You Asked How I Am Feeling?

Many of my friends and family ask me how I am feeling. And their question is sincere for they know I've been doing chemo since February for ovarian cancer.

So the answer is that the first few days after a chemo session I experience some aches and joint pains and a bit of listlessness. Once I get past those first few days I feel pretty decent and have a goodly amount of energy.

My blood counts fluctuate, of course, due to the effects of the chemo but that doesn't seem to affect my sense of well-being. But because the white blood count plummets I am a bit leary about catching some cold or other illness which might, in ordinary times, be mild. My lack of white blood cells would cause any illness to be much more severe for me. I don't want to be a total recluse and so I try to watch the white blood count and be out and about when it is at its best.

The photo? That's genuinely me! My daughter brought her DS1 which has a camera feature that allows you to distort the photo with a stylus. I think this one should be titled, "Did you say "Chemo?"!!!!!! When she and my grandson were here last weekend we sat on the sofa, taking and altering self-portraits, laughing up a storm. This was one of the funniest!

Today's verse is Psalm 5:11.

Due to Consumer Demand This is a Reprint

When I check the statistics on my blog I find that a number of visitors have googled something akin to "is it safe to kiss babies on the lips". So, in case you have not read this post, here it is again.

The Dangers of Lip Synch - Or Please Listen to Your Grandmother

Lip Synch? That's about singing, isn't it? Well....yes. But this post is not about singing...it's about kissing. And more to the point it's about teaching your children to NOT kiss! At least to Not kiss on the Lips.

When I was small we visited my grandparents maybe 4 or 5 times a year and the "goodbye" at the end of each visit meant an obligatory kiss on the cheek. Since Grandpa was old and whiskery and gruff and had a full bushy white mustache, this was an intimidating prospect. Grandma wasn't much less intimidating...she was such a quiet person and busy with household tasks and did not laugh and sing with us. She was an old woman, stooped and bent, not the happily interactive Gramma of today. But at the end of each visit we dutifully allowed them to give us a quick kiss on the cheek which we surreptiously wiped away with our shirt sleeve.

We were never asked to kiss an adult on the lips. However, we did have one relative who insisted on a goodbye lip kiss. I hated that. Lip kisses are never dry. For a small child that is a bit Uuuuugh! And I am convinced that the cold sores (fever blisters) that I suffered with for years were a result of those kisses.

What is my point, you ask? I am dismayed that today's young parents actively teach their infants and toddlers to give a quick buss on the lips. It's cute! Little Baby learns quickly and Mommy and Baby laugh together as Baby kisses on request. Believe me, you can get just as much fun out of teaching Baby to kiss you on the cheek! Do It! Forgo the Lip Kiss!

Here's my take on it. First...kissing on the lips should be relegated to the appropriate time of life. (I hope you are conservative in teaching your children about what is "appropriate".) Kissing on the lips is a sexualizing thing...how do you teach your infant or toddler it is appropriate to kiss this person and not that person? (We have a friend whose 5-year-old has been reprimanded by the school for kissing his classmates! And now Dad and Mom have to tell him that kissing is not appropriate on the school grounds!)

Secondly, kissing on the lips does run a minor risk of transmitting STDs such as herpes...not to mention transmitting colds and viruses. You can click here or here to read more about that...the risk is minimal, but it is still a risk. Are you willing to consider that risk to be so minimal as to not worry about it?

Thirdly, how do you know that the third cousin on your mother's side who happens to be visiting your home for the week is not a potential/active offender? A high percentage of child molestation is perpetrated by someone in the household, whether friend or family. Do not offer up your child as a willing/unwilling participant in a kissing game!

As Mom and Dad, you are the protector of your children. Be Wise!

This is your Grandmother speaking!

Excitement On the Block as House Movers Move a Large Two-Story House

When we heard that the owner of this house across the block was going to move it across town we were a bit surprised. After all, this is a large house! How could they possibly get that house with all its add-ons onto beams and onto a truck? This weekend it happened! We joined the rest of the neighbors who gathered to watch as the movers inched their way very slowly off the lot, down over the curb, and then out of town. Their route circled around to the north and then back into town about a mile from where they started the process.


In the first photo you can see the foundation where the house originally stood.


