All Is Calm, All Is Bright...

      It seems like kids really "get" Christmas. They get that it is about family, being together, celebrating Jesus' birthday, and LOVE.

 

     Our grandsons, Brody (7 yrs.) and Logan (4 yrs.), had to celebrate Christmas a day early because their daddy, who is a Fargo fire fighter, had to work over Christmas.

 

December 23 was their "Night Before Christmas". They just knew Santa would stop at their house early so they could open their gifts in the morning as soon as Daddy got home from work.

 

     The tradition at their house is that the boys get to sleep under the tree in the living room the night Santa comes. The boys gathered all the necessary blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and everything else needed for sleep and settled in for the night, but the excitement and anticipation was too much. They had a hard time settling down so Kristi (our daughter and the boys' mom) decided a familiar, gentle Christmas hymn might help settle them down.

 

As she gathered the boys on her lap, Kristi used her cell phone to record them as they sang, "Silent night, Holy night...". It seemed to do the trick and soon both boys were sound asleep under the soft glowing lights of the Christmas tree.

 

     Later that evening, Kristi sent me the recording she had made of the boys singing. Tears sprang to my eyes and ran down my face as I watched and listened to their sweet, innocent voices singing about the birth of Jesus. They "got" Christmas! It was about family and being together and love and celebrating a birth long ago.

    

"Silent night,

Holy night.

All is calm,

All is bright..."

 

"Sleep in Heavenly peace."

 

    

   

Good News and "Not What I Was Hoping For" News

          I haven't written in awhile because we've been on vacation!!! Arland and I and a couple we are good friends with decided we were going on a celebratory vacation to observe the end of my chemo and radiation! We took a week and drove to Branson, Missouri. We had a great time and saw lots of awesome shows there. The entertainers are soooo very talented. We also spent half of a day at Silver Dollar City. We all commented that we had never seen so many Christmas lights! It was a beautiful time to visit. Both Branson and Silver Dollar City were decorated with BILLIONS of lights and looked very festive. It was easy to get into the Christmas spirit with all the delightful decorations.

 

     All four of us like to see and do as much as we possibly can while on vacation so we came back tired but happy. It was a fun-filled week! The Golden Thread is that I am well enough to travel and to enjoy time spent with friends.

     There is more good news/bad news! The good news is that my hair is coming back! It is about 1/2 inch long. WHOO HOO!!! The bad news is that my hair color matches the snow!!! AAARGH!!!

I may have to get this...

 

 

 

     I had an infusion of Herceptin on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. They also did blood work at that appointment. I have been feeling quite tired but just thought that was "left over" from radiation.

 

The blood tests showed that my blood was STILL not back where it should be. That's why I am feeling wiped out. My hemoglobin, RBC (red blood count), WBC (white blood count), and hematocrit (proportion of the blood that consists of red blood cells) were all waaaay lower than where they should be and what I had expected them to be by now.

 

 My platelet count was also in the basement again which explains the extra black-and-blue marks I've accumulated. I was sooo disappointed! I guess I thought those prenatal vitamins and the vitamin B-12 supplement I take every day would have worked a little faster.

 

     I'm setting my sites on Christmas for getting all my counts back up to where they should be. Hopefully, I'll make that goal!

 

     Hmmm...I'm wondering if all the Christmas baking I've been doing these last few days might help my blood... 

 

Would you say it's worth a try??????