A bit late....

Greetings dear friends,

I apologize that I've been remiss in writing of late. I've started to on a couple of occasions, but couldn't do it. It's been a rough week. I had my 4th chemo last Thursday (21st), and at first, it was amazing. No sickness. No bloating. Lots of energy. Then Sunday evening I started swelling and then on Monday I started getting a strange rash. By Wednesday, I was so uncomfortable I was simply worn out. But yesterday, I started on a regimen of Steroids (yuck....I hate them!), and I feel much better. I'm looking forward to taking on #5, armed with my steroids to scare away the bumps. Then November 2, I'm done with chemotherapy, Praise God! Okay, got that out. Now on to better things.

What a gorgeous day! Today I had to make a run down to Northside, and I was so pleased that I got stuck in traffic. I opened my sun roof, turned up my music, and just breathed in the clean (okay, somewhat polluted) , cool air (I had my shades on and my good wig in place) And I was overwhelmed with the realization that life is precious and good if we embrace the beauty and fight for the good.

Danielle and I are trying to get her prepared for the 3-Day walk to support breast cancer research. To all of you who have donated, I want to thank you. She has surpassed her goal of raising $3,000, and she is so excited about making this dream a reality by walking her 60 miles. She and others have now formed a team and are calling themselves the "Asphalt Angels". Pretty cool I'd say. Two of them are teenage friends of Danielle. Their names are Blakely and Christy. You'll see the link to their fundraising pages on this site (I've removed D's cause she's done with fundraising). The way the 3-day works is that each walker has to raise $2,200 in order to walk. Both Blakely and Christie have a bit yet to go. My cousin Julie and my good friend Jane Densmore are also on the team. I've placed a link to each of their sites as well. If you feel led to do so, visit one of the sites and make a commitment to help. Sadly, statistics say all of us will be personally affected in some way by cancer, and the best way to minimize that is to support a cause that truly makes a difference. I know from personal experience that the Susan Komen Foundation really does make a huge difference and without this fundraising, my chance of survival would be minimized greatly.

In the days to come, I am committed to getting back on track with writing. Know that I have not stopped praying for you and others. Know that I have not lost faith that God is healing me spiritually, emotionally, and physically during this time. And know that I am thankful to all of you who continue to pray for me and Rick and our family. I am overwhelmed by the calls I get with people simply praying to my answering machine - how totally cool is that? I save the recordings, and when I need a reminder of whose I am, I just rewind.

God is amazing and each of us has a special place in His heart.

Later...