May 31, 2012
     This day was spent working on putting a Christmas card together. I took all day and after dinner tonight I made a big change in it. Once I  have it like I want it I can then start constructing them in an assembly line method. I can move right along once I get going. I figured with all the time I will have to be spending at home after the radiation begins I can   finish them pretty quickly. I am behind in starting them. I usually make about 72 or so and it takes most of the day to make about 5 or 6 of them. These will have some intricate glitter on them so I may not be able to do that many.
      Dorean and I went to dinner. She is my sounding board and a great encourager. We often vent to each other. She keeps informed on my medical procedures the times and dates. She goes to most of my appointments with me because I don’t always remember all the details as they are given to me so quickly. She and her husband Tim are as handy as sliced bread for us. Tim helps out with things around the house for us. We are very fortunate and blessed with all our daughters and son-in-laws.
     I am attaching another song by David Phelps. I love this because of the story it tells. I wish you could hear our daughter Donna sing this. It is my favorite that she does as a solo. She and her husband Daniel have some duets that are just amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSSv87qeT6Y&feature=related

     Enjoy the song.

     God bless you all,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 30, 2012
     Today was my Oncology Dental appointment. They are all nice people in this department of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The news I got, however, was not very nice.
     Evidently, radiation is very hard on teeth, gums and bones. There is nothing they can put in the mouth to protect it because the radiation is too strong to be blocked by anything. The dentist (an attractive woman) took impressions of upper and lower teeth. They are going to make a device to hold my tongue down during radiation. She also measured how far I could open my mouth because the radiation can affect my range of opening and I can get to the point that I won’t be able to open enough to eat a sandwich or yawn. The will measure periodically to see if I am loosing any of that function.
     Another side effect is the loss of the ability to taste food. Which might be a good thing so I can lose some more weight. The taste may come back in 3 or 4 months after completing radiation.
     I will need to Fluoride my teeth once a week. For the first 3 weeks of radiation I will have to rinse my mouth out 10 times a day with a special mouth wash. After that for the rest of the time I will have to rinse it out 20 times a day. This does not guarantee that my teeth will survive the treatment without damage. She said she would tell me more at my next appointment because she didn’t want to overwhelm me with information. I told her I was already overwhelmed.
     On the way home I listened to David Phelps sing “No More Night.” If you haven’t heard it you will definiatly want to listen to it even if you have heard it you can listen again. It is beautiful!  I have added a link that you can get it on. I hope it will work. This song gave me comfort from all the bad news I had just heard. I know God has a purpose in all of this and I can hardly wait to find out what it is. Thank you, God, for your faithfulness and the comfort that you give me through your Word and through beautiful music.
http://www.yallwire.com/player/davidphelpsnomorenightlive.html?1=1&detect_bitrate=_700

This is enough information for today, I don’t want to overwhelm you. lol                         

Love to all,

Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 29, 2012
     Today I had no appointments nothing else scheduled so I spent most of the day working on something that I call a poem. I am not good at meter and it is hard working finding words to rhyme and make sense. Billy said it was good and that no one really pays attention much to meter. So I will post it for my blog today.

Wisdom From The Word

God’s gift is this day and everything in it.

Make it count for eternity, don’t waste a minute.

He gives us joys and sorrows, and promises for better tomorrows.

So don’t look ahead, or borrow unknown sorrows.

King David says the Lord’s a stronghold in times of trouble,

Trust in His name He’ll not forsake, His blessings will be redouble.

Jesus said, Do not rejoice in the power you’ve been given.

But rejoice that your names are written down in heaven.

Peter spoke of us born again in The Resurrection.

To an inheritance imperishable due to our election.

John The Revelator has a message for the sinners,

Jesus, the Alpha and Omega makes His children all winners.

We can respond to these words with shouts of jubilation,

“Maranatha Lord we await you with anticipation.”

