Pause In The Midst of A Monday

Happy 4th of July on the 5th of July.  We live in a great nation.  Oceans, rivers, lakes, deserts, mountain ranges, blue skies with marshmallow clouds. A vast continent that is filled with great beauty and surprises. We enjoy  freedom to travel from one state to another.  To worship and praise God...to feel the love of fellowship with friends.  A great reason to remember people that came on little ships over 235 years ago.  People like you and me - who came to establish this nation.  They had no idea how that was going to look, but they were passionate about freedom and many gave their lives and still do to retain this gift of freedom.  Freedom still comes at great cost. 
Philip Parker, Commander, USN (Reserve) left his family yesterday.  He will soon serve as a nurse in Afghanistan.  Though Phil is 50 yrs old, has been the head nurse of an ER in Seattle, has a wife, 4 children and 1 granddaughter - he is still our little brother.  The 'baby' of the family.  50 years ago yesterday, we went to see fireworks in a town near to Newton KS.  I do not remember the town, but I remember the blankets and picnics all around us.  Then night fell and my mother was concerned Phil would be scared by all of the noise of the fireworks.  Instead, he laughed and laughed. It was pure joy.  I remember it very vividly.  Thank you, Phil, for the sacrifices you and your family are making.  Thank you for serving our country.  Please take care of yourself.  We are praying for strength and courage.  We pray God will keep you & those you work along side out of harms way...and you will return very soon.  You are deeply loved.
Now to these medical issues. 
1.  My colonoscopy was clear and I enjoyed a very nice nap and a good meal and evening with Bill & Donna. 
2.  Jim find acupuncture very helpful.  He also had a shot in his foot (steroid) and wore a brace for a week.  That feels better. 
3.  We found out Jim's feet grew a full shoe size.  hmmm....
4.  He saw an endocrinologist this morning.  Yesterday, I was reading about the pituitary gland.  I found this disorder that seemed very close to what is going on with Jim.  Acromegaly.  The Dr told Jim this morning he believes this is what he has.  He believes it has been caught it early, because he only has a few of the long list of symptoms.  Jim will have the glucose infusion test next Tuesday.  (I was running ahead and believed that was today...you know I tend to run ahead).  I like answers.  If you like to read about disorders, go to Mayo Clinic site online and read about it there.
Coco.  She did not have a thyroid problem at all.  O! that it was only a thyroid problem. She has lymphoma cancer.  She is 7 years old and has been the joy and light of our lives.  She is even tempered, sweet and loving.  Her greatest joy is to be sitting in my lap or better yet, tucked inside my bathrobe (especially in the winter).  The prognosis:  1 week (which she has surpassed) to 5/6 months.  Sometimes she has a lot of energy - today, not so much.  If there is a cancer exorcist out there, we need one.  Too much cancer. We are enjoying every moment we have with her.  Scout knows something is up.  They are very instinctive little creatures.  As for treatment, we chose to put her on prednisone to relieve her of fevers and pain.  The lymph nodes are all back to normal.  If only she was.  She still brings us great joy.  When she runs into the backyard to bark - who cares? 
We are all praying for rain - monsoon rains.  We've had far too many wild fires and more are breaking out.  Those who live and work in Los Alamos are returning today.  That's such wonderful news. Those firefighters are very brave and did an outstanding job.  There was losses from this fire. I don't know if you can say to people who lost their homes, "it could have been worse"...for they are experiencing "the worst".  But as is always said, homes can be rebuilt; lives cannot be brought back.  We are thankful no one lost their life in this massive wildfire.

                    "Let everything that has breath, Praise The Lord!"

To be quite frank, we are not down and out but we are worn about the edges.  We know we do not see the whole picture,

Right now, I am thinking of the former painter who used to teach painting on PBS.  The soft voice and the huge head of hair.  He would take his painter's tools and begin working on a forest.  Blacks, dark greens, a dab of white, a dab of yellow and he's start working the background.  When I watched, I was intrigued.  He knew how much of each color, he knew where to begin.  He also let his imagination work into his art...it wasn't pre-planned.  Jim and I are like his oil paintings...we are in the background, we are waiting for the following layers to make us into the picture God wants us to look like.  I do hope he will add a dash of red.  I love red.  And blue.  And wear way too much black. : )   I digress.

Have a glass of iced tea - just the way you like it.

All is well and all will be well.

love you kathryn