I came across a blog about 6 weeks ago that I just can't stop thinking about. I check it several days a week for updates.
This is an amazing mom whose husband sings with Selah. They have twin daughters, another younger daughter, and they just lost a full-term baby girl named Audrey in April. Her faith is inspiring, her honesty refreshing and her story compelling. I hope it encourages you as much as it has encouraged me. She is an incredible writer.
http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Five Year Survival Celebration
On Friday night, we celebrated 5 years of me being cancer-free! We threw a big party with awesome Mexican food, great friends, and family. It was so much fun. I took the opportunity to say a few words – this is what I shared…
A Word of Thanks…
To those who rejoiced over a second pregnancy, then mourned with us over a supposed miscarriage, only to find out later it was a malignant tumor…
To those who stood by us and waited with us for more than a month for a definitive diagnosis…
To my parents and brother, who supported us in so many ways with prayers, visits, pep talks, research, and care of Anna Claire…
To our friends who picked up Anna Claire and returned her later, bathed, fed and in fresh clothes – even when I was not aware of it because I was so sick…
To my girlfriends, C. and D., who refused to let me abandon my faith and insisted that I hear God’s promises each day…
To my girlfriend D., who promised me that God would use this for good someday, and for all your help with feeding Anna Claire dinner and helping me get her bathed and in bed while Gary was in graduate school classes…
To K., my 12-year survivor girlfriend who identified so deeply with what I was going through because she’d been to hell and back herself, and who gave up her precious family time before Christmas to care for Anna Claire around the clock while I was in the hospital, then picked me up and dusted me off when I emotionally crashed several months later…
To D., my maid of honor, who organized the most incredible delivery schedule of meals for Gary, Anna Claire and my family during the entire 4 months I was in treatment…
To my girlfriends at work, who made me laugh, covered for me when I was out, celebrated my new hairstyles, eyelashes, and eyebrows, and provided much-needed emotional support…
To C&J, our next door neighbors, who brought food, came to visit me in the hospital, planted tulip bulbs for me in October to enjoy in the spring once I was all better, mowed our grass, and arrived on our front porch in their pajamas on Christmas morning to bring my mother and Anna Claire a treat…
To all the faithful ladies of St. Stephens, the church where I grew up 25 years ago, who surrounded my mom with love and support while she was here taking care of us for 7 weeks, and to their husbands, who also prayed and supported my dad…
To D., my longtime boss and friend, who charged me with the task of “just getting better,” never asking when I would be back, never giving up on me, and who volunteered to babysit Anna Claire on Christmas Eve so Gary and my mom could both come to visit me in the hospital at the same time…thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to especially honor you tonight, because you went far and above the call of duty. Thank you also for your understanding and support of my deep passion for walking alongside and ministering to other Sunrise co-workers who are facing cancer. I will always be grateful for the special role you have had in this season of my life.
To all our friends and family who celebrated with us in the arrival of our little miracle baby, Leah Natalie…
To the Warner family, who so lovingly cared for Leah when I came back to work…
To our new friends, who didn’t know me when I went through treatment, but who celebrate my health with me now…
To my incredible husband, who shaved my head then told me I was still the most beautiful woman he knew and stood by me through the really tough times. It's my greatest pleasure to be married to him and I can't wait for the next chapter of our life together...
And finally, but most importantly, to the Lord, who lifted me out of the pit and set my feet upon a rock, allowing me to praise Him and give Him all the glory…
THANK YOU!
A Word of Thanks…
To those who rejoiced over a second pregnancy, then mourned with us over a supposed miscarriage, only to find out later it was a malignant tumor…
To those who stood by us and waited with us for more than a month for a definitive diagnosis…
To my parents and brother, who supported us in so many ways with prayers, visits, pep talks, research, and care of Anna Claire…
To our friends who picked up Anna Claire and returned her later, bathed, fed and in fresh clothes – even when I was not aware of it because I was so sick…
To my girlfriends, C. and D., who refused to let me abandon my faith and insisted that I hear God’s promises each day…
To my girlfriend D., who promised me that God would use this for good someday, and for all your help with feeding Anna Claire dinner and helping me get her bathed and in bed while Gary was in graduate school classes…
To K., my 12-year survivor girlfriend who identified so deeply with what I was going through because she’d been to hell and back herself, and who gave up her precious family time before Christmas to care for Anna Claire around the clock while I was in the hospital, then picked me up and dusted me off when I emotionally crashed several months later…
To D., my maid of honor, who organized the most incredible delivery schedule of meals for Gary, Anna Claire and my family during the entire 4 months I was in treatment…
To my girlfriends at work, who made me laugh, covered for me when I was out, celebrated my new hairstyles, eyelashes, and eyebrows, and provided much-needed emotional support…
To C&J, our next door neighbors, who brought food, came to visit me in the hospital, planted tulip bulbs for me in October to enjoy in the spring once I was all better, mowed our grass, and arrived on our front porch in their pajamas on Christmas morning to bring my mother and Anna Claire a treat…
To all the faithful ladies of St. Stephens, the church where I grew up 25 years ago, who surrounded my mom with love and support while she was here taking care of us for 7 weeks, and to their husbands, who also prayed and supported my dad…
To D., my longtime boss and friend, who charged me with the task of “just getting better,” never asking when I would be back, never giving up on me, and who volunteered to babysit Anna Claire on Christmas Eve so Gary and my mom could both come to visit me in the hospital at the same time…thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to especially honor you tonight, because you went far and above the call of duty. Thank you also for your understanding and support of my deep passion for walking alongside and ministering to other Sunrise co-workers who are facing cancer. I will always be grateful for the special role you have had in this season of my life.