     God’s Word is so full of richness that it is fun to pull words from different places and fit them all together. I really enjoyed doing this even though it wore my old brain out. Hope you enjoy and are blessed by it.
     Tomorrow is Oncology  Dentist day. I pray it all goes well and my teeth and gums are able to handle the radiation therapy. Pray for me.
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 28,2012
     WOW, what a exciting Memorial Day we had!  There were new never before experienced adventures and tons of laughs.
     We hit the lakes at about 9:30, the sun was shining brightly and there was hardly any other boats on the lakes. It was like having the whole Butler Chain of Lakes to ourselves. We had Donna, Daniel, Jesse, his fiancé, Bethany, David and his wife, Hannah, Benjamin a friend of his, Logan, Billy and me. Benjamin was the “Captain” today. (In case you don’t know all the boys except Logan are our grandsons.) The boys enjoyed learning how to Knee Board. It was so much fun watching them hang on and finally get thrown off. They got out the big tube and Benjamin, Jesse and Logan had a ball hanging on for dear life.
     About the time they were getting tired of that we began to see a storm coming and contemplated should we stick it out or head back to the dock. We decided to head back to the dock but we were about 10 minutes too late because the storm  hit while we in the process of docking the boat. I have never been outside in a rain that hard and with such a fiercely blowing wind. We had umbrellas but I felt like Mary Poppins because it was all I could do to hang on to it. We were soaked to the bone. Two cell phones got wet, one was dropped in the lake and another fell onto the dock. All the guys got down beside the dock and dug in the water and sand and found the one that fell in the lake. David is putting it in rice because someone said they heard that rice would dry it out. I hope it does.
     Some were complaining about getting wet and I said how often do we get to experience something as exciting as being out in a heavy storm and getting soaking wet no one was hurt in the downpour. I am learning to take every experience as an adventure and finding the good in it. It can be a funny little gift from God or something to get all pushed out of  shape about. I had a great time with the experience.
     We came home and everyone in the boat plus Dorean, Tim, Amanda, Michael, McKenzie and Alyssa. We had great hamburgers and hot dogs, my famous mac and cheese and Mountain Dew homemade ice cream. We have MD ice cream at almost all our family get togethers. Billy and I made up the recipe about 45years ago. And the family loves it. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good!
     We played a game that Donna brought over. It is called Quelf. If you ever see it in Wal–Mart or any place else, get it. It is the most fun ever! I can’t even explain it but it is a laugh a minute and not like any other game I have ever played. I highly recommend it.
     All in all, it was a great day that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of. I wish you could have been with us    
Happy Memorial Day to all,
Mary Margaret

     The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 27, 2012

     This was another beautiful Sunday. A lovely service at ACTS Fellowship, then lunch with Donna and Daniel at Ruby Tuesday’s, home for a nap and Bible Study at 5:30. Billy and I usually just rest and relax for the rest of the evening.

     It is suppose to rain tomorrow so we don’t know if we will be able to go out in Daniel’s boat or not.  I would hate to get out in the boat and it start raining but we will see what is going on in the morning. Hope it isn’t raining! We will still grill at some point. It will be a good day!
     At church this morning Carol had prepared a presentation using the following song. I have not heard it before but it touched me. The part I’ve highlighted was like it was sung just for me. I am at that place and God is giving me His mercy and grace, that is the only way I can make it through this trial I am in. He is faithful and He is good!

You turn the key
Then close the door behind you
Drop your bags on the floor
You reach for the light
But there's darkness deep inside
And you can't take it anymore

'Cause sometimes living takes the life out of you
And sometimes living is all you can do

Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good

You start to cry
'Cause you've been strong for so long
And that's not how you feel
You try to pray
But there's nothing left to say
So you just quietly kneel

In the silence of all that you face
God will give you His mercy and grace

Jesus never said
It was an easy road to travel
He only said that you would never be alone
So when your last thread of hope
Begins to come unraveled
Don't give up, He walks beside you
On this journey home and He knows

Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God  is good

    sung by Pam Thum
                                                                                                                    

    Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 25, 2012
    This has been a slow day. A day for reflecting and wondering about just what God wants to do with me. How does He want to use me in the best way for His glory? I have been praying about this for many months and still I don’t have a clear answer. He is going to reveal something to me, I know, but when?
     I was working on the church bulletin this afternoon. Each week I put a prayer in it that I take from a devotional book I’ve had for years. There are 365 prayers in it, one for each day and I have used a little more that half of them each week for the bulletin. The one for the bulletin this week spoke to me because it is my prayer.

