September 3: Some Points of Gratitude

I have a lot of gratitude to share. I was brought to the foot of a big mountain and was told to move it by faith, and what I got, all unexpected, were hundreds of you all praying for me and adding your faith to mine.

Thank you to my mom, who came for almost every one of my chemo appointments and sat by me for those tedious hours. Thank you to my doctor and those kind nurses at Chemo Island. Thank you to my daughter, Laurel, who set up this blog and kept you all updated so well.

Thank you to everyone who put my name in at the Mormon temples around the country. Thank you to the Catholic community of Idaho Falls and the Calvalry community of Idaho Falls who have prayed over me, and all the other congregations who have also prayed for me. Thank you to the prayer circle in England that includes my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Mike. Thank you to every individual and group and family who remembered me in their prayers.

Thank you to my Japanese exchange student son, who prays for me in his dorm room at a Tokyo university. Thank you to the family friend who prays for me in his cell at the Oregon penitentiary. Thank you to our friend, who facing the long dark hallway of dementia, each night is reminded by his wife who I am and what I need, and then prays for me. So many people have told me, "I haven't prayed in years. God probably doesn't know who's talking. But I pray for you every night." Well, He knows, and He's pleased to hear from you.

What does it mean to have so much loving faith sent my way? I can feel it supporting and lifting me. Now, when people stare at me in a scarf in public, I tell myself it's one of the congregation who prayed for me last Sunday, and they're just trying to guess which name is mine. Now I smile conspiratorially at the little children who stare shyly at my scarf, because after all, I still might tell their fortune or serve them pancakes. Some even smile back.

My biggest point of gratitude is this: my CA125 blood counts are now back down to the normal range. NORMAL. What a beautiful word. I still have work to do and get my counts down even more, but: thanks to you, I have felt the mountain move.
As long as you're in the habit. . .keep up the prayers for me!