the race, it's now what happens during the race, it's the end of the race that matters.  Finishing WELL is the important part! Acts 20:24 says:

I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

THIS is how I intend to end my race ... it doesn't matter that I keep falling down, or getting knocked down.  It doesn't matter that I make mistakes on a regular basis. What matters is that I keep on getting UP and RUNNING, not looking back  or allowing myself to be bogged down, but looking AHEAD to what God has for me!!!

The video isn't of the highest quality but the message is clear!

Hi folks!

I'm here to try and tell you about my night. I am still sleeping a LOT (healing takes a lot of energy!!) so this may take me a few rounds to finish.  But that's ok, you won't know I've started until I've finished. :D

I was told by the acupuncturist that "it might get worse before it gets better".  He was intentionally stimulating my uterus to get rid of all the clots that were in there.  Well, he was successful.   I asked him if perhaps I would end up bleeding enough to need a transfusion again & he said that yes, that could happen, BUT that when I had gotten rid of all the clots, the bleeding WOULD stop.  I came home, aware that things were already getting heavy, and prepared to spend the evening on the down & low.  By the early hours of the morning it was bad. it was scary bad - even knowing God had it I was still afraid.  I did NOT want to have to go to a huge, strange, hospital for a transfusion & yet it was clear I was about to have to do just that.  The symptoms of low hemoglobin were in abundance.  I laid there hating that I was going to have to wake Mark up.  He was so tired & sleeping so soundly.  I stirred him, but as we were talking I was beginning to feel very strongly that God was saying "go to sleep girl.  You're going to feel better in the morning".  And so I did.  I closed my eyes & fell asleep in no time at all.  I don't know what time that happened, but when I woke again at 9 am I was NOT soaked in blood & I was NOT dizzy or feeling like my heart was racing. I'm sleeping a LOT, dealing with some pain & still feeling rather weak but I'm not losing blood at an alarming rate & we intentionally kept this day for rest & recovery so I can do what I need to do to be ready for travel tomorrow.

I don't know whether this part of the journey is over or whether I will bleed again before being able to come back to be treated by Giao, but God surely did some through & give me healing from my low hemoglobin last night.  As a friend told me, He is bringing me to a new level with HIM & I only hope & pray that some of YOU are coming along with me!!!  It will be worth it ALL when we see Jesus!!! One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase.  I love that old hymn.  

So, for now, I am going to lay down again.  I do believe it's going to be a few days before I feel anywheres near like myself again!

Hang on to HIM my friends, whatever is happening in your life He DOES have a purpose for it, and it IS best for you!!!

G

It was a rough night, my body does nothing halfway (or even just whole way!) and acupuncture is no exception.  I was in bad shape for a good chunk of today & I struggled to hold on to HOPE & to the FAITH I have that God does everything for a purpose.  I reached out for prayer and OH how it helped.  Things are physically a tiny bit better ( I THINK, hard to be sure)  & emotionally /Spiritually a whole LOT better.  Once again I have that peace that passes understanding.   I would so appreciate your prayers that this will continue for me!!!

I also must hold on to hope that I can get back here soon for the continuation of this treatment. It looks impossible, like I would need a miracle .. (and I DO!) but .. you know what? I have a God who is in the business of those very miracles!

it's too late & I need to be in bed but I also needed to work through this struggle of faith before I laid down to sleep.  thank you all for your prayers & support.  Please share my blog freely, and if you are so inclined please also share my GoFundMe page.  I would love to see that rise & allow us to come back for treatment sooner rather than later! 

Goodnight my friends,
God bless you all!!!

Today started off with an appointment with a naturopath. It was FANTASTIC.  It was great to talk to her & see how much I have been doing right.  She tweaked the dosage of a few things I am taking & added two new ones to the mix.  It was a great meeting that went far too quickly!!

After we were done, I went on to my care coordinator where she asked a number of different questions getting a feel for what other services I might benefit from.  It was great talking to her, too, and it's going to be easy to communicate with all the people on my care team with her at the helm.  

after lunch & a nap I was off to see Gaio, the acupuncturist.  I can't tell you a lot about that appointment as I slept through it!  The side effects I experienced yesterday appear to be milder today & for that I am thankful! It was rough going last night & this morning!

Tonight I enjoyed hanging out with dad & Karen & now watching a good movie with hubbie.  I really needed this down time today & it feels good.  Tomorrow is my day to recover from the appointments (acupuncture in particular) and then Sunday we head home. It will be so good to see my kids again!!!