Gracious Father.

You continue to stretch my faith and my expectancy.

I am so grateful.

If I have not yet caught the vision of what You want me to do,

then help me to do so today.

In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

     I will keep that prayer in my heart and on my lips because it speaks to my need so well. I marvel at the way He brings things into our lives right when we need them. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Right? Right.
     It is Friday evening and I just made the best chicken salad in the world. I came up with it several years ago and every one loves it. The chicken is any good seasoned baked or rotisserie chicken. This time I used a baked lemon chicken from Publix. I put in lots of chopped walnuts, grapes cut in half, the whole chicken, diced, chopped celery, mayo (today I used low fat) and some curry powder and just a little cumin powder. You are welcome to try and enjoy it for yourselves. Perhaps I should include some of my recipes in this blog and make it even more interesting. (Ha)
     Well, that’s all for today. More tomorrow. I’m looking forward to talking with you.
     Love to all,
     Mary Margaret

     The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 24, 2012
     It was a busy, busy day. Dorean couldn’t get away from her office so Amanda and McKenzie went with me to my appointments. I had a panorama dental x-ray at 10:15 but didn’t leave there till 1200, you know doctor appointments go. We decided to eat in the hospital cafeteria since my next appointment was at 1:15. We got to the radiology department on time and I filled out a ton of paperwork then we were taken to a room and waited until 2:40. The doctor was very nice, cute and young. His name is Dr. Manon (pro. Manyon) his wife is expecting their first baby the same time Amanda is expecting Colton. His is a boy too. There is a huge number of boys being born so far this year.
     Here is what he wants to do. He is scheduling me for a PET scan next week. There is a   possibility that another Merkel Cell has escaped and could be some where else in my body. He wants to give a good look over the inside of my body to make sure there isn’t something there. I like this idea and have asked about it before. I felt a PET scan would reveal if there is anything hiding somewhere. I digress, he explained how they would make a mesh mask just for me and within the mask would be the coordinates for the area they want the radiation to hit.  He answered all my questions like would I be dangerous around the pets and the baby, the answer is no. He said I would have 27 to 35 treatments, 5 days a week. He even arranged for someone to have a sonogram to look for my veins before the PET scan, they are hard to find without one. That is a big relief to me.
     When we finished at Dr. Manon’s, Amanda went to Winnie Palmer to pre register for when she delivers out little Colton. McKenzie was born there too. It is a wonderful hospital for women and children build by Arnold Palmer.
     Anyway, it looks like I will be spending a lot of time at ORMC and M. D. Anderson. It is just a new adventure in my life. It is all new to me. How many get to have a new adventure in their life at  my age? I am going to rejoice and be thankful that God has chosen me to experience this at my age. He is with me which make it even better.                 
     Here is a passage for today:

 “ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away,                                

 our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us                                                  an eternal weight of glory beyond all  comparison,

as we look not to the things that are seen                                                                     but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient,                                                                    but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

II Corinthians 4:16-18

     I like the thought about the outer self wasting away. Boy, is that true! It is nice to know the inner self is being renewed every day. Then it talks about this momentary affliction preparing me for an eternal glory beyond all comparison. This is comforting.
     It has been a tiring and eventful day. I am ready to hit my wonderful air bed.
     God bless you all,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 23, 2012
      Just a note to let you know I have an appointment with the Radiologist tomorrow at 2:00.
     Dorean is going with me. I am anxious to find out what all in involved. I have a few questions for him. Will my hair fall out? Will I have nausea? Will I be harmful to the pets? And can I be around the new baby? I’m sure Dorean will have a few questions herself. She is much more thorough than I am.
     Please pray for me around that time if you think about it. The Lord will be with me all the way and I find my comfort I that.
     I will let you know tomorrow night all the details from the appointment.
     Love to all,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 20, 2012

     My favorite day has arrived again.. I love Sundays! It is always interesting to find out from what parts of the world our visitors live. We had a lady from Brazil today. I think she was the only one from a foreign country. There were others from different states; Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and others. We love being a church that can welcome visitor from so many places.