In the second photo the house is being backed down over the curb and into the street.


And lastly the house is being moved backwards (yes, I said backwards) out of town. The truck moved the house backwards nearly a mile on gravel road until he came to an intersection where he was able to very, very carefully turn north. From there he pulled the house nearly another three miles arriving back on the other side of town where the house now sits awaiting its new foundation. (Click on that last photo...the fellow on the left appears to be holding up the corner of the house...we assume rightly that the photo lies. LOL)

What does it cost to move a home of this size? I don't know but I did overhear one of the neighbors say that the permit to cross the railroad was $5,000. Add in any city permits/fees plus the cost of the mover and you can guess the rest.

While this Saturday morning event was exciting, the best part of the weekend was a visit from our daughter and grandson who drove 5 hours for a weekend visit. They've headed back home and I miss 'em already!

The Fiery Bush

We own a small rental home.
The residents are handicapped individuals who have caretakers with them 24/7.
Today's caretaker smokes.
Today's caretaker tossed a ciggiebutt in the cedar bushes by the front door.
Today's caretaker caused a fiery bush.
Three firetrucks arrived on the scene.
I wonder if today's caretaker goes by the name of Moses.
Probably not. Moses didn't smoke.

(We are grateful the fire was confined to the shrubbery, with minimal scorching of the adjacent wood siding. AND that the residents were safe!)

Little Annoyances

Does anyone else find it exceedingly annoying that food items, liquid or solid, are sealed seventy times over (it seems like it!) and one must use knife, fingernail, scissors, and teeth to open bottles, boxes, and packets. When the cheese package says "tear here" it really means "t-e-a-r" as in "liquid that overflows the eyelids and dampens the face". Okay! Okay! I'm a wimp!

Melissa Ohden Survived "Choice" and Lives to Tell Her Story

This is not a political rant. But it has everything to do with the laws of our land.
(And I will add this also...to those who have chosen abortion for whatever reason, please know that God's forgiveness is for all who come to Him. If you are experiencing depression or guilt over this issue, please speak to a counselor.)

Last evening I had the privilege to hear abortion survivor Melissa Ohden tell her story of how she survived an abortion. No, Melissa did not Have an abortion. She Survived her own abortion. Saline abortion. In 1977. In Sioux City, Iowa. At a hospital. Weighing a bit over 2 pounds. Thankfully, the hospital provided care for this tiny infant.

Today Melissa is a delightful, normal, healthy individual. She has a Master's degree and works in the social field. She and her husband are the parents of a one-year-old baby girl. And Melissa is choosing to tell her story...the other side of the story...the baby's story...that baby who, in spite of advocates of "choice", had no voice and no choice.

You can read her interesting biography here.

Many are not aware that now and then an aborted infant lives through the process. Sometimes it is a twin in the womb who misses being detected when one baby is aborted. Other times the aborted baby is simply still alive at the end of the process. Not all of these "live" babies survive...clinics do not always rush to assist the newborn they expected to be DOA. But in Melissa's case doctors and staff immediately took over her care. She was adopted by a loving family in spite of warnings that she might suffer serious health problems due to her early birth and due to the experience of the saline abortion itself. None of those dire predictions came true. And she has become a spokeswoman for the unborn.

I've had the privilege of hearing another abortion survivor tell her story. You can read about Gianna Jessen here. She, too, is now a lovely young woman who experienced the "choice" option and survived. She, too, now speaks for the unborn.

It may be that the law of the land allows for abortion, making it legal, giving women a choice to terminate a pregnancy of an unwanted child. I said it is legal. But it is not moral. It simply cannot be "right" to kill a human being simply because they are unwanted.

Since 1973 approximately 50 Million babies have died in our country due to abortion. In comparison, if you count every war since the American Revolution, our country has lost approximately 660 Thousand men/women in battle (Source:US Dept of Veterans Affairs). Compare those two numbers. We've lost 75 times as many babies as soldiers.

Why is it that when we consider the lives lost in battle we are horrified, but that same horror does not strike us when the deaths occur in an abortion clinic? Why is that?

God have mercy on us as a nation for the stink of our sin surely rises to heaven.

