This Side of Heaven, It Is Only Change That Never Changes

In August I went back to my teaching career.  There were several reasons for returning to the classroom, all of them financial.  However, when I decided to go back to work full time, working with special needs children, I decided to have a good attitude about the change in my life.  Yes, I enjoyed my time at home, being a Mary Kay director, caring for my husband when he broke his ankles and help my grandmother recover from her life threatening illness.  Yes. it was very good, but that season of my life is over….at least for now.

No, I don’t care for having to get up and get out of the house early in the morning, and not everything is great about teaching, but God has provided an excellent position in a wonderful school.  He has give me two wonderful aides, and precious children to teach.  Watching these children learn is very rewarding.  This is a new season for me, and I am enjoying it.

Because of this my ‘blog writing’ time has been reduced.  Actually it has stopped for several months now.  I appreciate all the people who have still been reading even though there has been no new material.

During the next few days, I am going to attempt to post some updates for the people I have written about previously and then add some new material about families and cancer.

Tony Snow: His Battle is Over, His Victory is Won

Tony Snow was a role model for how to live, how to work and how to die.

I first became aware of this interesting man when he would fill in for Rush Limbaugh. I enjoyed listening to his political perspective which became more authentic to me when I listened to him talk about his life and his family. He just seemed to be a very ‘real’ person, with no facade, no phoniness in his heart. I thought of him as a person who was exactly the same whether he was surrounded by important dignitaries or common folk. He was who he was.

One of my most vivid memories of Tony Snow was his discussion of the kitchen fire in their home that had occured late one night after everyone had gone to bed. I know he gave vivid descriptions of the events, but what stuck in my memory was his discussion of being questioned by the fire department investigators about the fire, because he had been the last one to bed, the last one in the kitchen that night. Tony talked about how it felt to be grilled and to be considered suspect in that fire. Of course, he was not at fault. That fire was one of life’s events that just happened. Again, his sharing this moment in his life with us, confirmed his authenticity in my mind.

Tony taught us how to die. As he lived out his life before us, his Colan cancer diagnosis, his treatment, his cancer return, and ultimately his death, we observed the grace, dignity, optimism and faith which characterized Tony’s life, also characterized his death.

Log on to this Christianity Today written by Tony Snow for an amazing perspective on cancer and it’s unexpected blessings. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/july/25.30.html

Thank you, Father, for Tony Snow. Thank you for allowing us to learn from his life, his faith, and his death. Bless Ton’s family with your Presence and your Peace during this difficult time. In the name of our Savior, Amen.

I Want To Express My Appreciation…

It is humbling and gratifying to look at my blog statts.  You know, those numbers that tell you how many readers have visited your site, and realize those numbers represent real people, sitting at real computers and actually reading, some of you faithfully, the things I write.  I want to say thank you.  Thank you for reading.  Thank you for commenting. Thank you for sharing my blog with your fiends.  Thank you for praying when I share concerns.

If you are new to my blog, I say welcome.  I have a story which was the genesis of my writing for the public. Please read my story which is located in the side bar, because by reading it you will know my perspective and understand my heart when families find themselves walking down the cancer path with someone they love.

Keep on reading my posts, keep on commenting when things touch your heart and live, keep on sharing my blog with your friends and please, keep on praying as God continues to work in our lives, giving peace, strength, wisdom, and healing.

The Empowered Patient

I just read about the ‘Empowered Patient’ website. I encourage you to check out this website for yourself. http://www.theempoweredpatient.com/
Empowered.  That’s a word that is being use a lot today in many different areas of life. In our context, that of serious, even terminal illness, being empowered has meaning on many different levels.  As I discuss the concept of being empowered as a patient, please understand that I am including family members when situations dictate their participation in the health care of a loved one.

In my opinion, an empowered patient first of all is proactive. He or she is not satisfied or content to let  circumstance dictate how their health care needs are met.  This empowered person gets regular checkups, and shares with the doctor concerns before they become come critical.

An empowered patient is informed.  Just over a year ago I was diagnosed with Barrett’s Esophogus, a condition that often procedes esophageal cancer.  I knew something about this condition because my father had been diagnosed with it about two hears before he was diagnosed with, you guessed it, esophageal cancer.

