Seven Gratefuls

Friends, Readers, Countrymen! 

I am so sorry I have left you for so long with the depressing echo of my last entry. It turned around! Yes, I had a few very difficult and very down days, but I came up out of it and things have actually been fabulous for the last six days. I have had lots of energy, high spirits, and gratitude in my heart!

Here are seven things that have made me grateful:

1. My freezer has arrived! (And so have I!)

This monkey juggling bananas was on the card that came with the freezer.
If you read the second to last paragraph of this previous post, you'll see why I burst into tears when I saw the little guy.

Dave and I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to: 

• Robin Cook for coordinating it all 
• Pat Buckley for transportation and delivery 
• Ibs Traore for help with unloading and set-up.

And to the following individuals for their monetary donations to the 'cool cause': 

• Julie Buckley 
• Edee Proctor 
• Deborah Bigham 
• Natalie Wallis 
• Holiday Conley 
• Jenny Smith 
• Kiersten Morgan 
• Laurel Hill-Ward 
• Julie Carr

2. I have a beautiful, custom made chemo quilt!

In the picture, the quilt is folded in quarters, so it's really quite big! Also, it's predominantly RED, my very favorite color, and features a beautifully designed, individually sewn polka-dot breast canser symbol. The artist is Jean Ping! To think I have enjoyed reading about and seeing pictures on Facebook of all her goings on, and I had no idea that between home school science experiments, baking projects, book reviews and flu bugs, she had a clandestine quilt going for me! It will definitely be the envy of the infusion room! And this quilt will go a long way toward brightening the place up (one of my early goals), without my having to shake a single pom-pom!

Hand made quilts are not just a labor of love, but also of time . . . and talent . . . and money. While Jean contributed ALL the time and talent, she and others helped with the money and love.

Thank you Nicole for this wonderful idea! Jean, you are amazing! And to all of you who donated, I give you my grateful thanks!

• Nicole Scoubs
• Carly Michael
• Kim Felix
• Edee Proctor
• Juli Addington
• Robin Cook

Individual thank you notes are coming to you all, 

but please forgive me if they are not timely. 

I have many to write! (And what a fine problem to have!)

3. I am embracing---and having fun with---my baldness. Below are a few shots to show you the new me, but stay tuned for more, because a Dr. Evil/Mini Me photo shoot is forthcoming.

As documented in Hall Family Cinema, my hair was coming out in fistfuls. Since finding human hairs all over your pillow, furniture and clothing is even less fun than finding pet hairs in those places, I decided to buzz it off. Even though I was ready for the inevitable, even though it was my deliberate choice, and despite my positive attitude, hairlessness was a difficult transition for me. It didn't help that on day four of said hairlessness, my scalp became unbelievably sore. Every little stub of stubble was like a needle piercing into my head. Wearing a hat or scarf was excruciating. Even lying on my pillow was uncomfortable. It was a true relief when all that stubble came tumbling out in the shower on days five and six. 

This was a day or so after Nicole buzzed me, and I did not feel pretty.

Here I tried feeling pretty, with no success.

At first the stubble just came off from the top, and I sported the horse shoe do.
It made for great bonding with my hubby.

Finally, it all came out. I am left with fine, blond peach fuzz.

In my last post, which we've already established was very depressing, I recounted a story of woe involving someone not recognizing me bald. Now I have a story of triumph. Last Thursday night I was at the stake center watching the young men's basketbal tournament. Gray Glende was there as the coach of the 1st ward boys. My family lived in that ward for a few years. Usually I relish seeing people from my old wards, and am eager to visit with them, but at this gathering I was hesitant to initiate contact. To his great credit, Gray Glende came up to me and put his arm around me in greeting and said, of all things, "Why wasn't your oldest daughter in The Sound of Music?" We went on to talk about the great experience the play had been for us, that Sierra had been in the play immediately previous to it (A Christmas Carol), and other entirely-unrelated-to-canser items of news. I hadn't seen this man in probably a year at least (except in the audience of The Sound of Music), yet he a) recognized me, and b) treated me like I had hair. If you're reading this Gray, know that you gave me a great boost that evening, and it meant more to me than you could know.

Other advantages to hair loss include:

• It now takes me a total of 10 minutes from shower to front door.
• I'm saving oodles on shampoo, conditioner, hair spray and electricity (no more blow dryer/straighter).
• I don't have to shave my legs and underarms anymore (WOOT WOOT)!
• Hats are really quite jaunty!