Four Consecutive Nazi Serial Number Tattoos

The scenario:
Four young Polish Jews, standing in line at Auschwitz to receive consecutively numbered tattoos on their forearms. Two are brothers. The other two are strangers. They become separated. All four survive the camp and the war and settle in Israel at the end of WWII.
Fast forward 65 years and read the story here of how the four find each other and meet for the first time since Auschwitz. (The two brothers may have been in touch with each other, but the two strangers met each other for the first time this year.)
Amazing.

How To Winter Over Your Geraniums In the Coldest Climate!

Geraniums tend to be almost as common as weeds in warmer states such as California, but in Iowa they are cherished for their brilliant blooms. However, they are not winter hardy and most people buy new plants each spring.

However, you CAN winter over your geraniums. There are three ways to do this. You can bring the pots indoors and place them near a bright window or a patio door where they will continue to grow. Many times, though, the short daylight hours cause them to grow long and leggy. In that case, trim them back about mid or late February and they'll put out new growth.

But this takes up a lot of space if you have a lot of plants. The second option is to pull up the plants by the bare roots and store them in a paper grocery bag in a cool, dry, dark basement. The plants will shrivel up to nothing and appear dead. In late February or March repot them, give them plenty of light, and watch them grow.

In the first photo newly repotted plants show just a smidgeon of new growth. (Click on the photo for a closeup. Actually, I should have trimmed back much of the dead branches on this plant.)

The third option is to place pot and plant in a dark, dry basement. The plants will appear to die. I cheat a bit and perhaps once a month give them just a bit of water to entice them to live. In the second photo, you can see new growth on potted plants that I wintered pot and all in the basement. The plants had dried down to almost nothing and after bringing them upstairs I carefully trimmed them back to live stems. Today we are getting a quiet, misty rain and I've placed them outdoors, mindful to check nighttime temps, just in case it freezes.

By the way, sandwich trays or dinner plates from the thrift store are perfect under the pots to protect your floor or deck from water and dirt.

My Taste Buds are Changing

One of the weird things about my chemo treatments is that I feel surprisingly good.

Another weird effect is that my taste for food is changing. Yesterday for a snack I ate a large dish of cold cooked spinach! And it tasted Good!

Radish and Lettuce and Beets, Oh My!

Our small back yard is just large enough to include a very small garden and today's spring weather prompted us to begin planting. Radishes, lettuce, beets, collards and kale and a few pepper plants. It's a bit early for the peppers but there are only four, so if we have a cold night we can cover them. We left space for some tomatoes and squash and other things that need warmer weather.

We have two raised beds and we plant some odd areas as well. Just enough to enjoy fresh veggies during the summer. We also have an area of asparagus and we're anxiously awaiting the first tips out of the ground! Soon!

Faithful Promises

Those first few tips of green are always so welcome in the spring for they promise winter is on its way out. While some of my daffodils are planted in areas where sun warms the earth, others are planted in areas where shade from the house and deck slow their spring burst of growth. I must be patient!


Having flowers blooming at different times is good. That means when one group begins to dry and close up their spring faces, another group will begin blooming.


The daffs make lovely bouquets and I love to have a few on the kitchen table to add a bit of cheer.

The crocus, on the other hand, simply add their cheery token of warm spring days...a reminder that winter is over. When the ground begins to feel a bit of sunshine in the spring I check out my kitchen window each day to spot the first bit of color and celebrate spring's arrival!


I love these words from that old hymn, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" for they remind me of God's constant faithfulness and care for His people. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest! Whatever the season we know that we are in His care.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Read This News on Ovarian Cancer

If you've been reading this blog you know I've lightly mentioned that I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January and am currently undergoing chemotherapy. I was startled and stunned, to say the least, when I awoke from gall bladder surgery to have my doctor tell me that while removing the gall bladder he had found ovarian cancer with cells throughout the abdominal cavity. Stunned! Yep, stunned!

In the past the medical establishment has maintained that ovarian cancer is "symptomless". But that is not entirely true...it is just that some of the symptoms may masquerade as something else. A news article today by the Associated Press mentions some things that women should be more aware of. You can read it here.

