doing well, doing good!

I had a good visit with the doc at Dartmouth this past Friday - we found out that I gained 5 lbs. over the last 2weeks, which is great news! I will visit my local oncologist here in Brunswick for the first time this Fri. (he was on vacation 2 weeks ago and I saw another doc at that visit). All of my blood numbers are checking out OK, and the only issues are my weight, my energy, & my stamina, all of which should get better with time. Now that we are home, my appetite seems to be coming back a little, and rest just feels more...restful. I will have another bone marrow biopsy on June 6, and my first post-transplant PET scan on June 20th, so you can pray that both of those are clear. You can also best pray with us right now for:
1) continued weight gain
2) an increase in energy and stamina
3) wisdom and discernment for when to call it quits and rest. Now that I have some energy, it is sometimes hard to tell when I've "hit the wall"
Thanks for continuing to check in. I'll update again when and as things change. There's still a lot of healing and recovery ahead, so don't stop praying now...even though things are looking good!

Feeding from the source or eating scraps?

As I was sitting on our deck, eating lunch with the family today, we were able to enjoy several sparrows eating their lunch from our bird feeder. I noticed that some of the sparrows, after scouting out the area from a nearby branch, flew right down to the bird feeder and dug in, eating their fill right from the bird feeder, an almost inexhaustible store of food (to them) – there’s plenty there for many birds to have a filling meal. However, other sparrows, rather than eating from the bird feeder, flew to the ground below the bird feeder, and got their lunch by eating the bird seed that their friends dropped as they ate from the bird feeder above.

If I may, allow me to draw a spiritual connection for us. Some believers have developed the habit of getting their spiritual nourishment from the Word of God, digging into it regularly and consistently, feeding on its spiritual food and nourishing our souls. However, other believers, like the sparrows that fed off the scraps of their friends, get their spiritual nourishment from Sunday’s sermon, perhaps a book they’re reading, a sermon they hear on the radio, or a conversation with a friend who recently had a good “meal” from their own time in the Word. Allow me to encourage each of us that calls ourselves a follower of Jesus to follow his example, and get your primary spiritual food from a regular, consistent time reading God’s Word to us; his letter that gives us instruction, encouragement, comfort, challenge, reflection, and so much more. The more I do this, the more I find exactly what I need in the pages of the Bible. Don’t allow the sum and substance of your spiritual nourishment to come from “the scraps” of others feasting on the Source of all wisdom, God’s Word. Go to the Source, the never ending Supply, and don’t simply survive on the scraps of others.

There's no place like home!

We arrived home in Waldoboro on Sat. about 3:30pm, and after spending the weekend settling in and putting things away, it has been a rather busy week. Monday, I spent a few hours at church catching up with people. Tuesday, I had an appointment in Rockland, and we went shopping for a shed, which will be delivered in a few weeks! Yesterday, I went and picked up my new car, a red 93 Honda Civic (same year as my current blue Civic!) that has no rust and only 17K miles on it! It should last a long time, and help me avoid thinking about how long my car will last and always keeping an eye out for a better ride at a good price. I also was able to be a part of a meeting for church last night.
I am at home today, resting up and recouperating from the busy 3 days, and will visit the local oncologist here in Brunswick tomorrow. They have moved into new offices, so that will be nice to see their new digs! We are starting potty training with JJ today. My next appointment with Dr. Hill at Dartmouth will be next Fri. May 23, and I'll have my Day 100 bone marrow biopsy at my next visit on either Thu. June 5 or Fri. June 6.
I have been able to do more than I imagined these last 3 days, but I am really tired and worn out today, so I'm going to rest today and hopefully be ready for the doctor's office tomorrow. Keep praying with us for healing, rest & recovery, and wisdom to know when to call it quits for the day.

Home again, Home again, jiggety jig!

We just arrived back in Claremont after a day at Dartmouth, and I was give the "all clear" to return home. Lisa is loading the car as I write this, as she had most everything packed last night, and we will push off in the morning to return "HOME" to Waldoboro! We are all excited to be going home. As gracious and giving as Lisa's folks have been, there's just "no place like home"! The kids have been asking the last day or two "How much longer til we go home to our house?" and last night it was "Can we go home to our house for a sleepover?" What a question to get from your kids...we know beyond a doubt that it's really time to get back to our own digs.
I have come a long way in the last 6 weeks, since being released from the hospital for good, and now we turn another corner and enter another new stage...further healing and strengthening - at home! All of my lab reports and numbers were good today, and I even maintained my weight since the last visit. Keep praying for continued healing, strengthening, and safe travels back and forth over the next month or two, as we continue to return here for checkups every 2 weeks.

Rain, rain go away...

I had a pretty good week, with good reports at my clinic visit on Wed. My kidney (and related electrolyte) #s are all back to normal...praise God! I had a pretty uneventful bone marrow biopsy on Thu., and it even went a little quicker than normal. I wasn't scheduled until 1pm, but they took me a little early, and I was able to be back home in Claremont by 3:30! Now we wait for the results of that biopsy, which will hopefully be available at our visit this coming Fri. @ 1pm. I will be getting some treatment that day, and the docs are ordering some additional tests for me that day (so it may be a long day at the hospital!), as they (and we!) anticipate releasing me from having to be "in the local area", and moving to every-other-week visits! Lisa has already started a little packing, and will have most of it done by Friday, as she would really like to go home (our REAL home!) on Sat. if at all possible. Pray with us that all would go smoothly on Fri., and there will be no surprises. I am prayerfully and hopefully expectant, but have been disappointed so many times during this "unexpected journey" that I don't dare to pin my hopes much on dates and goals and outcomes. I am truly learning the truth of Isaiah 30:1 - " Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord." It is an ongoing lesson, but a valuable one - don't put your trust in anyone or anything but God. Lisa and the kids are hoping to see many of our friends in Waldoboro at church next Sunday - Mother's Day. It will still be some time before I can be in a public crowd like a church service, but al the same, I want to be HOME!