An Anchor in Glory

Mama, Garrison and I just returned home from treatment and Mama is doing well. Somebody shout and clap and praise the Lord; we are one-sixth done! And then next week ¼ done, the week after 1/3, 5/6 doesn’t sound very good but one half certainly does! We are like little kids counting down till Christmas. Garrison with his superior experience in reality just laughs and shakes his head. Oh, bother! J  You are not to suppose, however, that Garrison is not fond of humor! We enjoyed many good laughs over his “spot on” observations on mundane things mentioned at just the right moment. J
Since Mom didn’t have a reaction last week to the Paclitaxel or Herceptin, she got half doses of steroids and Benadryl, still enough to make her tired but hopefully not enough to give her thrush again. Mama did get another case of thrush last week from the steroids. Four times a day x ten days of swish and swallow “lemon joy”. Apparently, once you get it, it is hard to prevent no matter how many salt water washes you do.
We were especially thankful for “Mr. Incredible Vein Man” as Mom officially titled the oncology nurse who did her IV today. One nurse tried twice; she “rolled” one vein and “blew” the other and then called on the incredible vein man who explained all his techniques and did a superb job! Many thanks to those who know this job and do it so well and tenderly! It makes a huge difference.
We read the middle section of Job this week… “Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock, with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (19:23-27) Our present skin will be destroyed, therefore we do not fear or take account of its temporary destruction. Our hope and confidence is in our Redeemer whom we shall see with our own eyes when we are made new. This we know, and put our hope in. Not that we aren’t good stewards of our present bodies. But when He should see fit to send suffering we rejoice in a firmer more blatant assurance of our complete reliance on Him, in the ways which we can’t always see or predict by which He will bring glory to His Name, and in a closer knowledge of Him who is our Protector and Provider, King and Redeemer. Oh, how I love my Mama, who takes care to encourage us even now!