Simple Moments

Written by Alyssa.


Life is full of simple moments that bring joy to our lives. I was contemplating this a bit today. The weekend was a good one with Mom resting a lot on Saturday which helped her to make it to church on Sunday morning. (another thing to be thankful for!) On Monday our family got together to celebrate Thanksgiving together. As is Moms Thanksgiving tradition, she insisted we take some family photos while we were all together. Mom felt up to walking to our neighborhood park and we got some really nice photos together before heading back home. (again, a simple moment that led us to gratitude!) 


We had our Thanksgiving meal at our house since this allows Mom to leave and rest for a bit if she feels like she needs it and she can join the rest of us again once she’s feeling better. This worked out well because at one point Mom began to feel nauseated and she did leave to rest for a bit before rejoining us.


Often times Mom’s weeks follow a cycle of Monday being “normal”, not an “us normal” but as normal as she gets during treatments. Then Tuesdays are treatment days which means a day out which is busy and exhausting for her. Her treatments make her tired but she also has medications that make her unable to sleep so she will often not be able to sleep well from Tuesday night to Thursday night. It throws her days off a bit but she manages it well and keeps up a good spirit. 


Mom's reading at chemo. A grand-daughter shared a book and a letter from Mom's cousin.

There isn’t really a lot to share this week (another thing to be thankful for!). This coming Monday Mom will have an appointment with her oncologist Dr. A, which should give us a better idea of her last bloodwork results. 


Prayer Requests:

  1. Mom’s low blood pressure continues to be an issue with it dipping too low. Please pray that this will stabilize.

  2. Mom has had some shortness of breath. Pray that this won’t become more serious.

  3. That God will bless the treatments so they may be successful.

  4. That Mom won’t feel too discouraged when experiencing moments of weakness and anxiety.

  5. That the side effects mom has been experiencing will be as minimal as possible

  6. Pray that she will be able to sleep well.

  7. That she will be able to share the gospel and encourage those around her who are also receiving treatment.  


Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:14


“Your motivation to continue is only as strong as what you have placed your hope in. Perhaps this is why we so easily lose heart in the face of obstacles, opposition, or difficulty. Perhaps what we have unwittingly done is try to build our reason for continuing on the shifting sand of flawed and impermanent things that were never meant to be the foundation of our meaning and purpose or our inner sense of well-being. 

There is only one place where stable and reliable hope can be found. There is only one place of rest for your heart and surety for your soul. There is only one reliable place to find your reason to get up in the morning and continue. There is only one source of motivation that is sturdy enough to weather the storms of life in a fallen world. “Wait for the LORD” really does say it all.” -Excerpt from A Shelter In The Time Of Storm by Paul David Tripp



 

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