     Roger, who does the announcements, looked over at me and said, “Do you think you will  stay for the service today?” It got a big laugh from the regulars who knew what happened last Sunday. It was nice to stay for the whole service today.
     Our grandson, Benjamin, was in a Battle of the Bands” this weekend. It was all praise and worship bands from area churches. There were over 75 audition tapes sent in and 13 were picked for the competition and his band was on of 5 in the final judging. They came in 3rd. That is great for a first time try, they’ll do better next year. We are very proud of them.
     I am now drinking lots of water, not green tea. I also have some drinks with electrolytes in them. That is probably what happened last week, I must have gotten low on electrolytes. I don’t know why they didn’t think of that at the hospital. Oh well, I am getting a good check up on my heart.
     Bible Study this evening was wonderful, as usual. We are in Exodus and have been for a long time. We have gotten the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness. Moses is about to climb up Mt. Sinai and get the Ten Commandments. We do a very in-depth study verse by verse so it takes awhile to move through a book. It’s a great study and Billy is an amazing teacher. That is his gift.
     It is getting late and as much as I enjoy doing this I must get to bed. I wish I could see all of you that read this blog. I don’t know if it is one or a dozen. Whichever it may be I love you all and wish for you the best. Good night.
Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 19,2012
     The baby shower was a huge success! We had so much fun. We played some games I had never played before, usually I don’t like to play shower games, but these were actually fun.
     Of course, there were many cute baby things. They make such wonderful things for babies now. How did I ever raise 3 daughters without the little plastic bath tub and disposable diapers? Not to mention the elaborate car seat and stroller.
     The food was special too. We had Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches on croissants, sausage balls, tiny Quiches, chocolate covered strawberries and a carved watermelon fruit bowl that looked like a cradle with a cantaloupe baby in it with a pacifier in its mouth. I did that and I will never again volunteer to carve  something with fruit. What a messy job! Of course, we had punch and cup cakes and Amanda had all kinds of candy for something she called a “Candy Walk” with little bags that everyone could fill and take home. It was much fun, but I am tired out.
     In reading through the Bible chronologically in a year I came to Isaiah 25 today. It starts with a wonderful first verse.

O LORD, you are  my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name,

for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

Then Isaiah gives us some really beautiful news in verses 8 and 9.

He will swallow up death forever,

and the LORD  GOD will wipe away tears from all faces.

And the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the LORD has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

Behold, this is our GOD;

we have waited for him, that he might save us.

This is the LORD; we have waited for him;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Those verses sound very promising when we get to our age and are battling cancer. It gives us hope and knowledge that we are secure in our Lord and can rely on the sovereignty of our God. He is faithful with his promises. What a resting place that is!
     God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
     Much love to you all,
Mary Margaret

     The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 18, 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen,

