It's been over a year since I last posted, and what a year it has been. Last October, I found a lump in my left breast. I scarely gave it any thought at first, thinking that it was just a cyst that would drain on it's own. Cancer did not enter my mind, not even for a moment. A couple of weeks later, almost as an afterthought, I checked again, and the lump was still there. This time I had a slight sense of foreboding, enough to mention it to my husband. He is the one who made my doctor's appointment and made me promise to keep it. Long story short, it was cancer, and a bad variety of it. Triple negative. This began a round of doctor's visits, surgery, chemo, etc. Someday I will write more about those days, but not now. I might even post a photo or two of my bald head, but I'll have to relearn how to post photos to do that. This is just an attempt to restart my blog and in doing that, restart my dreams.
All has not been bad since my last posting. Last July, Jesse and Kathy had a precious baby boy. Jeremiah Daniel Shaffer by name, and he came into the world with a head full of beautiful black hair just like his daddy did before him. He is the good that came into our family just as I finished my last round of chemo. We love him so much! Savanna is a good big sister and loves him dearly. Speaking of Savanna, she has grown into such a sweet little girl (no longer a baby). One of my favorite things in the world is to hear the back door open and a sweet little voice call out "nanny, nanny".
Rebekah has good news of her own. She met a nice young man a while back, and over the course of time they fell in love and are now engaged. His name is Joe Patterson, and he fits into the family very nicely indeed. They are planning a spring wedding.
Khy is growing like a weed. He is talking so plain now, and is at a really fun age. I love to hear him call me granma. He's into dragons right now, and there is always a dragon about the house, just waiting to be chased or hidden from.
Speaking of growing, Ben has been taller than me by a foot for a long time. He's growing into a fine young man, and I'm proud of him. He has been my protector over the past year, often lingering behind the others and walking with me, offering his help and just making sure that I am ok. He still doesn't like my chickens, though.
Sara has blossemed into a beautiful young lady. She is taking a cooking class with a dear friend, and has turned into a better cook than her mama.
Rachel is still as creative as ever. She works for Sephora and does some photography on the side. She has such a God-given eye for seeing the beauty in every day things.
Eric has been my rock and strength during the past year or so. They say it's hard on the patient, but I think it's harder on the caregiver. He had to take care of me, take care of the responsiblities I couldn't keep up with, work, and so many other things. He is the unsung hero of the year.
It's been an interesting year. The path was hard, but through it all, God has been good to us. We saw His faithfulness to us in so many ways. I'm grateful for all the things He has brought into my life over the past year or so, and for the lessons I've learned. But I'm not volunteering for anymore hard times =)
It's such a beautiful day today. The dogwood tree outside of my back window has beautiful red leaves, and sky is a bright blue. It's the kind of sights that make you glad to be alive.