None of us would choose to need to be here ... but if you have cancer this is a place you want to be!!  OICC has helped with so much HOPE for healing  & support in this journey. Thank you to ALL of you!!!

I have ZERO energy tonight but I wanted to keep you as updated as I can. So, just a quick report on today. There will be more later. :)

The nutrition seminar was FANTASTIC & assured me that I am on the right track. It was good to hear that the decisions I have made both pro & con some diet restrictions & ideas were truly the right ones.  It was also taught by the naturopathic Dr I will be seeing tomorrow. it was GREAT to meet her ahead of time & relieve any 'butterflies' I may have had about it.

I also had an acupuncture appointment today & I feel very good about this treatment. I am convinced it's going to help a lot.  He was concerned about not only the bleeding but also my lack of appetite.  I have been drinking smoothies but not able to eat very much in the way of solid food.  He said he was also going to work on that.  I got off the treatment bed at 3:15ish (eastern time) and I have been HUNGRY constantly! I have eaten more "normal" food in the last hours than I have in the last WEEK I'll bet.  I was a little nervous about the eating thing as I do not have the tools necessary to make smoothies here. God SO TOTALLY answered that prayer!!!  How awesome is that.

The acupuncturist is going to treat me again tomorrow, and then I will need to come back for a minimum of 2 weeks as soon as we can make it happen.  I'm going to need your prayers folks, as that will NOT be a cheap trip by any means.  Both cost of the trip plus hubbie losing the overtime he would have worked those weeks will definitely hurt.  BUT ... I KNOW GOD HAS IT & I must simply continue to trust in Him.  After all, He fixed my need for the ability to EAT without my smoothies! :)

We ended the activities of the day with an NHL hockey game.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself but when I started falling asleep on Marks shoulder toward the end of the 2nd period we decided to call it a night.  We came home & met with our church family - such amazing love & support!!!  Then I hung out with my daughter for a bit. Now, as soon s I am finished this was-going-to-be-oh-so-short blog post I will get myself in to bed too.  Tomorrow starts with my naturopathic dr visit at 10:30, with my care coordinator at 12 and acupuncture at 3:45.  I will be tired tomorrow night too!!! 

Just  a shot from the hockey game tonight. I got one more thing kicked off my bucket list! :)

Goodnight all.  May each of you reach for that peace that passes understanding, it's YOURS for the taking. <3

I'm only a few hours out from my first appointment at the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre & I will admit I am struggling to keep that elastic faith going.  I MUST continue to hold on to Him.  I saw a quote just a few minutes ago that said "The task ahead of you is never as great as the power behind you".  Oh, is that something to shout HALLELUJAH about or WHAT??   I'm excited.  :)

It has been a morning of challenge as one thing after another happened & I felt strongly in my heart that the enemy was trying to knock me flat. I REFUSE!!!  And so that elastic faith is being stretched, indeed to the point of hurting, today but that's a GOOD thing ... what muscle can be strengthened without a little pain??  

I must soon be off to get some lunch & then find where we'll need to be for my appointment.  A brand new city has it's challenges! I do want to leave you with this song. It has been playing over & over in our hotel room this morning.  Listen with your heart open & BE BLESSED!!!

We are here! It was a fantastic trip ( I slept through most of it!) today & arrived in the mid afternoon.  Lots of time to get settled & do a little exploring before having supper (love having a kitchen in my hotel room!) and then just settling in to relax for the evening.  

I miss home.  I miss my kids.  I heard a cat meowing a while ago & missed my cats. :)  I love to travel when I have my kids with us, but without them not so much.  However,  I am convinced beyond all reason that this IS where God has me for this time.  

I am oh so tired & need to get off this machine & relax for a bit before bed, so I am going to leave you with this video.  This man has become a fountain of information on healing cancer naturally  since he did so more than 12 yrs ago & i am glad to share his information with YOU, too.  Chances are one (or more) of you will need it one day.  

