A little bit of the heavy stuff....

My Mom was diagnosed with cancer one year ago today. 


Since then she has endured 3 surgeries
2 staph infections
4 months of chemotherapy
35 days of radiation, going in Monday through Friday (7 weeks)
Losing her hair
Major neuropathy
Excruciating Headaches
Extreme Fatigue
Countless pills
Would Vac
and she is now in remission


I am so grateful for God's hand on her, and our whole family through this past year. It has been incredibly difficult and there is still healing to be done from her latest surgery, but God is good and has been so faithful.
This is the post where I shared about her diagnoses last year.....
*Originally posted August 2011*

I've known some amazingly fabulous women in my life.

I know of a woman who has spent most of her life in the ministry, standing by her man in the toughest seasons, knowing God had his hand on them the whole time.

I know of a woman who lost her husband to a motorcycle accident, leaving her alone with two young girls to raise. Her strength and positive outlook on life is infectious.

I know a woman who lost her husband to a freak accident, leaving her behind with 3 very young children. She could easily have a "woe is me" attitude, feel sorry for herself that she is doing the hardest job on earth all alone. But she is full of joy. She is not negative. She is such an amazing example.

I know of a woman who has lost several babies before they were born. Sure, her heart aches. But she still trusts in the Lord to provide for her another baby someday, believing in His promises to her.

I know of a woman who watched her husband die of cancer not too long after his diagnosis, and then after he was gone, she herself was diagnosed with cancer. I saw her fight the fight and trust in the Lord to heal, and He did. And he brought her a new and fresh love.

Faithfulness.

Joy.

Peace.

Steadfast.

Courage.

These women are truly amazing and I know I can learn so much from them.

I know of another woman. One whom I love more than any other woman. One whom I treasure and respect and try to model myself after, as a Mom and as a wife.

She was just diagnosed with breast cancer yesterday.

That woman is my Mom.

To say this has rocked our world is an understatement.
The shock of just saying those words

breast cancer

hasn't fully set in.

But I can tell you one thing.

We have peace.

A peace that surpasses all understanding.

All of us.

We are scared

confused

anxious

yes.

But we are hopeful

trusting

peaceful

and joyful at the same time

HE allows us all of those things.

The prognosis looks good as it was caught early and is relatively small.

She meets with the surgeon this week.
(*updated* it was not small and easy like we were first told)

We are confident she will be okay.

More than okay.

This little poem/devotional pretty much sums things up.

STREAMS IN THE DESERT - AUGUST 9^TH


I have been through the valley of weeping,
The valley of sorrow and pain;
But the “God of all comfort” was with me,
At hand to uphold and sustain.
As the earth needs the clouds and sunshine,
Our souls need both sorrow and joy;
So He places us oft in the furnace,
The dross from the gold to destroy.
When He leads through some valley of trouble,
His omnipotent hand we trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us,
Are part of His lessons in grace.
Oft we run from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Gardener knows
That the deeper the cutting and trimming,
The richer the cluster that grows.
Well He knows that affliction is needed;
He has a wise purpose in view,
And in the dark valley He whispers,
“Soon you’ll understand what to do.”
As we travel through life’s shadowed valley,
Fresh springs of His love ever rise;
And we learn that our sorrows and losses,
Are blessings just sent in disguise.
So we’ll follow wherever He leads us,
Let the path be dreary or bright;
For we’ve proved that our God can give comfort;
Our God can give songs in the night.