You know you're jealous!

4. Nicole Scoubs gave a stirring speech at the Institute of Religion, and I learned so much more about my canser helper and hero. The experience lit a fire under me, too. A book is definitely in my future, and I hope I also hit the speaking circuit, though I think I might have to survive canser first in order to be qualified. Thank you Nicole for your brave life, your fiery spirit, and your inspirational outlook. And my prayers are with you for a speedy bounce back from your latest surgery!

5. I attended a Look Good Feel Better workshop, got great tips for cosmetics and scarves, and met more friends! We all received an amazing array of free cosmetics donated by various companies. What a treat!

Here are Cyd and Jo, volunteer facilitators for the Look Good Feel Better program of the American Cancer Society.
Cyd is a breast canser survivor and hair stylist; she works with Nicole! Jo is an aesthetician, who also happens to be a member of 5th ward.

Here are my new friends Lisa, Michelle and Jan. Lisa is well into her treatments, but hasn't lost her hair!
Michelle is just starting out, and I was able to tell her what she might expect with regard to hair loss.
And I bet you can't tell Jan's wearing a wig! It was great to spend a couple of hours primping with these beautiful ladies.

Here are the free goods! I am so blessed!

6. I have a new pen-pal! In the third bullet of the Goodness Watch in this previous post, I told of a woman who had written me a letter after reading my article in the newspaper. I wrote her back, and by golly we're now engaged in an old fashioned correspondence. My new pen-pal is West Virginia born, Catholic School educated Judy Chapman. Her care with spelling and grammar, her sharing spirit, and her beautiful penmanship are a treat and a boon to me!

7. The Spirit has been alive in my life! Yesterday was a spiritual feast for me. The rest hymn during sacrament meeting was "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel." This is an upbeat, fun-to-sing song about work. It wouldn't have occurred to me that its message might touch me spiritually, but it did. It filled me with an overwhelming prompting to do my duty, to do right by my family, to serve others, and in general to get off my duff. My children couldn't understand why tears were pouring down my face during such a sprightly hymn, but I was deeply happy to be receiving such a buoyant, surefire message from my God. 

Later, I taught a lesson to the beehives (12 and 13 year old girls) about the atonement. The lesson was based on the talk "The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality" by David Bednar. The gist of it was that there is more to the atonement than just redemption from sin. There is also the enabling power of the atonement. Through faith and trust in Christ's atonement, we are capable of bearing, achieving, and overcoming more than we would otherwise be able to. 

Here are two illustrations of the point: 

Daniel Jones, a rescuer to some stranded pioneers, faced starvation in snowy, gameless conditions. The only provisions available were the hides of cows. Instead of praying for, say, the appearance of a buffalo, Daniel Jones prayed that his stomach would be adapted to the hides. A complicated recipe came to him which, when followed, turned the hides into a palatable jelly that fed the whole company for several weeks. He chose to ACT, rather than to wait to be acted upon. 

The second example was of the Book of Mormon prophet Alma and his companions, whose mission to the Zoramites was yielding only bitter persecution. He too prayed for strength to bear---rather than deliverance from---his trials. The story goes that Alma's and his companions' trials remained, but because of their trust in God's ability to strengthen them, their suffering was "swallowed up in the joy of Christ."  

At the end of the lesson I gave the girls time to think. Had they ever experienced the enabling power of the atonement? What followed was an amazing outpouring that the Holy Ghost accompanied abundantly. One young girl told of comfort and reassurance that came to her after sadness over losing a friend to a move. Another told of her ability to corral and care for little ones in the face of a family emergency. These trials aren't, perhaps, as trying as snowy starvation or bitter persecution, but they are the sincere trials of sweet adolescent daughters of God, who have truly sought and received His help. 

Hearing their testimonies and feeling the sweet Spirit that attended them gave me to know that my own trial with canser is without a doubt being swallowed up in the joy of Christ. When I came home, I went to my knees and poured out my heart in thanksgiving to God. I asked him to adapt me to my trial, and I have no doubt that it will be done.

To quote Cynthia, Father Tim's love interest in my favorite book At Home in Mitford, 

"Philippians four thirteen, for crying out loud!"