One Week In

Edited to add: I had been working on this but it didn't get posted right away. For those asking about the fires currently burning, we are fine at the moment. The combination of extreme heat and smoke is making it a bit hard for me but I am managing for now. Please continue to pray for our communities and for the firefighters (including our boys!) that are working so hard to protect them. 

I have just completed my first week back on chemo. If you don't remember how this type of chemo works, I take oral pills for three weeks and then I have a one week break. Even though it has only been a week, this part of the cycle has already gone much better than last time. My biggest issue though, is fatigue. Oh my, I get so tired. Thankfully, we (my chemo friend and I) figured out that if we take the pills at night, you can sleep the worst of it off. This also resolves my insomnia issues so I count that as a win! I do have to be careful not to take them too late in the evening or I can be very groggy the next morning! I had a small amount of nausea and a headache almost continuously on the first day but I was able to manage it with just regular pain and nausea meds. No prescriptions necessary which is also a win because the prescriptions tend to mess with your digestive system and trust me, that is a problem you should not like to have! The harder part of this is yet to come as this drug works by gradually building up in your system so the third week is usually the hardest part of the cycle but then, thankfully, you get a break. 

Life carries on here almost as usual and for that, I am very thankful. I am also thankful that starting this round of chemo coincided with our school break so we've been able to take the necessary time that we all needed to adjust to it. Lately though, we've been spending a lot of our time trying to stay cool as temperatures here have soared far above the seasonal norms. No one likes to see 46C (115F) in the forecast, no matter where you live!

On the porch. In the shade.

If you are praying for us, thank you so much! I definitely feel the Lord's hand upon me! Even though I've been tired, I've been able to maintain my walking routine (before the heat wave and the smoke from the fires were a thing!). I feel that this has been very helpful to me, mentally as well as physically. I participated in a Spring Challenge with my kids (informally as I was too afraid to officially enter, silly me!) to walk 100 miles (160km) during the months of Spring and I was actually able to do it! If you know me then you know what a huge accomplishment this was for me! I started off very slow, just walking when I felt up to it, a few kilometers per week until I was gradually able to start pushing myself to go a bit further each time. Eventually,  I was able to walk close to 30km's per week and I even completed 10 km's in one day! I've also been able to continue with our kickboxing class, although how long I will be able to do that remains to be seen. Being able to challenge myself physically is very important to me (even though sometimes we have to walk after dark to avoid the heat!) and I hope to continue as long as I can.

We also keep pretty busy on the farm here and it has been a very long time since I've given an update on some of the things we do here, so here we go!

It is always such a good feeling to get the hay in for the winter and this year was no exception!

Many hands make light(er) work and we are so thankful for willing and helpful hands!

We have some bottle calves to help with our abundant milk supply.

Abby and Joe took on the task of stripping new fence posts after Phil cut them down.

They will contain these two in a bigger pen eventually.

Merrylegs is such a good milk cow and we are so thankful for her!!

Somebody (ahem, Lydia!) got bored gathering eggs and decided to arrange them according to colour! You can see we have quite a few varieties of breeds here.

Ah Spring! You are so beautiful!

A nice reminder of the bright Hope we have for tomorrow!

In the kitchen, I've been experimenting with sour dough starters, thanks to my wonderful friend for sharing hers with me!

And I don't hear any complaints from anyone about the results! 

I continue to eat a "mostly" plant based diet. This salad is one of our favourites!

If you ever get the chance to try some recipes from these books, trust me, you will not be disappointed! And sour cream from cashews! Who knew?

Yum Yum!!

My same wonderful friend also encouraged us to try fire cider! Not for the faint of heart but so good for you!

We love kombucha!

We were able to get out on the river for a little R&R. Such a good time together!

And spend some time in the mountains. Oh my, this is one of my very favourite places!

And this is also one of my favourite places! This is my wonderful friend (and kickboxing partner... even though sometimes we laugh more than we kickbox)! We have some amazing daughters between us and we share a most beloved grandson!

Speaking of a most beloved grandson! Did you know I'm a Grammie? Oh my, this little man has changed my life forever and I love him so very much!

Jace, you are loved by so many people! Wherever you are, you have a constant stream of people waiting to hold you and love on you! You are so precious! Just when I think my heart can't get anymore full, the Lord fills it up even more until the blessings spill out over the top! 

 

Yes, life is good. Not perfect. Not extraordinary. But good. Do we have trials? And struggles? And fears? Yes, yes and then some! But we also have peace. This picture sums up perfectly what life looks like to me at times. Beautiful. Peaceful. Tranquil even. But I don't know what's coming around that corner. Maybe more beauty and peace and tranquility? Or maybe not. But what I do know is Who is around that corner and I am so thankful that He is already there and is already preparing us for it!

I read a quote the other day by Elizabeth Elliot and it was a good reminder for me not to try to anticipate what's around that corner. 

"I always regarded the death of my husband, Jim, as the worst thing that could happen... but you know what? When the worst thing you could ever imagine happens, there is something else there that was not there in your imaginings - and that is the grace of God."

So I know that whatever is around that corner is good because God is there and He is Good. 

All the time.  

And I know for certain that the Grace of God will continue to be with us and will continue to help us.

 Just as by His help we've come this far. 

~ Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing ~

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace. 

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, Mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by Thy help I'm come.

And I hope by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wand'ring from the fold of God.

He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.

O to Grace, how great a debtor, Daily I'm constrained to be.

Let thy Goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart, oh take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

~ Robert Robinson ~

1735 - 1790

Then Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebenezer saying, "So far the Lord has helped us."

1 Samuel 7:12