JOY. . .

I had an appt. with Dr. Soper on Friday. He's my gynecologist that did all the surgery and asked me everyday "if we were dancing that day?" He meant, "how was I feeling?". If it was a good day, then we were dancing, if not, then he'd say, "that 's ok, we're side-stepping today, because in dancing you never step backward, you just side-step, and tomorrow we'll be dancing again." Don't you just love that!! I never felt discouraged when he said that even if the medications I was taking were giving me bad side-effects, I knew tomorrow, "I'd be dancing!!".

My visit with him went very well. He still is not going to do a CAT scan until a month after I finish chemo. He said that he's 99% sure he got all of the cancer that was there, and that the chemo is only "precautionary". I'll have appointments after the CAT scan every 3 months alternating between him and my oncologist, Dr. Specca. and have a CAT scan once a year and if after two years nothing shows up. we'll reevaluate where we go from there. but that I'm "his" for the rest of my life. Good thing I like him!

My weekend was nice, not too busy. Most of you I've heard from and have been able to catch up on what's been going on in your lives, but some of you have fallen off the face of the earth, so it seems, no names being mentioned.

When I talked to Dr. Soper on Friday, I was surprised when he told me that after the first of the year I could go back to my regular job. We talked about the fact that I don't have a spleen anymore, but he said I was so strong and healthy overall that he didn't see that as being a problem. Don't worry friends, I have no intention on going back to cleaning homes again full time. I need a job with benefits, but it did open the door for me to go back and help some of my elderly clients on my days off. I miss them, and it always made me feel good knowing that I could help them do something that they were no longer able to do for themselves.

Change of subject. . .yesterday in church our theme was, "joy". We were supposed to write down the names of 3 people who bring/brought you joy and then write down three instances that have happened in your life that bring/brought you joy. I realized after looking over my list that 2 out of the 3 people who have brought me joy in my life, God has taken home already. The three instances I chose were, my wedding day, the births of the girls, and the day I found Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Then we were asked to name three people that WE brought joy into their lives. That one's a little bit harder. I named my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ at New Hope Baptist Church, and my 5 best friends who are still carrying me through this journey from since the first day at UNC to today.

If you were asked to compile of list, who or what would be on it?? Think about it. . .Who matters the most, what matters the most? Obviously the point of the sermon was that our true "joy" comes through our relationship with Jesus Christ, but if you think about it, God loves you so much that He brings people and instances into your life that bring you "joy". People and times that make/made you feel so happy inside that there weren't or aren't words that could describe the joy that bubbled up inside of you.

God makes all of that possible because He loves you that much!! He's so involved in just the little things going on in our lives. I would think that He's so busy just managing the world and all it's troubles, but the truth is, is that He still has the time to give me little "joy" moments. He still works in our individual lives inspite of everything going on around us. I still matter to Him on an indivual basis. He's never too busy, or too upset or disappointed in me, to not be there. He's always there loving me inspite of myself, and He's still working out the small little details of my life. He directs each of my footsteps, even though I may wander off His chosen path at times, He just waits for me to get back instep with Him and then we walk side by side again, until my journey ends here on earth and He finally calls me home to spend eternity with Him. I guess you could say that our "walk" with Him never truly ends, the location just changes, but can you think of anyone else that you'd rather walk with, I can't!