Our New Normal

Shirt from Tom's cousins showing their support for him

Today was Tom’s third chemo treatment.  The treatment went well and we now seem to be in a pattern.  

Chemo takes most of the day.  Tom feels good during and right after chemo because of the large amount of anti nausea meds he receives.  The meds stay in his system for two days.  Then for a couple of days, he doesn’t feel great-little appetite and very tired. He takes pills that seem to control the nausea. After day four through six, he begins to feel more like himself.  His appetite returns, his energy level goes up and life returns to normal so that we almost forget about the health issues. 

A friend called it ‘the new normal’.  That is how life is.  Our lives have been turned upside down.   We have many doctor appointments and blood tests filling our schedules.   We don’t plan any activities until we get up in the morning and see how Tom is feeling.  But we are developing a rhythm to the days.

A couple of 'dears' waving to Jack's trail cam

Three colors of slime.  Savi is hiding small toys for me to find

As I look back on the last week, I see that it was filled with wonderful times.  It could be as simple as making slime with Savi.  Slime is the new hit on Youtube.  It is very simple to make using glue, water, food coloring and borax.  Mix them and voila-you have slime that is easy to clean up & fun to play with.  There is no real use for slime other than squeezing but it is a big hit with our three-year-old granddaughter.

Mushroom barley stew-healthy and delicious

When Kristen and Chris arrived, they brought freezer to crockpot meals for Tom’s birthday.  They are frozen meals ready to be put in the crockpot and all set for our dinner just a few hours later.  We had the first one last week.  It was wonderful, easy and delicious.  I said that is what I want for every birthday from now on.  

Last Friday Tom mowed our grass-the first time since his surgery.  This was a reason to celebrate.  It was good to see him back on the lawn mower and doing something he loved.  Our grandson Jack had been taking care of it for us.  He is away in the Upper Peninsula now.  Our son-in-law Chris mowed when he was here.  

We also celebrated our daughter Jennifer’s birthday with a dinner put on by her husband.  Sherry and the kids, Savi, and Tom and I went spent Friday evening in Lansing celebrating Jen’s birthday but also the blessings that God has given her in the past year.

We have so much to be thankful for and many reasons to celebrate.  God supplies our physical and spiritual needs daily. 

A student in a class I teach on-line shared this thought with me yesterday.  "My prayers will continue to be with you and your husband.  I understand you are at the beginning of this new chapter and it is not something you had ever anticipated.  After all, who thinks about this?  Here is a verse that may help this week for you both:  Psalm 34:17-19:  "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."  May you feel the nearness of our Savior, His voice whispering, "Peace, be still," and the comfort of knowing you are not alone. "   

These are thought truths to ring true to us in a deeper way than ever before.  I pray that these are true for you too.