     This is an announcement to forewarn you that there is going to be a bright glow in the sky emitting from Central Florida. It may be a puzzle to the Meteorologist and Scientists who are watching the sky, but it will only be me glowing from the radiation treatments that I will be getting 5 days a week for 5 to 7 weeks. Yes, it is true, I will be starting radiation very soon.
     This morning Dorean and I went to an appointment with my new Oncologist, Dr. Luka Milas. (Me’las) He is wonderful! I was concerned that no one could replace Dr. Shellenberger, but I believe Dr. Milas is the only doctor that could handle that challenge. He gave me a great big hug and held my hand the whole time he was in the room. We also love his P. A. She was very friendly and informative with all my questions. She is 8 weeks pregnant with twins!
     I have an appointment with the Radiologist on Thursday next week. This will probably be the time to set up my appointments and prepare the mask I will wear during treatment to protect the part of my head not getting radiation.
     On the next Wednesday I must be checked out by a Dental Oncologist to be sure my teeth and gums will be able to handle the radiation along my jaw line.
     The radiation will begin soon after the Dental Oncologist gives me the go ahead.
     My next appointment with Dr. Milas will be June 15th. As you can see I am going to be spending a lot of time driving back and forth to the radiation clinic and doctor visits. (It is about 10 miles to M. D. Anderson where all my appointments are.) They said I may be able to drive myself for awhile but will probably need someone to drive me later into the treatments. It looks like Amanda will get that fun job since she is not working and school is out for the    summer. I hope to be finished with radiation before the baby gets here or I will loose my ride.
     I feel perfectly at peace about all of this. Before Dr. Milas left he patted my hand and said “We’ll take good care of you.” I told him I had a  wonderful God that also takes good care of me. He said “I’ll pray for you and your family and you pray for me and my family.” How great is that? Isn’t God wonderful to give me a sweet doctor like that?
     Your prayers will truly be appreciated during this time. The P. A. told me it would be like getting the worst sunburn I’ve ever had. They have medication to put on the burn and I have a big Aloe Vera plant in the back yard. I will have to stay out of the sun and will probably experience fatigue which means poor Billy will be eating Subway sandwiches and other things he can pick up on the way home. It will be slim pickin’s for a few weeks. We’ll survive!
     We are having a big Alice in Wonderland Tea Party baby shower tomorrow for little Colton Timothy Traywick, my little great-grandson due in July. My house is decorated with whimsical flowers, 3 Cheshire Cats, 4 tables with cute plates and lots of mismatched tea cups. It is all so cute! I really need to take pictures and post them. Maybe someone can help me do that.
     We are going to take Annie for her walk so she can lose a little weight and me too. She gets really anxious about this time every night. I will let you know about the shower tomorrow night.
Love to all,
Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 16, 2012

    I finished my lovely walk through the book of Psalms this morning. It is a book full of every  emotion, praise - Psalm 8 (all the Psalms but one have some praise in them); sadness - Psalm 39; fear - Psalm 102; anger - Psalm 120; thankfulness - Psalm 118; trusting - Psalm 23; depression - Psalm 88; and others such as joy, forgiving and fulfillment. It was interesting to see that even all those many years ago the writers of Psalms were just people as we are. They felt the same things we do and they found their rest and salvation in the same God we can find ours in. After going through all the emotions in 149 of the Psalms I am so glad that it ended with Psalm 150. It was titled in my Bible, “Let Everything Praise the LORD”

Praise the LORD!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

     Now that should get a resounding AMEN!

     Just a little note about yesterday. Deanna took me out to lunch for Mother’s Day and we had a most enjoyable time. It is such a blessing to be able to talk about the Lord, theology and scriptures with my daughters. God has truly blessed me in that way. Thank you, Lord!
     Good night all.

 The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 14, 2012

     What a Mother’s Day I had! Of course it started with going to church. Benjamin, my 18 year old grandson, put the music together and led the singing. Carol, our music director was out of town. Benjamin also sang a beautiful song accompanying himself on the guitar. We had very lovely ball point pens for all the mothers. That was all before Billy started preaching.

     He was about 10 minutes into his sermon when I started feeling strange, kind of sick and  shaky.  My daughter Donna was sitting beside me. I asked her to go with me to the rest room because I didn’t think I could make it by myself. So we left the service and she was basically holding me up. To get to the point, after about 10 minutes she decided to call 911. They came and started asking questions and plugging things into me. My blood pressure was 80/40, not a good thing. They were very nice gentlemen. Soooooooooooooo, I got my first ambulance ride. I’ll take that one off my "bucket list.”
     To get to the point of this story . . . they insisted that I stay overnight. That didn’t make me happy. I stayed in the Cardiac Unit at the hospital. They were so sure it was a heart problem. I didn’t think it was, but what do I know. I had an EKG before they put me in the ambulance and one while on the way to the hospital then another after getting to the hospital in the ER. The last one was after getting to the room. They were definitely going to pursue the heart problem idea. I still did not think that it was a heart problem.
     Sunday evening all the kids came to see me and we had such a good time laughing and making jokes. They said I had gone too far to get the whole family together for Mother’s Day. From now on I could just ask them to come see me, I didn’t have to check into a hospital.
     I was poked and prodded so much that I ran out of veins. Especially because my veins had been used just 3 weeks ago. I am called a “hard stick” by the medical profession. You would not believe the nightmares I’ve had. They had to bring in something called the “IV Team” to find a vein so they could get another IV started. Basically what happened was they did an ultra sound on my arm to find deep veins. She said my veins are very small and run deep. Anyway, she found one and got it and it hurt less than any time I have ever been poked. I am gong to ask for the “IV Team” from now on.
     They wanted to do an Echo Cardiogram today and if it was clear I could go home, if not I would have to have a Stress Test and probably would not go home till tomorrow. I knew the EC would be fine and it was. I got to go home!

