In the Book of Mormon, there is a record of a family who traveled from the Tower of Babel to the American continent. The family of Jared soon received their first glimpse of a vast, stormy ocean, having been required of the Lord to crawl into some mysterious air-tight vessels they were promised would carry them safely to a better place. As they gazed into the deep, moving water, they breathed the unfamiliar sea salt and felt the ice cold water lap at their feet. "What will become of our family?" "Can we do this thing that God requires of us?"

These were the questions we asked as our family stood on the edge of a new journey in February 2011. Before Cathi was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, we saw the waves of an unfamiliar storm brewing and felt the fear of anticipation. When the cancer was certain, our family was required to wade into the cold water, crawl into a mysterious vessel and trust the Lord would be in charge.

The family of Jared was given stones touched by the finger of the Lord that provided light inside their vessels "that they might not cross the great waters in darkness......and it came to pass that...(they) set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." Read the rest: http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng

This blog is the captain's log of our family's journey. It will serve to keep all of you updated on Cathi's condition but also be a place where I can express the lessons we are learning so that it might be a source of strength for others who are going through difficult challenges. We are certainly not unique in this regard. I hope to continue trusting in the light we have been given and to lead our family when we are encompassed by the dark ocean or tossed by its waves. We sincerely seek for your faith in asking the Lord to calm the water, give strength beyond our own and lead all of us of us to a better place.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

It's A Beautiful Day!

I'm on Day Ten of my chemo treatment, and things are going very well thus far.  Granted, I have a long way to go until mid-August, but I'm not complaining.  I've had absolutely zero nausea, thanks to miracle drugs.  I feel quite well, despite some fatigue and soreness, but it could be so much worse.  I have much to be grateful for!  And on that note, I just want to mention a few things that have made me happy today (and yesterday, too).  Here goes (in no particular order):
  1. It is an absolutely gorgeous spring day here in Castle Rock.  I can't imagine living in a prettier, more picturesque little town.  I love it here!
  2. Our oldest son, Sam, is visiting for a week, and we're having such a good time together.  When he called weeks ago to tell us that he wanted to visit in mid-April, I was certain that I'd be sleeping or miserable nearly the whole time he was here.  Not so! 
  3. When I finished breakfast this morning, I went into our bedroom to find that the bed was already made.  Sam and William (our youngest) had made it for me.  How nice is that?!
  4. Yesterday we received wonderful, uplifting e-mails from our son Andrew (on a church mission in the Dominican  Republic) and from his mission president.  They made this mama so happy (and a bit proud, too)!
  5. Despite the strange metallic taste in my mouth, water is still good.  I put some lemon juice in my water today (a tip from a former chemo patient), and it was great.  I'm so glad that I still love water!
  6. Last night, three of our kids (Sam, Leah, and Emma) sang at a local church/school function, and it made me so happy.  They were a fill-in for a singer who was sick, but they performed a beautiful impromptu musical number.  Oh, and they had a very terrific accompanist: Jerry.  I love to hear our kids sing!
  7. Yesterday we had some ceiling fans installed in our home, and they are so nice, an energy-efficient and lovely addition to our home.
  8. Yesterday my wigs and hats arrived in the mail.  Granted, the wigs make me look sort of like a middle-aged, strange, blonde version of the Beatles, but I'll work with them...and laugh.  And the hats and turban are all winners!  Plus, a friend gave me an adorable hat yesterday, which I love.  It will probably be the thing that I wear most often around the house this summer.
  9. We all watched a great old Humphrey Bogart movie last night, and I loved it.  I'm a sucker for old (good) movies!
  10. I got a phone call this morning from my big brother, Ashley, and we laughed ourselves silly during our conversation.  I love my brothers and my sis so much!
That was a list of ten things, and I could go on and on.  There's much to be grateful for, and I'll share more from time to time.  I'm so grateful for my wonderful friends and family members.  Love to y'all!
 
Cathi
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