Wednesday, August 30, 2006

You all are TOO sweet. . .

Okay, I am almost completey computer iliterate so have patience with me!! I think blogging is going to teach me a lot about my computer, and that is a very good thing!! I wanted to comment on your comments, but I wasn't sure how to direct them to your individual comments. Does that make sense??

Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you for your comments!! I feel so warmly welcomed! Talk about hospitality!! Give me a week or so, and I will mosey on over to your blogspots to get to know you!! I can already tell that I am going to like this hobby a lot!!!

I, also, wanted to give you all a quick update on my precious sister-in-love, Cecilia. She had a completely normal PET scan yesterday!! This is a huge answer to prayer!! It means that the cancer is not anywhere else below the neck. She still has to have a brain MRI and an MRI of the tissue behind her breast implants. But, the prognosis is great!!! My dad said that when my brother called to give him the good news Kelly (my brother) was crying so hard that Dad couldn't even understand him!!! They are hugely relieved and praising God!! Now, she still has a long road ahead, so please keep her in your prayers. Since the cancer is in her lymph system, she will have to have TAC (hard chemo) for 4-6 months. She may have to have radiation, but this will depend on what they find out from the MRIs. She will have to undergo one surgery to remove more lymphnodes for testing (please pray for little or no lymphedema), and possibly another surgery to remove the tissue behind her breast implants. So, as I said the road is long, but it is much easier to take with such a good prognosis!!!!! :-) Thank You, Jesus!!!

I am already brainstorming of things that I can do for her once the chemo starts. I live 8 hours away, so I can't be there. If you have any ideas of sweet things I can do or send to her during each of her treatments, please let me know. I really want to encourage her and make her feel super uplifted and embraced by God and our family.

Thanks again so much for welcoming me!! I am excited to get to know you all!!!

15 comments:

Paula said...

Blogging is a lot of fun isn't it? A little addicting. It has taken me a while to figure things out and i am still.
You can leave comments right here on your comment page. You can direct it to one or more people.
As for your sister-in-law...I will be praying. I'm not sure what she enjoys but maybe
1. reading material (Beth MOore, Max Lucado, Philip Yancy, Elizabeth George, Brennan Manning) Just a few of my favorites
2. a devotional
3. journal (so she can journal her thoughts
4. Maybe tea, coffee or another drink she likes well
5. Snack she like real well.
6. Scrap book of her family with pictures and little notes up to this point.
7. Gift Certicifate for a nice dinner out for your brother and her. (That will be a nice change if she is feeling up to it.)
These are just a few ideas. Maybe one or more will help.

Southern Girl said...

What wonderful news about your SIL! God is good all the time!

Cheryl said...

Praise the Lord for the good news!We will definitely keep them in our prayers.
According to Sarah you already know how to do things for your friends and make them feel loved. Paula lists some of the ones I would have thought of too.

Andrea said...

Great news! I will pray that this new leg of the journey goes smoothly for her.

Sarah said...

First off, Hooray for Cecilia! (And Kelly) :) God is good, all the time!!

Okay, I'm going to think hard about this, and ask some friends, too, so I can give you good ideas of what to do for her. In the meantime, I know that either chemo or radiation (can't remember which) can give you AWFUL mouth sores, so maybe you can buy her some really cute straws for her drinks, etc. My sister-in-law has some great ones that are glass, so you can wash and keep them. I'll find out where she got them:)

It's cp's birthday, so I'm off to Chuck E Cheese:)

Donnetta said...

Praising God for such good news!! Continuing to pray for the long road ahead.

Is there a church in her area that you could contact that would be willing to bring in meals for the family? Or help with the cleaning? Or get the kids to and from school, etc. She may even have her own church... are they willing to do this kind of thing?

I know our church has done this kind of thing for us before in very difficult times... and even those little things can make such a huge difference!!

Barbie @ Mamaology said...

Welcome to bloggie world. Just wanted to say that several family members have undergone Chemo in my family. One of the best things after is a nice warm bath. (And I've heard they don't feel like taking one, but once they do they are very glad). So maybe some nice bubble bath and soaps or a candle would be a great gift?

Lori said...

Praise God!!!!!!!!

BendingPeak said...

Welcome to the blo-o-sphere!

Linda said...

Hi Erin,
I am so happy to hear that you have had good news about your sister-in-law. I'm not real familiar with her story (I will have to go back and read), but I will surely be praying for her. You've gotten some great ideas. I'll ask some others who are more familiar than I am with this. I wonder if she would be allowed to listen to some Praise music. I know that always lifts my spirts no matter what.
I just got a book about blogging that Barb told me about. Blogging In a Snap. It looks great. If I learn anything I'll be happy to share.

Linda said...

Erin - it's me again. I just read your post about Cecelia. I want you to know that I truly do understand. We were handed a diagnosis this past year that I just knew I would never be able to bear. At first I couldn't - couldn't even pray. But I can now say that God is good. Nothing changed - but my heart changed. He has given me a peace I never, ever thought possible. We have a big, big wonderful God who has inscribed us on the palms of His hands. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He knew our life's story before the foundation of the world - and it is good. It is good because by His grace He makes it so. I'll be praying for all of you.

Shawna said...

Erin~ Hi! Welcome and nice to meet you! It sounds like you have lots of people to help you in this, but please don't hesitate to pop over and ask for help if you need it. I am glad you got news about your SIL. There is a lady that goes to our church who has just been healed of cancer. She did have to go down that long, hard road, but that is behind her now, and she is giving God the glory! One idea for your SIL is to post an address of someone willing to receive cards so that all of your new blogging friends could send her a card, or we could all post a message to her on your site or another one so she can read them, or they could be printed out and given to her. I'll let you know if I can think of anything else. :0)

This Journey of Mine said...

Hello and welcome to the blogging world. I just got started a couple of months ago and have found it addictive and fun!
As for you SIL, I thought it might be a nice idea to have your close friends (who may or may not know her) send her prayer cards. We have a friend whose sister has a different kind of problem. I have gotten to know her and love her through occasional meetings, but mostly through mail.
Paula's ideas were great as well!

Dana~Are We There Yet? said...

Here's what I've done:

I made a list of everyone I could think of that my friend admired for any reason. It was about 50 or so and ranged from Martha Stewart to Gloria Gaither to Margaret Thatcher.

Then, through the magic of the internet, I found addresses for every one of them. If they had ever authored a book, I used the publisher's address. If they were musicians, I used their record label. A few of the addresses came from the Speakers' Bureau. You get the idea.

Next, on personal stationary, I hand-wrote a short note telling the person why my friend admired them and asking them to simply sign the enclosed card and mail it in the enclosed pre-addressed, stamped envelope. The cards were inexpensive blank note cards, and I pre-addressed the envelopes with my own address.

Over the next year, yes, YEAR(!) I forwarded mail to my friend from the people mentioned above and many others. Out of the 50 requests I sent, we got 41 responses. Some simply autographed the card. Vonette Zachary Bright covered the notecard inside and out with her very proper script, encouraging and exhorting my friend. She got a glossy of Colin Powell. We laughed our patooties off over that one!

Anyway, that's my suggestion.

Oh, I got here by way of Sarah (surprise!), and I think your blog is really cool.

Erin said...

Clementine,

I think your hair in your pic is really cool!! Reminds me of a cute little orphan girl that I loved as a child!!


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Hi! I live in a sweet country home overflowing with love and laughter. I have been blessed to journey these days beside a man that I love, respect, and admire. He is my soul-mate and best friend. Together we are seeking to raise our seven children to be lovers of God, to be wise and discerning, and to be all that our sweet God created them to be.



 

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