So Much To Be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hard to believe we are almost at the end of November! When I was diagnosed with leukemia, I envisioned having to “miss” Thanksgiving due to chemo treatments. But thanks to the flexibility of my doctors, they allowed me to move my chemo treatments back a week so I could spend Thanksgiving with family. And my white blood cell counts are high enough so I actually can! Truly, what a miracle. For fighting heart failure and leukemia, this truly is a tremendous gift.

I never imagined this Thanksgiving looking like it is, but I also find myself more humbled and more grateful this year, knowing life is so fragile and our circumstances can change in an instant. I leave on Monday for Ann Arbor, for my 2nd consolidation treatment. To be quite honest, I am completely dreading it. I have shed a few tears over it because I have a hard time imagining going through this all again.

But this week God has chiseled at my heart and I feel READY. He has helped me see past the treatments and discomfort and reminded me that His plan is so much bigger than I see it. Who knows who I will meet this time around? Maybe it will be a bit easier? And it’s just 4 days. Then I can come home and recover for a few weeks. I will have numerous visits to the cancer clinic, transfusions, doctor appointments, and naps to be had, but Lord-willing I will recover enough so that I can then celebrate Christmas with family. That is my next goal. I remember my nurses encouraging me to set goals and have things to look forward to, to help me keep going. They said there will be days that you’ll want to throw in the towel, and that is true, but there is always something to look forward to. Even if it’s simply getting out of bed in the morning and not having to take an anti-nausea med. Again, what a gift.

I’ve made it this far. I’ve made it to Thanksgiving. God’s grace continues to shower down and we humbly accept these gifts of grace, knowing we have done nothing to deserve them. We walk this day with tender hearts, filled with gratitude, knowing God has so graciously watched over each step of our lives in the past, present, and future. And no matter what the future holds, we know God’s already been there and now He is simply directing our steps. What comfort that brings!