Needless to say, I was most upset about my diagnosis.  I remember driving home, trying to see the road through teary eyes,  By the time I reached my house my emotions were under control and determination had set in.  I was determined to become a Barrett’s expert.  I walked straight to my computer and googled ‘Barrett’s esophagus’,  After reading a few websites I knew I didn’t have enough information about my diagnosis.  I needed the actual reports from the doctor who did my actual scope and the pathologist’s report as well.   I called my doctor’s office immediately, made another trip there and within 45 minutes I had those reports in my hands.  I was not content to wait till the next day to get that information.

Over the next couple of days I read, thought, and prayed.  You see, the doctor who did my scope wanted me to surgery as soon as possible to close my haital hernia.  Some of the information I read about that procedure said that was not a fix for Barrett’s esophogus.  Hmmmmmm.

I decided to go to a gastrointestinal specialist.  Within a week I was sitting in his office asking informed questions about my condition and prognosis.  To make a long story short, he did another scope and found no Barrett’s cells at all!!! Praise God.  I will of course have future scopes done, but for now, I am fine.

My point of this story is that because I gathered information, read, and asked question, I did not have stomach surgery that proved to be unnecessary.

An empowered patient is proactive and informed.  More to come.

Virtual Makeover, Anyone?

That’s right. On my personal Mary Kay website you can do a virtual makeover! You can choose a model whose skin and hair color most nearly matches your own and virtually try different glamour looks, designed by our professional makeup artists, on this model. Great fun!!!

But wait! That’s not all! Now you can upload a pic of yourself and then virtually try those same glamour looks on your photo! You can even try different hair styles. Totally amazing! I played with it a couple of days ago and fount it to be a wonderful tool for ‘trying’ new colors before you buy.

Of course all the products are available for sale from my ’store’ and can be ordered off my website. Then I’ll ship them to you asap.

But wait! There’s more! In addition to the virtual makeover, you can register for a trip to New York City, as well as a secondary prise of a filled compact which be given away every day from now till July 6.

Yes, our Mary Kay websites are great places to visit. So log on now. Do a virtual makeover. Register for the sweepstakes. Learn some great tips for skin care and color application.
See you online!

www.marykay.com/dfoster1

One of Life’s Hardest Moments-Burying a Son

As the age of 43 he was way too young to die, but he did.  We had his funeral in our church this morning.  The room was filled to capacity.  The service was officiated by his stepbrother who said, “I always figured that as a minister i would be presiding over the funerals of my brothers, but I never expected, never imagined that I would be doing it so soon.

The father of the man who passed away is a member of our church.  Seeing his broken heart broke my heart. He is walking down a very difficult path, one of life’s hardest, I believe.  There is nothing that can be said or done that will ease the pain. Nothing that can bring back his child. Nothing.

I know that this father’s faith in God is real and strong, and I learned during the funeral that the man who passed away had trusted Christ and is therefore, in heaven.  Time will pass and though the father will not ever get ‘over it, he will get through it’.

Father, as this father grieves for his Son, I am reminded of the grief you must have felt when your Son died.  Because you understand the depth of his sadness, give comfort to this father and the rest of the family.

Foster Outdoor Products Commercial

We have just put online a new website for outdoor products my husband is making. As a former boyscout, he has always had an interest in camping and survival gear. He developed a compact backpacking stove which uses alcohol for fuel and a hobo/tin can stove. We have sold several of these on ebay and decided to go ‘big time’ and market them on the web.

www.fosteroutdoorproducts.com

The backpacking stove is very small and easy to use. It would make a great gift for someone who loves to go hiking and camping, or for a soldier who is deployed.

He has also made routed redwood signs for years and we decided to add signs to our list of products. Please log on to his website and take a look around. It is definitely a work in progress, and there will be more products to come later, but I think you will find what we have to be interesting. Then if you are so inclined, please share his web address with friends and family!

The Latest on Captain Hook

I received these updates yesterday and today.  Within their words you can feel their peace with the seriousness of Don’s illness because of their trust in God and His care.  Don’s sense of humor is also evident when he writes.  His ability to laugh, joke and tease has made a huge difference in their outlook, I think.

March 28, update

“Well folks here we go with the last treatment(maybe).The Dr. told us yesterday that if my counts come back quick that he might give me one more treatment. We told him that was his call and not ours. We are just praying that GODS will will be done in this. All you cousin’s out there remember when I was a ornery and mean little boy, well you have to be meaner than a junk yard dog to go thru all this mess. I am asking all you out there to just pray that GOD’S will be done in this. To all our friends in good ole’ Big Spring Texas a big howdy from Houston Texas. Just sitting here waiting for them to get our room ready. I will let Jo Ann say a few words and don’t believe a word she says.

I will make this short and sweet because time is about to expire on this session. When it expires, you lose everything you have written.
I will update again after we get in a room.”

March 28, update

God is Good All The Time!!!! We were admitted into the hospital tonight at 8:15. They did blood work as soon as we got into the room so that they could check the platelet level. When the nurse got the blood report, she came in and told us that the platelet count was 59. She called our Dr. and he decided to give Don a platelet transfusion tonight and start the first chemo drug tomorrow morning. Our Dr. is on the Clinical Team this week and will be coming by to see us everyday. We are happy about that. Don is feeling good and ready to get the treatment started. We will get to sleep better tonight because the transfusion does not last as long as the chemo does.

We Praise God for His loving care through out this journey. Thank you all for your prayers. Please pray for smooth sailing through this treatment.

God bless you all, Captain and Mate

March 29, update

The good Lord has given us another beautiful day. The ship has docked and the Captain is picking on the nurses. We were able to rest last night. The Dr. came by this morning and told us that he had decided to start the treatment today. The first drug is called Retuxin. It takes six to seven to complete. Don has tolerated the drug well in the past. We have walked this morning and now we are waiting for the nurse to start the drug. As we were walking, we walked around the Children’s section. They are so precious and truly remind us of God’s angels. It allows us to see other’s problems and realize how blessed we are to be where we are in this journey. God has given us today and our prayer is that we might allow others to see Him in our walk.

Thank you and God bless each of you for your prayers. Remember to keep your light on – you never know when you will meet someone going through a storm.

Love, Captain and Mate

We All Have An Expiration Date

At our recent Mary Kay Leadership Conference I had the privilege of sitting in a career development class taught by National Sales Director Pamela Waldrop Shaw.  She is an amazing woman, a powerful presenter with the experience of one of life’s hardest seasons shaping her message to women.  Her husband, I don’t know his exact age, proabably late 30’s or early 40’s, passed away with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Her presentation was strong and powerful and there were many statements that were seemingly pointed directly at me.  The one that has remained in my mind and influenced my mindset since that times is, “I have been eating a protein bar which has an expiration date of Sept., 08.  I will have it eaten long before then, but ladies, I am here to tell you that each of you have an expiration date.”

I have an expiration date and so do you.

There is another truth which follows this statement.  Those who know us may not remember what we do and our accomplishments, but they will definitely remember how we made them feel.

When Your Child Has Cancer

 I know what it feels like to grieve when your parents are terminally ill.  I have not experienced (thankfully) and do not know what it feels like when you have a child that is terminally ill.

In our church we have a couple who lost a grandchild to cancer.  He was about 13, I believe, when he passed away. Another couple in our church has an adult daughter who has an agressive cancer and is only expected to live perhaps another year, maybe two. Another family in our community has a daughter who is a young adult, and she is gravely ill with cancer.

My husband I were discussing these families and others who have children with cancer.  I suddenly had questions.  Is the emotional anguish different when you have a child who is terminally ill rather than a parent or even a spouse?  Is it different if the child is young as opposed to an adult child?  How does a parent feel when they realize there is nothing that can be done and their child is not going to live?  I can imagine feelings, anger, helplessness, denial, but I am sure there is much more.

Readers, I would like input from you on this subject.  If you have experienced the grief that comes from losing a child, or if you have a child or grandchild who it terminally ill,  please comment and share with us, how you felt, and how you process through your grief.  Share with us words of wisdom and encouragement, because there may be a hurting parent who would be touched by them.