     Dear God, I have had enough of hospitals to last for a long, long time. Please can I just stick to doctors offices for awhile?

     All the staff at the hospital was so nice. I was even able to talk about the Lord with a couple of them. He gives us opportunities and we should take the opportunity and use it for His glory.
     The cardiologist at the hospital wants to see me in 4 weeks. He still can’t let go of the idea of a heart problem. My heart has no problem, Christ is in it and in control of it. I wish they could see Christ with one all those sophisticated machines that they look at the human heart with. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

     I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight with my animals in it.

     Good night and God bless you.     Mary Margaret
The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the ancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

                                               angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 12,2012

     What a wonderful Saturday! It started with our Saturday morning Bible Study. Learning about the  sovereignty of God is amazing! What is left for us to worry about? He has it all under   control. Who better to be in control than the God who created the universe we are a small part of? It makes it so much easier to walk through this life knowing we are being taken care of by such a loving and wise God.

     After Bible Study, Dorean took me out for brunch. It is always quality time when I spend it with any of my girls. We went shopping and got some beautiful things. Deanna and her girls drove by as we were walking at the shopping center. And an amazing thing was happening. Rebekah was driving! She is 15 now and Deanna has been wanting her to learn to drive. I know she will be a good driver, her dad is an Orange County Deputy Sheriff. That is all the motivation she needs.
     The afternoon was spent “vegging out” or as some say, resting. After a time of shopping I was worn out.
     I will be celebrating Mother’s Day on Monday and Tuesday also because the Sunday of Mother’s Day is always so crowded at restaurants. My girls are really special!
     Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers.
     Love to all,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com 

May 11, 2012

     I won’t keep you long tonight. Amanda came over this morning and we worked on the baby basket that we used for her 27 years ago. If I knew how to send a picture, I would send one out. It took us all day, but it is a beauty.  I am going to have to learn how to send pictures on this blog. Anyway, dear friends, that is all I did today. Didn’t even hear from my doctor.
     I did get a beautiful bouquet for Mother’s Day tonight from Donna and Daniel. Daniel has always sent me flowers for Mother’s Day. He is a great son-in-law. All of mine are great guys!
     God bless you and good night,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 9, 2012

To the millions of followers of my blog, (ha)

     I just want you to know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. I have been taking it easy around the house and nothing has been happening around here. I am still waiting for word from Dr. Shellenberger or someone concerning the decision  about radiation. Tomorrow may be a good day to make some phone calls. Maybe I will have some news for you tomorrow.  Pray about that for me, please. Thanks.

     God bless you and good night,

     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 7, 2012

Dear Friends,

     There is nothing I could ever say that would speak as beautifully or touch hearts as the speech in this attachment. This was sent to me by a very dear friend. I ask that you please watch this and realize how far from what is being said we have come in such a short time. I will not add to this because it is so beautifully spoken by former president Ronald Reagan.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/OvN1jTkzXbY?rel=0

     God bless you and good night,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 6, 2012

     Wonderful day, Sunday! I am still very tired especially after getting ready for church. We had a nice lunch and came home to take a nap. The nap wasn’t long enough to suit me, but did have some energy when I got up. Watered the flowers out front by filling a container 10 times in the kitchen sink and carrying it out to the front of the house. During Bible Study it started pouring down rain. Sure am glad I used all that energy watering those flowers.

