Gratitude

I will begin today by giving an update to my condition. I am in a very healthful frame of mind due in great part to another excellent check-up with my treatment specialist. I am still down in my cancer marker and he repeated what he told me last month; that I am the only one of his patients on this treatment who is responding to it. It is great news and we are going forward with the medication.

I forgot to mention to him that along with the medication I am taking a daily dose of vitamins in conjunction with alkaline water which my brother-in-law is providing to me. I truly believe that this added part of the regimen has escalated my “recovery” because prior to adding them to my schedule my check-ups were somewhat discouraging.

Finally but perhaps most important of all, since May I have been outdoors almost every single day for at least a couple of hours and often up to  8 hours. The sunshine and the therapy of gardening and making my surroundings pleasant has soothed my nerves and what little anxiety I may have had. Now you may wonder at my staying “little anxiety” but the truth is that I have never in the 2 years since my diagnosis ever asked “why me” or lamented over my so-called fate.  I have wondered how it is that with all my check-ups that I was not diagnosed until I was at Stage Four but I have never been bitter, resentful, angry or had any other negative emotion. I honestly believe having this positive frame of mind has kept me going through all the various treatments, ups and downs and so on.

In the beginning Mom and I had two emotional moments where we wept a little and once in the hospital I did start to cry when, once again, the nurse practitioner gave me some bad news. I apologized to the nurse that was holding my hand, saying “I am sorry I lost my composure”. She was kind and said I had every right to feel anything I wanted to feel.

So I say with the most heartfelt gratitude, thank you Lord for giving me the personality that has allowed me to go through this with dignity and a true heart.

My cup runneth over.