Rear View Mirror...........
It's almost Christmas, and in keeping with my new yearly tradition - no cards this year. Sorry, I always plan to send them out with greetings but Christmas creeps on me and it never gets done. Thank you to all who have sent us cards and photos and letters. I love them all.
There's your card and inside I will say -
"May you feel all the love and joy I have for you throughout this festive season and all year round. Having you as my friends and family brings me great joy."
What a year it has been. A few small changes since my last blog post. I had a renogram last Thursday to check on kidney function. I won't get the results until after Christmas but I am confident that all is well. They warn me not to cross a border or try to board a plane for 24 hours but I am dying to find out what would happen if I did. She injected some radioactive material into an IV and I had to lay still for 3/4 of an hour as they watched it flow through my kidneys. She asked if I had lots to drink before I came and I didn't know that was required. I was worried that they might postpone the test but instead they gave me 2 1/2 large (maximum size) cups of water to drink and said if it wasn't enough, they would inject more liquid with the IV. The cups seemed to be enough (they were massive and I had to fight to keep it down as I drank it). My bladder complained about an hour later.
I have a follow up on December 27 but I don't expect any surprises. So far, Dr. Luke has said I've been a model patient. Everything has gone like clockwork (what is clockwork anyway?). The cancer was contained and removed and I won't need any follow up treatments. How's that for good news?? When I first found out I had cancer, I dreaded the possibility of treatments more than the cancer or any consequence resulting from the cancer. I don't do "sick" very well.
Some of the highlights of this journey have been the support of my friends. From the moment I heard the devastating news, they were there to sit with me, pray with me and support me. The day before the surgery, my "bestest" friends got together after church and prayed with Ray and I while sitting in the backyard, enjoying coffee and conversation. That meant so much to me and carried me through the surgery with confidence. When my co-workers showed up at church one morning, a few weeks ago, well, I can't even describe how that felt! I still get teary thinking about it. Thanks guys!
I got so many cards and gifts, flowers and meals. My trainer was not happy with the weight gain but those treats were so good. As you can see I got a basket full of cards and one special card from my co-workers. These are ones I will always treasure. (my kids will have to dispose of these one day as I plan to keep them forever!)
I started back to work on December 3. I picked a fairly easy bus run (Masonville Mall to Hyde Park Shopping Center and to Mother Theresa School). Right now, it is a little challenging with all the Christmas madness but it has been good and relaxing. I don't have to go downtown which makes a big difference and I also don't have to do the Dundas corridor. (Happy dance). It has been a good transition back into working life although I still hate that stupid alarm clock going off at stupid o'clock. I don't think I will ever get used to it. Thankfully, the daylight will be getting longer beginning today so I can look forward to watching the sunrise a little earlier. It is so dark in the mornings and sometimes hard to see people standing at the stops. I am weary at the end of the day but always look forward to my afternoon coffee with my Dad at Kensington each day.
Speaking of Dad, he is settling in well but it is still very emotional at times. He gets impatient with himself when the walking is not going well. He gets a little forgetful but when you're almost 93, the brain is full so you can forget a thing or two. We are in the midst of tidying up the house and readying it for sale. My mother liked to collect stuff - nothing was done in halves. It makes it a challenge to pack it up, sort it out and clean it up. Hats, spoons, buttons, china, collector plates, photos, newspaper clippings, soap (not sure about this one but she kept every bar of soap from hotels, motels, airplanes), pens, pads of paper and the list goes on. I am sure it was a post-war thing but she was way ahead of her time in recycling and reusing. Nothing was thrown out. She was also very organized in that she could find a bill for a car they purchased in the 1960's with no problem. You need a craft pattern? She could find it in two shakes of a lamb's tail. I wish I had inherited her sense of organization but my organization is "don't touch the paperwork on the table because I know where everything is" (i.e. untidy chaos).
So this is Christmas 2018. It has been an interesting year but I wouldn't change any of it. My faith was tested but it is secure. There was never a moment of anxiety or despair. I felt the nearness of God through friends, family, my pets and even when alone. He promised it would work out and I felt calm in that trust. Yes, you read the word "pets". Mya, and the cats, Bigglesworth and Socrates, seemed to know when I needed a cuddle or attention. I will never forget coming home from the hospital and going to bed to wake up later to find them all cuddled around me, like a ring of protection. Never doubt who or what God uses to comfort and protect you.
