Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Next Step

Its been busy the last few weeks and in one sense the time just flew by and the other sense it was difficult. It is very helpful for me and my family to be as normal as possible if that’s possible...ha ha.. The cousins (Meghan, Aleah, Austin and Victoria) were here for 10 days and we had a blast…all the yummy dinners….trips to the beach….movies….shopping…watching the stars.. etc it was fun. Then came my last big week of chemo. Aniko came with Luke and Abby till Thursday. She brought me to treatments and cooked dinners for us. I just have to say how much of an awesome family I have. Through this whole experience we have had a steady stream of visitors, being here to help or just coming to my treatments with me. It has made all the difference… Thank you…
I was able to go to Dehaans Annual BBQ and had a great time of visiting with everyone. Its been very difficult since last Friday but the Lord has been giving us strength for the day.
I would like to ask for prayer for tomorrow. We will be going to Sudbury for an appointment with the Radiation doctor when they will tell us what the next step will be in my treatment. Pray that God will give the doctors wisdom and we would be submissive to what He has in store for us next. But most of all like this song expresses we will continually be given the GRACE to praise Him in the storm.

I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen and it’s still raining
as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain,“I’m with you”
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:And I’ll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are no matter where I am
and every tear I’ve cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm….Casting Crowns

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Home again

Thank you all for your prayers. My hemoglobin went up and I am feeling like a million dollars this morning. Mind you I camped out in the er for 12 hours but it sure helped!! I felt like I was in the er movie, all kinds of people came through, woman from prison, guy that fainted in the barber chair, roll over accident.
God is so GOOD!!! now I get to go to church and worship, what a priviledge....
Praise God from whom ALL blessing flow!!!

In His Hands,
Miriam

Friday, August 7, 2009

From Rebekah

Hello everyone.
This is Rebekah writing today. Mom went up to emerge today due to heart palpitations. She’s been experiencing them quite a bit this week, anytime she does anything physical.
They found that her blood cell count was very low, the lowest its ever been. They are in the process of giving her three blood transfusions. Other than that she is feeling good. Thank you all for your prayers. I’ll update when I find out more.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Don’t Lose Heart!!!

Its been a while since I wrote….finally feel good enough to get back on the computer. The recovery from the last big chemo week has been very hard and slow. I was flat on my back Sat and Sun, I couldn’t lift my head let alone get up. They told me I will “crash” on the weekend but at the time I didn’t have a clue what that meant, now I do. It's to be expected, as each big treatment hits my body my body gets weaker and it takes more to come back. So now I am just plain scared knowing that I have another big one coming up. I feel like I can’t take it again and don’t want to continue on. I really am a wimp….

Then like a cool refreshing rain no a shot of adrenaline I read this morning in 2 Cor 4:16-18

“Therefore we do not lose heart….Even though the outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory….while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are SEEN are temporary, but the things which are NOT SEEN are eternal.”

Through this experience I get to see a glimpse of the NOT SEEN and it is exciting!!! I do not know how He is doing it but I know God is working on me, renewing me, strengthening me for the next step ahead and I don’t have to be afraid. He is graciously allowing me to see the eternal and not the temporary and that is what keeps me from losing heart.

Like I learned from a recent sermon I listened to He doesn’t give us His grace like we put salt & pepper on our food, His grace is actually Jesus himself coming alongside us. God the Father doesn’t just shake grace on us when we need it, Jesus actually joins us and goes through it with us. This has been my experience and it is awesome. Even thought its difficult, by far its the best place to be…Close to Jesus.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”

Rejoicing in His loving Hands,
Miriam