     I am still waiting to hear from Dr. Shellenberger on the radiation decision. I think I will hear from him this week. Sure hope so. He finished his time at M. D. Anderson on Friday and I guess he has to get reestablished where ever he went before he can take care of “old business.”
     I really can’t tell if my neck is looking better, I think maybe it is. I massage it several times a day with vitamin E oil and do my neck exercises several times a day. Everyone says it looks better, so maybe it does.
     I had a 2” scar as my “badge” from the last surgery and I’ll have an 8” scar from this surgery. Do I qualify to be called “Scarface?” I don’t think so, I qualify to be called a child of God and these are the proofs that He loves me enough to test my love and trust for Him. There is nothing like what I have been through to build faith in a weak vessel. I may need that faith and strength one of these days when things get rough for us Christians. It is slowly happening each day.
     I’ll go to bed early tonight. Billy is off tomorrow and we will be doing several things we haven’t been able to do for the past two week, like take Annie to the vet.
    Have a great night and a blessed day tomorrow.
    Good night,
    Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 5, 2012
     Had a very busy day today. I managed to get several things done. We didn’t have Bible Study today because Dorean is doing something with her family. Tim works a strange shift at Disney so getting everyone together is sometimes difficult. They took McKenzie to the beach for her first look at the Atlantic. I wish I could see her reaction, I know it will be funny.
     I got the church bulletin typed and printed, ready to go for tomorrow. I did some Tai Chi, which helps me get my muscle tone back. I don’t do the meditation or any of that other stuff, just the movements which are very fluid and look like I’m moving in slow motion. I feel very comfortable when I’m finished but still manage to work up a sweat.
     Another big thing I did was get my nails done. I had to have clear polish on my fingers and toes for surgery and I feel a little naked. I like colors on my nails and am more comfortable with it. My hands look kind of dead without it. I now have the dark burgundy that I love. Yeah!
     In reading I John 3:1-3 this morning I found it beautiful when I meditated on the meaning of what John was trying to tell us.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

     Through this present journey with the “little c” I have become more aware of the love of God and the fact that I am His child. The meaning of being a child of God has taken on a much more awesome picture than I had before.  John says, “Behold,” or “Look at” what kind of love the Father (the creator of the universe and all that is in it) has given us. What can we see when we look at His love? We see forgiving love, faithful love, unconditional love, true love and a love that surpasses all our imagination could conceive. We are His adopted children, which sets us apart from the rest of the world. The world doesn’t know us nor does it know God. Can you even imagine that someday we will be like Jesus? Just as we didn’t want to disappoint our earthly parents, even more we should not want to disappoint our heavenly parent. To be pure before God is a lofty goal that we can only achieve when we become like Jesus. What a day to look forward to! What a day that will be!

     “Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”    
     Good night,
     Mary Margaret
The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 4, 2012

     This morning I discovered an unusual Psalm. The 88th Psalm is the only Psalm without praise. It was written by Heman who was mentioned in I Chronicles as being a musician and a singer. It would suit the personality of an artistic type to have periods of depression. He was also referred to in I Kings as a wise person. As you read this Psalm you can see how depressed Heman was. Apparently he suffered chronically, had an affliction that brought him to the point of death and it appeared his friends had shunned him. He had been close to death many times from his youth on. It appears that someone very close to him, perhaps a wife or dear friend, had shunned him also. The truly interesting thing about this Psalm and Heman is that he     continued to pray unceasingly, everyday, day and night. The only reason he wanted to live was because he knew he would be useless to the Lord if he were in the grave because he could not praise God.

     I couldn’t help but wonder how many times had I been in a position where it seemed that God had moved from my side? Perhaps having a “pity party” with no one else invited except poor pitiful me. Did I remember to pray? Did I only want to go on so I could praise God? Or did I just languish in my pity and wonder, “Why me?” I want to be like Heman was when I am low in spirit. I want to pray all day and know that God is still with me. He will not move from me, but I may pull away from Him. I do not ever want to be disconnected from feeling the     presence of God in my life. That is the only way to live and it is a day by day, moment by   moment process.
     Fortunately, the next Psalm erases all that gloom and doom with verse 1 and following:

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness

to all generations.

The last verse says it all:

Blessed be the LORD forever!

Amen and Amen.

     I find myself wishing that Heman had written Psalm 89 showing us that he made it out of that black period. I’m sure he must have at some point.

     It has been a quiet day, lots of rest and reading. My kind of day!
     God bless you and good night,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!

Don’t forget to E-mail me. . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com