Texas Heat and Other Ramblings ...

The steroids have kicked in full force attacking the inflammation in my lung and also causing my face to be firey red and burn.  I am so thankful to be feeling better this morning and am thankful that I can take in a deep breath without as much pain in my lung.  Praise the Lord.  I know this latest hurdle is temporary and I am so thankful for that.  I believe that while I continue to build my body up physically there are still things I must keep in check.  Stress … honestly there is nothing good that can come from stress.  It affects our bodies in such a negative way.  I promised myself when I returned to work after my surgery and treatments that I would not allow my job to stress me out.  I will be promising myself that once again.  I, like you reading this, want good health and the ability to feel good and my plan is to stay healthy.  This in no way means I will not care about my job, it means I chose to take care of me.  We all have that option whether it is work stress or personal life stress … we make the choice.  I chose life … how about you? 

Since I am homebound for the week and resting, I have a lot of time on my hands.  The steroids kept me awake yesterday but I continued to rest a lot. The ePad (you read that right … Asus ePad not iPad)  I bought while I was taking chemo got a work out yesterday.  Yeppers, caught up on all my blogs that I read, searched various other blog sites and added those to the collection, checked Facebook a jillion times along with Twitter all the while watching the Olympics.  I decided about 12:45pm that I needed some lunch, even though I was not hungry due to the steroids, so I popped one of those single serving bags of popcorn and drank a 7-up and finished it off with the last two steroids for the day.  Good meal I would say. 

The heat is up outside and consequently my blinds and doors are closed.  I feel like I am sitting in a dungeon or cave.  In an effort to conserve air conditioning and electricity, we open the blinds in the morning before the heat rises to 100+ and before mid-day try to ensure all the blinds are closed.  I really dislike being in the darkened house, however, being in a cool house right now is more important.  It is a temporary darkness and I know we will make it through.  I would much rather be in the dark physically while I am keeping the Texas heat out than to be in the darkness and not know our awesome God. 

After watching the U.S. gymnast, Jordyn Weiber, there was a lesson that can be learned.  Jordyn’s minor bobble on the balance beam combined with a small misstep out of bounds on her floor exercise cost her a spot in the individual all around competition for a gold.  It makes one stop and think about how many bobbles that happen to me daily yet I am still on God’s team.  My daily bobbles do not affect my standing with God and how thankful I am about that.  When our days on earth are over, Jesus will be standing at the finish line when we arrive … clapping and singing and saying welcome home my child. 

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Blessed and praying blessings for you today.  

gkmorrison12@gmail.com

What A Wonderful World ...

Tuesday I had the privilege of attending the first Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Luncheon hosted by Mary and Dick Lowe at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth.  It was a wonderful time.  There were tables set up that we visited before the lunch began.  We chatted with women I have met along my journey.  These women are all breast cancer survivors and such an inspiration to me... just their very presence has inspired me.  I met new friends and was able to share my blog so the information can reach as many as possible.  I continue to Praise my awesome Lord for all that He has provided me.

Above:  Alverna, my friend and adopted sister
accompanied me to the lunch.  She looked absolutely
beautiful.  If you remember, Alverna took me to
all my chemo treatments.  When I started
chemo, she helped me make it through many days by
bringing me groceries that I thought I could eat, fixing me
food, calling and checking on me.  Thank you does not
seem to be enough for her support during those difficult
days when my family could not be with me.  

Above:  One of the most wonderful things that
Alverna and I got to experience was a chair massage.
Joni was the massage therapist and might I tell you,
that she was wonderful.  For all that Alverna does
for her family and friends, she deserves a much longer
massage than five minutes.  

Above:  Everyone was assigned a table and we were at
 table 17.   We were seated with others who had the same
type cancer as me.  I was the recipient at our table of
the beautiful hydrangeas 

Above:  Looking across the area.

Above:  The speaker is Sherree Bennett,
the sweetest lady you will ever meet.  I met with
Sherree before my journey began.  

Above:  The North Texas Laryngectomy Society Choir
graced us with the song...
What a Wonderful World.
It was so emotional for me.  I watched this group of
five who fought throat cancer and won.  Here they are here today,
pressing the buttons on their necks singing.  They were truly a blessing.

Above:  Dr. Alan Johns, Survivor and Author
of "The Lump".  A man's journey through
breast cancer.

Above:  The incredible Joan Katz herself.
Three time breast cancer survivor and one time
bladder cancer survivor.  She was an incredible speaker
with so many inspiring words.  Her topic ...
We Have, We Will and We Can ...

I forgot my real camera and was using the camera on my cell phone.  I just had to have pictures so I could share on here although they are not the best.

Sherree reminded us 'not to waste our cancer'.  I knew early on that I was not going to waste the opportunity to 1) share my awesome Lord and 2) make available as much knowledge as I possibly could to other women and men regarding breast cancer and treatment.  God has provided many open doors for me in both areas and I always take the opportunity He gives me.  My passion is to share Him with others as I do not know how anyone could walk this journey without Him.  And I love being able to educate women in all aspects of this disease.  I will continue this until the day the Lord calls me home as I know I am doing what He wants me to do.

At the end of the luncheon, Sherree announced that the newest diagnosed person at the table would get the potted hydrangeas and at our table that was me.  You might have guessed it ... and I'll admit it ....
I cried.  I have come so far since my diagnosis on September 15, 2011, but my emotions continue to run very high when I think about the love and support that I have received.  People say that my words bless them ... I say that I am the one that is blessed.

Cancer and cancer treatment is a journey.  The journey we would not have chosen to take but some of us have to.  Attitude is so important when dealing with this dreadful disease and it's dreadful treatment but if you look around at all you have, you will see the blessings as you go through.  Hold on to your
HOPE ...

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Do not allow anything to steal your HOPE ... not even cancer.  Cancer put a bump in my road, a mere detour but it will not steal my HOPE, my FAITH, my LOVE, or my JOY.  

Blessed and praying blessings for all.

gkmorrison12@gmail.com