Meet my friend Koryn

This is Koryn's story...a fellow etsymom and breast cancer survivor. She had her mastectomy the day after me but we've been crafters together through the internet and etsy community. We have walked together through much of recovery this fall. I applaud her courage to be video taped and share her story. Her blog can be found at Mother's Precious Gems.

I hope you also enjoy her story...with God all things are possible.
blessings, Jodi

Rescue Me

This song gives me hope today...I heard it in the car yesterday...take a pause in your day and listen and feel His Grace.

Daily meditaion thought

This is from the Courage to Change book for February 16th...it totally speaks to me today.

"We move from being at the mercy of any problem that comes along to an inner certainty that no matter what happens in our lives, we will be able to face it, deal with it and learn from it with the help of our Higher Power."

...In All Our Affairs

Faith Prevails

How long can one person sustain positive mental energy in the face of turmoil? For me it was about 7 months...

i had a huge cry...yes the ugly face kind...this weekend, I was just so overwhelmed. I won't go into the details of it all but my type A personality, cancer, all 3 kids being home and one stubborn man had just pushed me over the edge. Then to also find out about radiation this week!

Did you know that you get permanently tattooed?!?!?!?!? I am still in shock, little dots get marked on your body so the radiation hits the exact locations each day (5 days a week for 6 weeks) and they may also give you a breathing apparatus so they control your breathing and force you to hold your breath, so your chest is also controlled at the same level each time....not that i found this out from the doctor (grrrr)...but from a fellow survivor, Sara that went through chemo with me (via cyberspace). It's been awesome to have Sara and Koryn (who had her mastectomy the day after me) to share these moments with.

a little backround info- I was ahead of sara with chemo, but she travels ahead of me with radiation and her surgery was months ago. We share experiences and tidbits of the process. I pray for them both each day...and know in my heart that we will all be survivors together!

So anyway, I got through my huge emotional melt down with ideas I learned from al-anon: Humility, gratitude and Faith. I know I can't control anyone else's behavior, i can't be judgemental or self-righteous...i am faced with only reacting positively or feeling desperate...I chose to rise up and see the blessings in the situation...taking a pain pill helped too.

JOY= Judge Only Yourself

I guess my heart is mending and filling in the gap of where my breast used to be. Learning to let go, detatch and meditate (listening to what God has to tell me) was very helpful. I chose this picture (above), which was taken from Loudon Country Club, because it shows a simple waterfall...the water is always flowing, eroding the rocks underneath. I watched a show on the National Geographic Channel this weekend about Niagra Falls. It's mind boggling to me to imagine so many people trying to conquer the falls in barrels and try to win?! Is it about our will or God's will? Water can have such fury and power, just like Cancer.

God works in my life the same way...eroding my old ways of doing things and evolving me into a better me. At least i hope so anyway :)

Blessings to you all...off to take a walk with my 2 year old to absorb some vitamin D *grin*.

Say...John Meyer from the Bucket List

This was a great movie...i recommend others to see it!
blessings.

Rush, Rush, Rush...Christian Radio give time to pause

So now I'm the mom that drives kids to activities...fall has arrived and hip hop dance, girl scouts, music class and story time are all upon me as I taxi from one thing to another each day. Ever present is my image in the rear view mirror of a covered head...hiding the baldness, hiding and avoiding the cancer.How to I take advantage of the time and find a pocket of me time in the process? I turn on my local Christian radio station and listen to the music and shows during the day and night. I find that I not always agree with everything they say...but they challenge my thoughts and give me passages in the bible to then follow up on once i put the kids to bed.

So the other day I was listening to someone discuss the meaning of a successful life. What is success? Now that I face my own mortality...i need to contemplate success...assess what left I have to do before my life will be fulfilled. Have I met my destiny? Is my life, the life that was created by God? Have I fulfilled His purpose for me? Have I lived for myself selfishly or have I lived and existed for God and praised his name in all that I do?

These passages speak to me on this topic.

Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.

1Corinthians 12:4-6
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

2 Corinthians 1:14-15
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

I have always had a strong faith...maybe due to early childhood struggles...(girls on the playground can be cruel at times to an immature new kid entering fifth grade) or maybe because He blessed me with a family that supported going to church and allowing me to sing in the children's choir at a young age. Singing hymns at church really helps get kids connected to the word of God...imho (in my humble opinion). But for whatever reason I have held Him in my heart throughout these 40 years...I'm grateful for that gift. Am I successful...

I think so...
am I done yet and do I have more left to do in His name?

I think so!!!

Especially for Heather - The cancer - Her journey Shared

One of the readers of this blog gave me a link to another mom's blog who writes about her many journeys...one with her daughter that blows me away and has me in awe of the Lord's power to comfort and heal all creatures great and small. But then she later became diagnosed with her own cancer. I read a little bit and the end of this passage touches me deeply...
I would love to copy and paste it...however I don't think that is the right thing to do without her permission. So I will post a link to it.

Especially for Heather - The Cancer

Blessings to Heather, her daughter Emma Grace and to her whole family. I have learned from you to be persistent with doctors and that Great Faith will carry us all through these times of life.

I hope my readers visit your blog and learn from your wisdom too...I know I will never meet you in real life...but somehow you have touched me deeply and infused me with some renewed strength for the upcoming months to come.