As I race around the house getting ready to leave bright & early tomorrow I can't help but wonder .... where did those 13 days go?  I remember sitting here & talking about how I had 13 days with only one Dr's appointment & then foolishly said I likely wouldn't be blogging. Well, we see how THAT went ...  :D

Today is the last day to get ready.  Tomorrow morning needs to hold last minute things ONLY ... like getting my pillow & diffuser to the van.   Now, most of the things I am crazy busy doing today couldn't be done earlier.  Well, not conveniently.  I guess I COULD have packed my clothes and lived in things I'm not taking but somehow that just didn't seem like it would work for me.  And so, today, I have lots to do.    My question is .... how often do we not prepare ahead of time like we should? I'm not talking about taking a trip anymore though. I'm talking about spiritually.  I can't imagine where I would be if I hadn't spent the last few years learning about how God has a purpose in EVERYTHING.  If I hadn't learned to take my thoughts captive & make them obedient to Christ. Imagine if I hadn't laid down FEAR at the altar .. where would I be?  I'd be a mess.  An anxious, unable to cope with anything, emotional MESS.  I'd be wishing I could have the peace that passes understanding, &  hopefully I would be working hard to get there  but oh it's so much easier to already HAVE it when this sort of challenge strikes.  God has been preparing me for "such a time as this" and I am ever so THANKFUL that I listened, obeyed, and grew so much in my Christian faith.  

This makes me think of a song/scene from a kids movie.  A silly one perhaps but it does have a message.

Are we prepared?  When life throws us off the end of a horrifying roller coaster ... are we prepared? Will we be able to quickly access the tools we need (trust, Peace, faith etc) like the goat had his propeller horns,  and allow God to be completely in control of what can feel like a free fall?   It's an incredible way to live folks, & I am EVER so THANKfull for the people that God brought into my life to teach me & disciple me in such a manner that I WAS prepared!!!! 

I'm not, however, prepared for this trip tomorrow & so I must get moving.  My heart is prepared, but my body is not. :)

I really look forward to hearing from some of you. I believe God is using His work in me to reach out & encourage others.  I would LOVE to hear those stories from you!!!  I always welcome email at glenda.leigh@gmail.com !!

Have a good day ... and make sure you're working on being PREPARED!!!

Diamonds out of Dust

I had my favourite Christian radio station playing this morning when my attention was caught by a song I had not heard before.  When it was done I turned the radio off & went to youtube to find this song & have since listened to it a number of times. It is AMAZING & goes SO WELL with the challenges in my life these days.  This expressed my heart on how I want to respond to painful & difficult times, & it does it so well.  I will not allow worry & fear to dwell in my mind for he's making a DIAMOND out of dust!!!  

Have a listen. I'm sure God wants to speak to you through this, too!!!

I want to be responsible with my time!

There is nothing like friends who come bearing sweet gifts & hugs to make a day brighter.  Today and old friend (the friendship is old, not the friends!!! ) came to visit.  We used to see each other most every day, 26 odd years ago.  I miss her, and the good times that we had, but she lives too far away for that now & so we take what we can get & try to make it do.  She brought me some PJ's that I am SOOO loving as well as a colouring book (!!!) & pencil crayons. Does she know me or WHAT!!!  We have hopes of another visit before Christmas, with dreams of getting to veg & watch a movie together.  

As I thought about our visit this evening & how much I enjoy seeing her whenever we can get together, I thought of my relationship with God.  I can connect with Him ANYTIME.  Even when Deb lived close & would come in a heartbeat when/if I needed her, there were still times when we couldn't be there for each other, or hurts that we couldn't fix no matter how much we wanted to.  But with God .. He is NEVER busy, too far away, dealing with a cranky toddler .. (tho I'll betcha we appear that way often enough!!)  He is always available for us.  He WANTS to spend time with us.  Do we take advantage of that? 

Too often we wait to spend time with our friends until something 'bad' happens. Cancer, a death of a loved one, divorce, you name it. We don't redeem the time we have very responsibly at all.  So many times we do the same thing with God. We don't run to him until we're sick, or hurting, or any number of things.  What a waste!  He loves us ALL THE TIME & He has SO MUCH He wants to show us, teach us, give to us.  He is always there, always loving us, wanting to spend time with us.  We've all talked to moms whose kids have grown up & left the nest and seldom if ever call or visit.  That's tough, but oh how we do that to God! He gave His very LIFE for us & yet we ignore Him until we need Him. We need to be living as a good steward & making sure we take time to be with God ALL DAY LONG! 

I am being reminded through this journey I am on that we can, and should, rely on the LORD all day, every day.  He is the ONLY one who can see us through everything that comes our way, filling us with strength & courage if only we allow Him to.  Lets not wait until something bigger than us comes our way ... (cuz lets face it, it's all bigger than us) but rather lets learn to go to Him with everything.  This will result in us building the relationship with Him that will allow us to be STRONG in Him when the need is greatest.  

Philippians 1:20 is a verse I have claimed for this period of time in my life.  Think about it. Meditate on it.  See what God shows YOU through it!

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

WHOO HOO!!!

G