September 6, 2008

Reconnection. That really describes our last 10 days. We've reconnected as a family, after not being all together for more than 2 days for the last 4 months. Sam has reconnected to his friends and is loving being back in school. We have all really enjoyed spending time with our friends and family...visiting and eating.

I have been able to catch up on house duties and do my normal fall things. The kids went through their rooms sorting out stuff and clothes that they had outgrown or worn out. I've also gone through things around the house as I clean and reorganize cupboards. Our street has a huge annual garage sale that we usually participate in so it is forces us to go through our home and declutter and simplify. Our family went and picked buckets of wild blueberries which grow behind our house and across the street in the massive gravel pit area. The conditions this summer were perfect for their growth and they are the biggest we've seen and eaten. I made wild blueberry muffins and we froze many to enjoy later in the winter months. Lucy discovered them as well and has had a few snacks munching on them, along with the raspberries that fell when I was cleaning out the garden. I had a great 2 days with my friend, Sarah. We picked apples on Thursday afternoon from her friends and neighbors yards, both eating apples and crab apples. On Friday morning I made our favorite crab apple, apple sauce and then spent the afternoon with Sarah peeling apples and making pies and crisps. We were very productive and managed to make 12 pies and 4 crisps for our freezers. We had such a great day together!

Tomorrow Sam gets his blood work done and if his numbers are good we will go back to Vancouver on Tuesday. He'll have 2 treatments on Wednesday and Thursday, and if all is well we can come back home right away. He can continue his chemo treatments here with once a month visits to Vancouver for the "big procedures." He has been given permission to attend school until the flu season begins and then its homeschooling for us. He may be able to return to school in the spring, but we won't know until we get there.

Sam's week off from treatment was, in hindsight, a special blessing for us all! We have been reminded once again, of God's perfect timing, and the fact that we cannot control this cancer thing in any way, shape or form. We daily need to remain flexible and have to adjust our sails depending on where the wind is blowing from. We treasure the good days and weeks as it renews Sam's body and all our spirits, preparing us for the next unsuspecting storm ahead. We have a mighty and all knowing Captain, who navigates and charts our course. We, the deckhands, are only required to follow His instructions and perform our duties according to his guide book. How hard can that be in all our lives?! In our times of distrust, stubbornness, and disobedience, its shocking we are not asked to walk the plank and be done with forever. Ahh, but he's a merciful and loving Captain who never gives up on us. As for our family, we have concluded, we won't follow any other Captain or guidebook! We're on this ship together and we'll sail on through!

Looking forward to clear sailing and blue skies for us all,
Debbie