The article begins like this..."Suddenly experiencing weeks of bloating, the need to urinate frequently, eating changes and abdominal or pelvic pain — either one of these or a combination — could be a tip-off to early ovarian cancer, according to several groups of cancer experts." The problem, of course, is that these same symptoms can be indicative of other problems and women might become unduly paranoid if they are seeing these symptoms. The only way to determine the cause is to see your doctor/gynecologist.

One symptom that I experienced when lying in bed was feeling so full that my breathing seemed to be shallow rather than the deep diaphragm breathing. I also had an unusually high alkaline phosphatase reading on my blood tests during my annual physical. When I googled "alkaline phosphatase" I noticed that such a reading could be indicative of cancer, gall bladder problems, liver or bone problems. And so I asked for an ultrasound of the gall bladder which, of course, led to the laporascopy surgery during which my surgeon discovered the cancer.

Fortunately, chemo is relatively kind to me. I am experiencing no nausea, only minor aches and pains for several days after chemo, and of course, the necessity to watch my blood counts with weekly tests. I recognize that I am extremely fortunate.

I'm still a bit stunned by it all. But I also recognize that all my days are written out by God before I was ever born (Psalm 139:16-18). You can run your cursor over the scripture and click on "more" to read the entire text. I'm looking forward to the end of June when I will have completed the chemo sessions and be back to normal!

Now! If they could come up with a laporascopy procedure that would be minimally invasive and relatively inexpensive as a means to visually check for ovarian cancer. They do acupuncture on preborn babies. Why couldn't they do an acupuncture procedure that would pull out cells from the ovaries/abdomen for cancer tests?

Do We Come to the Cross Out of Sympathy? If So, We Come Wrongly.

In looking at Christ's death on the cross we often find the focus and the emphasis on the hideousness of the death by crucifixion. Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion, was brutal in its portrayal of Christ's death with scenes of scourging that seemed never to end. It was as if Gibson hoped to bring us to Christ in sympathy for the pain He endured and not because of who He is, God Himself.

Yet if you read the Scriptures there are only a handful of verses that mention the brutality. The emphasis is not on the awfulness of His death although the details are certainly laid out for us to read. Instead the emphasis must be on Who died? And why?

This Jesus is not just some nice kindly human being who was born in Bethlehem and lived such an exemplary life that he could die for our sins. He is far, far more. John 1:1-3 points out that Jesus is the Creator God Himself. The disciple John points out in Verse 3 that "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." John 1:10 adds this, "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. The apostle Paul states in Colossians 1:16-17 , "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

We're not talking about some simple, kindly human being. We're talking God Himself, come down into mankind, living with us. John 1:14 "And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us...."

As children of Adam we are born in sin. Every one of us. And in our sinful condition we cannot stand before God, neither here nor in heaven. But God Himself offers us Life in Christ. At the cross, our sin penalty was placed on Christ. In exchange, his perfect righteousness was given to us. As a gift. To all who come to Him. To all who believe. To all who are His.

Sometimes I don't feel very righteous. My old sin nature still does battle with the new me. But because of the exchange taken place on the cross, God sees believers as "clean" and "righteous". When we stand before the judgment seat, we have Christ's righteousness as our own. We rest in Christ. (That does not mean that we can live the rest of our lives thinking we need never worry about our daily sin...we are commanded to confess, acknowledge our sins before God and to become obedient to our Lord and Savior, to love Him and to love each other. But we do so because God puts it in our hearts to do so...not because we think it will give us a few extra points in the eyes of God or because we hope to earn some part of the salvation already given us as a gift.)

There are those who point out who put Jesus on the Cross. Jews. Romans. Pontius Pilate. And sometimes we even concede that "we" put Christ on the cross. As if any of us could have done anything of the sort against the Son of God. As if we had that kind of power.

I refer you to John 10:17-18 wherein Jesus himself points out "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

God is the one who initiates salvation, the one who provides for the fullness of salvation, and who does so on His own authority and for His own glory. Let no man glory in having obtained salvation on his own merit. It is God's doing, beginning to end. Let us bow humbly in thanksgiving before the cross.

Romans 11:33 and 36.

One Sign That You Spend Too Much Time on the Puter.....

.....is when you find yourself trying to click a magazine photo for a larger, close-up view.

Mountain Lions and Chemo Talk and Gratefulness

Last night I had two weird dreams.