To all our friends and family who celebrated with us in the arrival of our little miracle baby, Leah Natalie…
To the Warner family, who so lovingly cared for Leah when I came back to work…
To our new friends, who didn’t know me when I went through treatment, but who celebrate my health with me now…
To my incredible husband, who shaved my head then told me I was still the most beautiful woman he knew and stood by me through the really tough times. It's my greatest pleasure to be married to him and I can't wait for the next chapter of our life together...
And finally, but most importantly, to the Lord, who lifted me out of the pit and set my feet upon a rock, allowing me to praise Him and give Him all the glory…
THANK YOU!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I'm Still Alive
I’m still alive and kickin’! I know that all three of my readers thinks I dropped off the planet, but with family visiting for the past 5 weeks, Leah being sick for 4 weeks, working full-time and making a trip to Houston to buy a house, and trying to keep our current house clean because it’s on the market, I’ve barely been sleeping at night.
So, here’s the update…
We bought a house! Gary and I spend Memorial Day weekend in Houston looking for a house and we found a great one – we are SO excited. It has everything we wanted and needed. We can hardly wait. It’s close to Gary’s new job, close to the church we’d like to attend and close to shopping, the pool, etc. It’s perfect.
My parents have been visiting, helping take care of the girls, running things to Goodwill for us, helping us pack, run errands, and anything else we need. It has been so wonderful to have them here not only to help us, but even more just to spend that much time with them. We’ve had a fabulous time! They left today and we miss them already. It’s a good thing they’re coming back in 3 weeks to help us move (and just as I typed that, I started to break out in hives because ohmygoodnessthistrainisgoingfasterandfasterandIcanhardlycatchmybreath). 3 WEEKS! I’ve got a lot to do!
We’ve also had the opportunity this past weekend to see some great friends from Chicago who we hadn’t seen in a long time. It was so nice to just hang out with them and enjoy a meal together. They have 2 lovely young daughters and T. has been a friend of mine since high school. It was treasured time.
G. is wrapping up his school year and is anxious to have some free time to do all the “honey do’s” on the list I gave him. Just kidding, honey. :) Well, not really, but we’ll talk about that later.
Gotta run get some utilities hooked up at the new house.
So, here’s the update…
We bought a house! Gary and I spend Memorial Day weekend in Houston looking for a house and we found a great one – we are SO excited. It has everything we wanted and needed. We can hardly wait. It’s close to Gary’s new job, close to the church we’d like to attend and close to shopping, the pool, etc. It’s perfect.
My parents have been visiting, helping take care of the girls, running things to Goodwill for us, helping us pack, run errands, and anything else we need. It has been so wonderful to have them here not only to help us, but even more just to spend that much time with them. We’ve had a fabulous time! They left today and we miss them already. It’s a good thing they’re coming back in 3 weeks to help us move (and just as I typed that, I started to break out in hives because ohmygoodnessthistrainisgoingfasterandfasterandIcanhardlycatchmybreath). 3 WEEKS! I’ve got a lot to do!
We’ve also had the opportunity this past weekend to see some great friends from Chicago who we hadn’t seen in a long time. It was so nice to just hang out with them and enjoy a meal together. They have 2 lovely young daughters and T. has been a friend of mine since high school. It was treasured time.
G. is wrapping up his school year and is anxious to have some free time to do all the “honey do’s” on the list I gave him. Just kidding, honey. :) Well, not really, but we’ll talk about that later.
Gotta run get some utilities hooked up at the new house.
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