Sunday

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

This morning I was able to go with Louis and my mom to church. It was such a blessing to be back worshiping with so many friends. We have been so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church family, especially being back in our small group! Our pastor has started a new series today on God's promises and the message could not have been more perfect for my first Sunday back. He used the passage from Philippians above to share how God promises to give us a peace that is beyond what we can understand. I have never been good at memorizing verses, but this one I memorized in high school and it has actually stuck with me. I cannot count the times that I have said this verse over and over especially during my hospitalizations. Pastor David pointed out the beginning of these verses starts with the command to rejoice, to be joyful. When I thought of this verse in the past I focused more on just praying when I was anxious... I bypassed the verse before about rejoicing not matter the circumstances. Going through this process of Leukemia has shown me just how much I have to be thankful for and although I cannot say that I have been rejoicing in every part of through this journey, I am challenged to do just that... rejoice in the Lord always.

Tomorrow will be a busy day for my mom and me as we will head back to MD Anderson. We will go to Dr. Hsu's office first thing in the morning for my blood work then jump on the freeway to get to MD Anderson. I have an appointment with the Pain Management doctor then an appointment with the Infusion Center about my Central Venous Catheter dressing. Please pray that my blood work all comes back with levels where they need to be because we just don't have time for a transfusion :) Also, the reason we have an appointment for my CVC dressing is because I have very sensitive skin and the weekly dressing changes have gotten to the point of taking of some of my skin which results in my crying through the whole thing making it an awful experience for my mom who has to change it. Please pray that we will be able to get an alternative dressing that will be easier to change and not as painful for me. My sister is also flying in tomorrow. Please pray for safe and easy travel for her and my sweet niece Clara. We are so excited to see them! Thank you for walking this journey with us and for your prayers.