In the first dream I was running through a soybean field (I grew up in the Midwest where soybeans and corn are the main field crops) and fleeing from cougars (mountain lions). There were numerous lions chasing me, one after another. I kept looking back over my shoulder and as one got close enough to grab me, I turned and bopped and bashed him royally with a cleated shoe. My blows were severe enough that each one was knocked to the ground and left battered and bruised and down for the count. I think I battled 5 or 6 of them before the dream ended. (Whoa! Some kind of defense! A cleated shoe??? Cleats! Like baseball or golf shoes! I've never owned a pair in my life! Where did THAT come from? But I won't complain for the shoe and its cleats surely did their work in protecting me from those lions!)

In the second dream I ventured uptown, stopped at several stores, and greeted numerous people. Upon returning home I was completely surprised that I had ventured out in public without covering my stubbly chemo hair...and not a soul commented! (Do you suppose I should venture forth and check this one out?)

Weird dreams. Very weird. Perhaps the mountain lions represent the cancer cells that the chemo is battling and bruising and defeating. Today was my third session. The nurse was very pleased to hear how well I am doing...no nausea...minimal fatigue...decent appetite most days. We did discuss the ramifications of the immune system being compromised during the 3-week intervals between treatment. The white blood count starts out on an even keel, plummets nearly to the bottomless pit, then is revived again by several daily shots which cause the count to skyrocket, then gradually lowers again to a norm. That is, they are at a norm until the next chemo session when the chems again do their work on the fast-growing cells in the body which, of course, include the cancer cells, blood cells, hair follicles, etc. And since the chems kill off those destructive cancer cells, I'm more than happy to deal with the rest of the deal.

(By the way, we would never have discovered the cancer if I had not asked for copies of my lab tests. The doc did not notice (but I DID) a higher than normal reading for one blood component, the alkaline phosphatase. It was higher than the normal range. This precipitated my doing a google and finding that this could be caused by a number of things, including gall bladder, liver disease, cancer, bone problems. I had been experiencing slight discomfort under my lower right rib when reclining so I asked for an ultrasound of the gall bladder which indicated a large gallstone. The resulting gall bladder surgery revealed the ovarian cancer. Major surgery to remove the bulk of the cancer left me in the hospital for eight days. The process of healing was slow. Now we are half way through the six chemo sessions, and I seem to be doing very, very well in terms of the effects of the treatments.) We believe this finding the cancer was God's providence, His provision, His doing. And we are gratefully looking forward to future days that we might not have had if the cancer had gone on undetected.

Today's scripture? James 5:14-15. "Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." I recognize that this is not a guarantee that God will provide instant nor even permanent healing. God often uses illness and weakness to humble us for our own good benefit. But in submitting to this verse, and asking my elders to anoint and prayer over me, God gave me tremendous peace of mind that I was under His complete and good care. I knew that surgery would sap me of strength and it surely did. But now I see us as picking up speed as we go through the physical process of submitting to medical care. God has been good to me and my family through all of this and I am truly grateful for his provision.

Ummm! The House Smells Really Good Tonight

I don't know about your house but when I bake the aroma of whatever I am baking spreads throughout the house. It is especially noticeable here in front of my computer!

Which reminds me...I need a bedtime snack. Something with a little cinnamon sweetness!

The Last Enemy

To Christians Palm Sunday (that's today) is the Sunday before the day we celebrate Easter or the resurrection of Christ. All four gospels mention this triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem the week before He is to die on the cross. You can read it in Matthew 21:1-9, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:28-38, and John 12:12-16.

And as we progress towards Easter or Resurrection Sunday, we ponder the work of God on our behalf. Who is this Jesus? And why is it so important to know? Looking at it from today's perspective, how could the death of a mere man on a cross 2000 years ago have any relevance to today's people? We're so modern. And self-sufficient. And so creatively inventive in all things. So what does Jesus have to do with any part of my life today?