The dawn of 2019 is upon us and we'll see what it holds for us. We plan to go to Antigua next month with my group of "besties" to see Jocelyn and also celebrate. I pray for all my friends who are battling cancer, fighting other physical, mental or emotional turmoil. May this year be a year of hope and healing. Leave it all to God and just concentrate on getting through the day.
Have a blessed Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!
"May you feel all the love and joy I have for you throughout this festive season and all year round. Having you as my friends and family brings me great joy."
What a year it has been. A few small changes since my last blog post. I had a renogram last Thursday to check on kidney function. I won't get the results until after Christmas but I am confident that all is well. They warn me not to cross a border or try to board a plane for 24 hours but I am dying to find out what would happen if I did. She injected some radioactive material into an IV and I had to lay still for 3/4 of an hour as they watched it flow through my kidneys. She asked if I had lots to drink before I came and I didn't know that was required. I was worried that they might postpone the test but instead they gave me 2 1/2 large (maximum size) cups of water to drink and said if it wasn't enough, they would inject more liquid with the IV. The cups seemed to be enough (they were massive and I had to fight to keep it down as I drank it). My bladder complained about an hour later.
I have a follow up on December 27 but I don't expect any surprises. So far, Dr. Luke has said I've been a model patient. Everything has gone like clockwork (what is clockwork anyway?). The cancer was contained and removed and I won't need any follow up treatments. How's that for good news?? When I first found out I had cancer, I dreaded the possibility of treatments more than the cancer or any consequence resulting from the cancer. I don't do "sick" very well.
Some of the highlights of this journey have been the support of my friends. From the moment I heard the devastating news, they were there to sit with me, pray with me and support me. The day before the surgery, my "bestest" friends got together after church and prayed with Ray and I while sitting in the backyard, enjoying coffee and conversation. That meant so much to me and carried me through the surgery with confidence. When my co-workers showed up at church one morning, a few weeks ago, well, I can't even describe how that felt! I still get teary thinking about it. Thanks guys!
 |
| Some of London Transit's finest! |
I got so many cards and gifts, flowers and meals. My trainer was not happy with the weight gain but those treats were so good. As you can see I got a basket full of cards and one special card from my co-workers. These are ones I will always treasure. (my kids will have to dispose of these one day as I plan to keep them forever!)
 | ||
| Even Mya likes them ;) |
Speaking of Dad, he is settling in well but it is still very emotional at times. He gets impatient with himself when the walking is not going well. He gets a little forgetful but when you're almost 93, the brain is full so you can forget a thing or two. We are in the midst of tidying up the house and readying it for sale. My mother liked to collect stuff - nothing was done in halves. It makes it a challenge to pack it up, sort it out and clean it up. Hats, spoons, buttons, china, collector plates, photos, newspaper clippings, soap (not sure about this one but she kept every bar of soap from hotels, motels, airplanes), pens, pads of paper and the list goes on. I am sure it was a post-war thing but she was way ahead of her time in recycling and reusing. Nothing was thrown out. She was also very organized in that she could find a bill for a car they purchased in the 1960's with no problem. You need a craft pattern? She could find it in two shakes of a lamb's tail. I wish I had inherited her sense of organization but my organization is "don't touch the paperwork on the table because I know where everything is" (i.e. untidy chaos).
So this is Christmas 2018. It has been an interesting year but I wouldn't change any of it. My faith was tested but it is secure. There was never a moment of anxiety or despair. I felt the nearness of God through friends, family, my pets and even when alone. He promised it would work out and I felt calm in that trust. Yes, you read the word "pets". Mya, and the cats, Bigglesworth and Socrates, seemed to know when I needed a cuddle or attention. I will never forget coming home from the hospital and going to bed to wake up later to find them all cuddled around me, like a ring of protection. Never doubt who or what God uses to comfort and protect you.
The dawn of 2019 is upon us and we'll see what it holds for us. We plan to go to Antigua next month with my group of "besties" to see Jocelyn and also celebrate. I pray for all my friends who are battling cancer, fighting other physical, mental or emotional turmoil. May this year be a year of hope and healing. Leave it all to God and just concentrate on getting through the day.
Have a blessed Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!
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