Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I found myself overwhelmed and anxious yesterday.  Dear family and friends reminded me of God's faithfulness. It is amazing to see how the Lord is using so many people to carry me along this journey. When I don't feel strong, when I don’t feel courageous, when doubt creeps in, I am reminded that I am not alone. God is not surprised by any of this. He knows, He hears my cries, and He sees my tears.

Today, I had my second chemo treatment, and a dear friend took me. She is a joy, and I was blessed by her today. It’s a long process, but they are very good about walking you through it all and the staff were so kind. They checked my labs, and everything is looking really good.

Then I met with my local oncologist who will oversee my care here, however Mayo will direct the steps along the way. He reviewed the results of my PET scan. Part of my anxiety yesterday had to do with these results, so I was really looking forward to what he had to say. There was something that popped up that needs further investigation, so I will have a colonoscopy next week. My oncologist is almost certain this is explained by my other gastro issues, and he is not concerned. But out of an abundance of caution, we will do the scope to make sure. My tumor has shrunk significantly, it measured less than 50% the size, just two weeks after round one of chemo! Praise the Lord for this good news!

To all of you who have prayed, checked in, brought a meal, helped with tasks around our home, dropped a care package, gave me rides, gave the girls rides, sent me an encouraging text, loved our girls, supported John, gave me the best hugs, or just listened with care, we are incredibly grateful. There are a lot of things that cancer takes away, but it cannot take away what we know to be true about God. He is loving, caring, good, gracious, faithful, and worthy of all praise.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. Psalm 103:1-4