During my childhood years we regularly attended Sunday school and church. I was baptized at age 9 and confirmed into the church at age 12. Our church held "Trinity" in its name. Our pastor spoke often of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But while my heart was earnest and I vaguely affirmed that Christ's death on the cross was the place of the forgiveness of my sins, I had no idea of the divinity of Christ. I thought, regardless of hearing sermon after sermon, and lesson after lesson, that Jesus had his beginnings in Bethlehem...in the stable...and that He lived a perfect life so He could die and give us forgiveness. It was not until I was thirty years old was my attention drawn to John 1:1-5, 14 and to the Divinity of Christ...that He was there at creation (He was the Creator God) and that He had existed from before time (He was without beginning and without end). The Divinity, the Godhood of Christ, was the very heart, the very meaning, the entirety of the New Testament (as well as the Old Testament). And I had missed seeing it!

How could I have missed that, you ask? Surely our pastor(s) had covered that doctrine? Perhaps they did. Perhaps that was the Sunday I fell asleep on my mother's shoulder. Or perhaps I simply did not understand the scriptures if they were presented during confirmation. But God's timing is perfect and He surely did bring that to my understanding in due time.

God does that, you know. He reveals truth to you a bit at a time. It doesn't happen all at once. And that is how it has been with me.

I was brought to John 1:1-5, 14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Verse 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

And also to Hebrews 1:1-3 "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.."

And again in Colossians 1:13-16 "For He (the Father) rescued us from the domain of darkness (from Satan), and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Jesus) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him (Jesus) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. " And verse 22 "He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach."

How can I be holy and blameless and beyond reproach? Ahhh, that is the reason we celebrate the cross. It is there that that perfect man, Jesus, died my death. He took my sins upon Himself and died for them. And in return He gives me His righteousness. In other words, my sins were imputed (put on) Him and His righteousness was imputed (put on) me. It is as if my sin was His and His righteousness is mine. When we stand in judgment before God, it will be Christ's righteousness (given to us) that puts us in right standing before God and not our own works. That is good news, because our own works can never make us clean. Our sin separates us from God but Christ's work reconciles us and presents us "holy and blameless and beyond reproach" to the Father.

Next Sunday is Resurrection Sunday and we celebrate! As Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth (1 Corinthians 15:20-26) But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep (who are dead). For since by a man (Adam) came death, by a man (Jesus in his humanity) also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order; Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death."

Someday there will be no more death. And That is Good News!

I Have a Confession And It's Not Funny!

I have a confession to make. In my current near-hairless state ((chemo, remember?) I've found that I resemble my brother who wears his hair in a buzz cut. We have the same head shape. Even my Mom is amazed at our twinship appearance that was previously disguised by my mop of white hair.

But that's not my confession...no, it's WORSE than that! I've found that by placing my fingers behind my ears to make them stick out to the side and by grimacing and mumbling some insane quote of that poor fellow, I look uncannily like Gollum of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (If you've never seen the movies, do a google image search for Gollum. You'll get the picture!) I kid you not. The resemblance is uncanny! This morning I appeared in the mirror behind my beloved while he was brushing his teeth and he sputtered toothpaste all over the bathroom sink while trying to suppress his laughter.

I told my beloved that I could post a movie of my Gollum impersonation on you-tube and I would be an overnight sensation. I'd probably get 165,000 hits in a single week and I'd be famous and I'd get an invite to appear on MSNBC and Fox News and the Larry King Show and who knows what else!

However, I'm no glutton for notoriety, not even of the best kind. So no pics today, folks!

I take great comfort in the fact that God looks at the heart and not at the outward appearance. I Samuel 16:7 That, and the fact that my hair will grow back. In about four months.

We've Missed The Last Three Storms But....

Rats! We've missed out on the previous three winter storms which went either to the north of us or to the south. And I was quite content to suffer through sunny days while those north or south of us were experiencing the joys of blizzardy snow. This time, however, it looks as if the storm coming in this weekend is going to hit us or at least a major portion of the road that Daughter and Grandson would be traveling to spend the weekend with us. So we've postponed the get-together for three weeks.

This potentially bad storm has put the kabosh on family plans and I am bummed! My Mom and Grandson both have birthdays this month. I love making layer cakes for birthdays and had planned to make one half chocolate and the other half white or yellow, half for Mom and half for Grandson. Of course, a belated cake will taste just as good, so we'll still do the cake even if it is a bit late. I'm not fancy at the decorating but when it is baked, I'll post a photo! Keep tuned!