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The first of many finger pricks and pictures of Mom holding #BenBrave. Gathering facts is tedious. Often it involves discomfort due to fasting, finger-pokes, cuffs that squeeze uncomfortable sterilization swabs that sting, cold gels and even colder scanning tools, and loooooong waits. But after progressing over about 3 months from stomach flu, to pneumonia with dehydration, to anemia, and to possible enlarged spleen we had an answer! It was an 11cm x 8cm x 11cm mass next to #BenBrave's left kidney. Cancer type: Wilms tumor. The doctor was quick to add "this is treatable - operable" and even shared about a 2-1/2-year-old who had this and was now five, healthy and thriving. What a trooper! THOUGHT INTERRUPTION: You know, when you have a say in the care given, it is much easier to receive. The technicians would always ask this little guy which ...

Intensity of hurt and joy. Photo source: Pixabay.com We had some major "overcoming moments" this weekend. The joy we felt solving the problem together was intense. Anxiety. Overwhelmed. Helpless. Clueless. All seemed to prevail. But THEN ... problem solved. Breakthrough! Joy abounds. It was intense. We wake this morning to enjoy our victory yet, the intensity went full swing the other way. Those strong senses of gratitude and deep love and appreciation were quickly washed away with harsh words. Impatience. Sting of rebuke. Tears wanted to come and then I heard in my head "do not let Satan steal your joy." Immediately I thanked God for that reminder. This is the enemy identified. The ambush was intense. Brief. And the skirmish resolved quickly.  I wiped my tears and thought about the joy of yesterday and the hurt of just now. How equally intense they are. Then I remembered an even more intense joy. A few years back I was driving to work. One of my habits has be...

#BenBrave finds a jungle gym at our local dairy store.  "It's a Wilms' tumor," said my son. "And OU Children's Medical Center has one of The. Leading. Experts. on Wilms' tumor." Once again, God provides and amazes us all. You may read about Wilms' tumors on the American Cancer Society website. Surgery is scheduled and my son said, "unleash the prayer warriors". Prayer Warriors Unleashed What would we do without prayer warriors?  To me a prayer warrior is someone who has a personal relationships with Jesus Christ, believes in the Triune God, and you may ask to pray for you And. They. Will!  Their belief is critical to this definition because it unites our faith in prayer. What's the point in praying to a god you do not believe in? I don't want to disparage other believers in other faiths, but there is power in unity and I personally qualify my prayer warriors to tap into that unified focus of faith. I don't know a...

Hope in Scripture is not wishful thinking. Hope is guaranteed delivery. But you have to believe it. Draw on it. Count on it like you do the money in your bank account. It is there for the usage. Makes me think of the movie "You've Got Mail" but it isn't cute, is it? Just remembering that fateful day in February 2019 starts the flow of tears down my face. My son called from the parking lot. "Mom," he says, "as the technician performed the ultrasound I saw this blackness." At that moment he knew his 20-month-old son had cancer. He told me the technician's eyes filled with tears. So, he asked about what she saw and she was quick to apologize for her "lack of professionalism." She said, "You see, I lost my mother to cancer just last week." What is a father to do? Well, first. He cries his heart out. The lamentation from my son was gut-wrenchingly heart-breaking. We cried together on the phone while I liste...

Flawed but finished. The original is much prettier, but I'm a beginner in following knitting directions. I sense a do-over coming! You know that crochet and knit project? Well, I've done both off and on throughout my life. This traveling afghan project, however, is teaching me so-o-o-o very much. I've completed all the squares provided thus far. The crochet pieces (3 of them thus far) are completed and look really good. I breezed through those. But then the knitting has a very different story to tell. I lost count of how many times I had to start square 2 over again. I know it was at least 10 times I yanked out every stitch. However, at this point, there are only two squares to complete and, they are done , but square 2 was really hard for me. I am grateful the decision to do it over is totally up to me. But I kinda like my flawed effort. The perfectionist in me whispers and nags me "Re-do it! Re-do it!". But the realist in me says "keep i...

For me, anyway, just what does "abundance" look like? At least 10% (tithe) of my gross to my church. Contribute at least 10% or more into savings. Pay my bills immediately upon receipt. Simple, right? WRONG! Realization: I've just committed 20% of my income ... wait! Uncle Sam gets 20-30% of my income so now I'm expected to budget my living expenses (including my MORTGAGE) off of half my gross income!?!?! Can that be right? Right! Prepare to be amazed. I remember reading Matthew 5-7 often referred to as the "Sermon on the Mount." In the heart of this sermon (Matt. 6:19-24) is the following words: 19  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,  where moths and vermin destroy,  and where thieves break in and steal.   20  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,  where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.   21  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ...