Happy May Day!
When I was a young girl living in Weiser, Idaho, my friends, brother and I would gather flowers, mostly lilacs, and put them in baskets made from paper and would put them on the neighbors doorsteps. We would knock, or ring the doorbell and then run away, giggling and shushing each other, to a pre-determined hiding spot, that would give us an advantage point of being able to watch the door we had just left. What a happy memory. I believe it is also a lost tradition.
I do so love the smell of spring. The sweetness of all the flowers and flowering trees smell so wonderfully good. The smell evokes many precious memories. Spring meant it was time to spend more time outside. One of the memories I recall fondly is giving my younger brother Tim, a ride on the back of my bicycle. It was easier for me to start out if I could use the curb to balance when he climbed on the back, however, it was more fun for Tim (who I must say was very good at making his older sister do what he wanted) to have me start by the garage, which was at the top of a small hill. He liked to ride down the hill. I guess he liked to feel the wind blowing through his hair. (he he, he! He wore a crew cut) It was very scary for me as well as quite wobbly. Great memory.
I don't know how the font was changed. The computer did all on its own. I guess there could be a slight possibility that I hit a key. Oh well. I am technically challenged.
Gary has been holding his own these days. He still struggles with leg pain off and on. I do have to admit, even with that being told, he can ride circles around me on the bicycle. It seems like old times. He would ride ahead and look back and see that I was quite some distance behind him. He would come back and say sorry for ditching me and then ride around and around me, until I would complain that he was making me nervous. Well, he is once again doing that. I look at this as progress and a great gift from God! I can hardly move when we get home and I am pretty sure Gary is not riding as far as he could because he knows I am spent. He does have his limitations. I think one of his biggest issues is hydrating with water. He does not like to have to go to the bathroom. This is his biggest complaint when I give him grief for his lack of hydration. We need to continue to encourage him to drink water to work the radiation poisoning out of his system. I know that, even after two years, I still am working out the chemo and radiation that I was exposed to. Also, we are not, unfortunately as young as we once were and it takes us longer to heal.
Gary also has struggles with his side and ribs after he rides the sports rider. I am struggling with his soreness. I have the doubt and worry creep in to my mind. I have to continuously push it away and put my faith and trust back into my Heavenly Father. It is through Him that we will come through these struggles.
Tai Chi is going great! Unfortunately, Gary was unable to attend tonight, April 30, due to intestinal issues. He awoke with some stomach cramps. We had our smoothies and I went off to GT. He said he ate a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and then his stomach started cramping worse. He then, darn it, was running to the toilet and getting a butt ring. I went to view a house and then came home to get him for Tai Chi. He was still in his jammies and was not up to going. This is the first time he has missed class. I missed last Wednesday because I was with clients.(WooHoo!!) Arthur, our instructor, worked us hard today. My leg was a wobbling. It didn't help that I was sore from riding my bike on Sunday. It was a great class. We are actually starting to look like we might know what we are doing.
My baby kitty has also recovered from whatever it was that made her ill. She has decided she likes eating the can moist food I feed Lucky, our dog. She does not like the canned cat food so much, but begs for me to feed Lucky his canned food, which I only give him occationally. She is very spoiled. I love seeing the two kittens playing and running. They are enjoying the warm weather and are starting to beg to go out back.
Well Gary has come out of the bedroom in search of me. I guess it is almost 11:00. Sleep is hard to come by these days. My mind doesn't want to shut off and I get out of bed about every 2 hours. I am striving to empty my mind and not plan and day(night)dream of things I desire. My husband is alive and that is enough for me.
I hope everyone enjoys these beautiful spring days, rain and all. I wish you baskets of flowers on your door steps when you awake tomorrow. We send out thoughts of laughter and happiness.
Love and Blessings,
Gary and Sue
Gary and Sue
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
April 10, 2012
Easter blessings to all. He is Risen. Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!
We went out of town for the Easter Weekend. We gathered with our family and friends,(who we consider our family). I struggled with quite a lot of guilt. I have been raised that I go to church on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and it would be great if we also attended Easter Sunday. As we sped along the freeway on Friday, I wrestled with this guilt. I did not want to disappoint God or anyone else. My interpertation of Good Friday has been to be filled with remorse and guilt because Jesus died for my sins. I have also embraced that I was a sinner for not attending church. I just prayed and prayed that God would direct my thoughts and forgive me for not going to Holy Week Services. I watched the clouds dancing across the beautiful blue sky that God blessed us with. I then started feeling so thankful that God blessed me with my wonderful family. We were together and living. We were embracing the life that Jesus gave us. I asked myself, is this not the gift that Jesus gave us. We need to show our thanksgiving by showing love and compassion to those who cross our path. We need to walk a path of forgiveness when we feel we might have been wronged. Jesus forgives us!
We went to Almo, Idaho. It is near the City of Rocks. Rachel won a gift package to The Outpost Inn, as well as a pass to Pomerelle Ski Area and Durfee Hot Springs. What a fun weekend! Gary actually drove both ways. It is about a 4 hour trip one way. We stopped in Burley to gas up the suburban and then we had to eat at one of our children's most favorite burger joints. We call it AC Greasy, however, I believe the real name is AC Drive In. They have the most delicious white sauce on their burgers that we have not been able to find anywhere else. Their onion rings are pretty delicious as well. We then proceeded the rest of the way to Almo.
The Inn is very nice. Quite surprising as it is tucked away in a very small town. There isn't even a store in Almo. There were 23 of us in our party. We were blessed with much laughter and love. Our son, Ajay, along with our dear friend Ed, his son Chad and another friend, Johnny, entertained us on Saturday night after dinner with a guitar session. A dear friend that I graduated with stopped in with her husband briefly to say hello. It was wonderful to visit, even though it was far too short.
Gary joined in a group that went out farther into the desert and shot some guns. He sure enjoyed himself. It was so wonderful to see the twinkle in his eye from shooting the guns.
Sunday morning, after checking out, we headed home, after first stopping at our wonderful friend's, Tommy and Brenda, where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast. We definately did not lack for food over the weekend. God sure does provide a wonderful bounty! Tommy and Brenda's son Brian took pictures when they attended the benefit in February. They shared those pictures with us this weekend. Gary told me upon arriving home, that Barrie, Tommy and Brenda's daughter, showed him the pictures and he did not like it. He said he looked like he was a walking skeleton. He thought he looked dead. I had to let him know that he did look quite poorly. I also told him that is why I just smile when he talks about his tummy that he now has. It is definately better than not having any meat on his bones.
Gary was very tired upon arriving home. He was hurting also, however, he joined me in going to my sister's house and having Easter dinner with her, my neice Sheila and her boyfriend Will, as well as my parents. We once again were blessed with a bountiful feast. Thank you Cate! Thank you God!! Unfortunately, we had to leave rather early.My stomach had had enough rich, yummy food and it let me know. Gary was hurting quite a lot from the drive. He says it is just muscles that he has not used for awhile. It is amazing how quickly one loses muscle mass. Gary wanted to mow the front lawn on Monday, but I had to encourage him to rest. I wanted him to be able to attend our Tai Chi class. He fixed the lawn mower bag by duck taping the hole. (you know you are a redneck when....) Gary did not have as much pain in his hip Monday night at Tai Chi. That is improvement. He did not get shaky in his legs until the class was almost over, either. Praise God!! We are really liking the class.
Backing up time a bit, Evan, who joined us in Almo, entered a Pond Skim contest at Pomerelle. Pond Skim is when an individual snowboards or skis down part of the ski hill and boards or skis across a water pond and lands on the other side. The rider gets lower and lower on the take off hill until eventually it gets harder to skim the pond. There was one person who ended up getting hurt after landing on the other side. Then another man did not make it across and was the first to get wet. Evan was the second to get wet, but not because he was unable to make it across, but because he chose to superman into the water. What do I mean? Well, he rode down and then launched spread eagle into the water. Brrrrr!!!!! It was quite funny, but a little frightening as well. I thought he was going to his the slope on the other side. He actually won biggest splash as well as two other categories. One of the best things about this contest: Gary walked up the hill to watch. It pained my legs and tired me to walk up, I can only guess how tired he was feeling. Another miracle by the Grace of God. It was another beautiful, sunny day. When the wind died down, it also felt spring-like.
Gary even made me dinner tonight. I was working at the shop, as well as real estate and I had a PEO meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. I called him right before 5:00p.m. and asked if he could make dinner. It was so nice to come home at 6:15 to a hot delicious meal. I did not have to scurry around trying to make dinner and make my meeting on time. Once again, great improvement in Gary's health and strength.
Well it is getting late and we are tired. Gary walked today. He also worked on getting the pool ready to fire up. It is a nasty, brown scummy pond right now. Yuch! The ducks aren't even landing on it now. I wish everyone a peaceful sleep. Good night, sweet dreams!
Love and Blessings,
Gary and Sue
We went out of town for the Easter Weekend. We gathered with our family and friends,(who we consider our family). I struggled with quite a lot of guilt. I have been raised that I go to church on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and it would be great if we also attended Easter Sunday. As we sped along the freeway on Friday, I wrestled with this guilt. I did not want to disappoint God or anyone else. My interpertation of Good Friday has been to be filled with remorse and guilt because Jesus died for my sins. I have also embraced that I was a sinner for not attending church. I just prayed and prayed that God would direct my thoughts and forgive me for not going to Holy Week Services. I watched the clouds dancing across the beautiful blue sky that God blessed us with. I then started feeling so thankful that God blessed me with my wonderful family. We were together and living. We were embracing the life that Jesus gave us. I asked myself, is this not the gift that Jesus gave us. We need to show our thanksgiving by showing love and compassion to those who cross our path. We need to walk a path of forgiveness when we feel we might have been wronged. Jesus forgives us!
We went to Almo, Idaho. It is near the City of Rocks. Rachel won a gift package to The Outpost Inn, as well as a pass to Pomerelle Ski Area and Durfee Hot Springs. What a fun weekend! Gary actually drove both ways. It is about a 4 hour trip one way. We stopped in Burley to gas up the suburban and then we had to eat at one of our children's most favorite burger joints. We call it AC Greasy, however, I believe the real name is AC Drive In. They have the most delicious white sauce on their burgers that we have not been able to find anywhere else. Their onion rings are pretty delicious as well. We then proceeded the rest of the way to Almo.
The Inn is very nice. Quite surprising as it is tucked away in a very small town. There isn't even a store in Almo. There were 23 of us in our party. We were blessed with much laughter and love. Our son, Ajay, along with our dear friend Ed, his son Chad and another friend, Johnny, entertained us on Saturday night after dinner with a guitar session. A dear friend that I graduated with stopped in with her husband briefly to say hello. It was wonderful to visit, even though it was far too short.
Gary joined in a group that went out farther into the desert and shot some guns. He sure enjoyed himself. It was so wonderful to see the twinkle in his eye from shooting the guns.
Sunday morning, after checking out, we headed home, after first stopping at our wonderful friend's, Tommy and Brenda, where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast. We definately did not lack for food over the weekend. God sure does provide a wonderful bounty! Tommy and Brenda's son Brian took pictures when they attended the benefit in February. They shared those pictures with us this weekend. Gary told me upon arriving home, that Barrie, Tommy and Brenda's daughter, showed him the pictures and he did not like it. He said he looked like he was a walking skeleton. He thought he looked dead. I had to let him know that he did look quite poorly. I also told him that is why I just smile when he talks about his tummy that he now has. It is definately better than not having any meat on his bones.
Gary was very tired upon arriving home. He was hurting also, however, he joined me in going to my sister's house and having Easter dinner with her, my neice Sheila and her boyfriend Will, as well as my parents. We once again were blessed with a bountiful feast. Thank you Cate! Thank you God!! Unfortunately, we had to leave rather early.My stomach had had enough rich, yummy food and it let me know. Gary was hurting quite a lot from the drive. He says it is just muscles that he has not used for awhile. It is amazing how quickly one loses muscle mass. Gary wanted to mow the front lawn on Monday, but I had to encourage him to rest. I wanted him to be able to attend our Tai Chi class. He fixed the lawn mower bag by duck taping the hole. (you know you are a redneck when....) Gary did not have as much pain in his hip Monday night at Tai Chi. That is improvement. He did not get shaky in his legs until the class was almost over, either. Praise God!! We are really liking the class.
Backing up time a bit, Evan, who joined us in Almo, entered a Pond Skim contest at Pomerelle. Pond Skim is when an individual snowboards or skis down part of the ski hill and boards or skis across a water pond and lands on the other side. The rider gets lower and lower on the take off hill until eventually it gets harder to skim the pond. There was one person who ended up getting hurt after landing on the other side. Then another man did not make it across and was the first to get wet. Evan was the second to get wet, but not because he was unable to make it across, but because he chose to superman into the water. What do I mean? Well, he rode down and then launched spread eagle into the water. Brrrrr!!!!! It was quite funny, but a little frightening as well. I thought he was going to his the slope on the other side. He actually won biggest splash as well as two other categories. One of the best things about this contest: Gary walked up the hill to watch. It pained my legs and tired me to walk up, I can only guess how tired he was feeling. Another miracle by the Grace of God. It was another beautiful, sunny day. When the wind died down, it also felt spring-like.
Gary even made me dinner tonight. I was working at the shop, as well as real estate and I had a PEO meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. I called him right before 5:00p.m. and asked if he could make dinner. It was so nice to come home at 6:15 to a hot delicious meal. I did not have to scurry around trying to make dinner and make my meeting on time. Once again, great improvement in Gary's health and strength.
Well it is getting late and we are tired. Gary walked today. He also worked on getting the pool ready to fire up. It is a nasty, brown scummy pond right now. Yuch! The ducks aren't even landing on it now. I wish everyone a peaceful sleep. Good night, sweet dreams!
Love and Blessings,
Gary and Sue
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Hello to all.
God has blessed us with yet another rainy day. The moisture is wonderful and much needed. I, however, do yearn for sunshine and warmth. I am feeling extremely sad and overwhelmed. I struggle with the demands of everyday. I have so many blessings that I feel guilty for feeling down. I strive everyday to put the day into God's hands. I know he is with me, I just am greedy and selfish and want things fixed and taken care of in my time. This, I believe, is one of the big lessons God is wanting me to learn. Patience. If I truly trust in Him, everyday, things will work out. I actually just received a phone call from Gary, informing me about something I had been worrying about for weeks. It appears as tho God indeed did answer my prayer. I am amazed in the Glory of God and ashamed in myself. I ask that you all will continue to pray for us. The prayers are much needed and appreciated.
We went to our first Tai Chi class last night. Quite enjoyable and very low impact. My legs were a little sore, but I did feel less stressed. Arthur, the instructor is very kind. We are going to go on Monday as well as Wednesday. Gary was able to make it the whole class and he too was feeling very positive about it.
I must go now. I am going out with a client. I wish everyone a wonderful rest of the week and a fantastic weekend!!
Love and Blessings,
Sue and Gary
God has blessed us with yet another rainy day. The moisture is wonderful and much needed. I, however, do yearn for sunshine and warmth. I am feeling extremely sad and overwhelmed. I struggle with the demands of everyday. I have so many blessings that I feel guilty for feeling down. I strive everyday to put the day into God's hands. I know he is with me, I just am greedy and selfish and want things fixed and taken care of in my time. This, I believe, is one of the big lessons God is wanting me to learn. Patience. If I truly trust in Him, everyday, things will work out. I actually just received a phone call from Gary, informing me about something I had been worrying about for weeks. It appears as tho God indeed did answer my prayer. I am amazed in the Glory of God and ashamed in myself. I ask that you all will continue to pray for us. The prayers are much needed and appreciated.
We went to our first Tai Chi class last night. Quite enjoyable and very low impact. My legs were a little sore, but I did feel less stressed. Arthur, the instructor is very kind. We are going to go on Monday as well as Wednesday. Gary was able to make it the whole class and he too was feeling very positive about it.
I must go now. I am going out with a client. I wish everyone a wonderful rest of the week and a fantastic weekend!!
Love and Blessings,
Sue and Gary
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Happy Sunday to all! What a glorius day the Lord has made! It is warmer outside than it is inside the house.
I have slowly started cleaning and purging the house. It is an overwhelming task, but much needed. We have lived here since August 1983. That might give everyone a somewhat visual idea of what I am tackling, not to mention I am a packrat. I have fabric and craft items that I have been saving for when I have time to work on. Quite comical actually. First, I spent my life caring for my husband and children, then add self employment, plus helping Gary with his shop. Life is an adventure. I actually found the floor of my closet and was able to vacuum it. I also found part of the garage floor. Amazing.
Gary has steadily improved since arriving home from Wisconsin. He is eating so much these days. Definately a far cry from his food intake before Malaysia. My heart is just singing praises to God for the miracle he gave Gary. Gary wakes up and eats some granola, then I make our smoothies. He is ready for lunch about 2 hours later. There are days where he has a snack in between as well. He has been eating a great dinner as well, even after pounding snacks, mostly cashews and peanuts, all day.
Gary went skiing today with Ajay, Jessica, Jake, Ron and Gayle. He was able to make six runs. Wow!! He informed me when he came home, that he sat down on the sixth run and had a hard time getting back up. I had asked him, before he left this morning, not to push himself too hard. I encouraged him to keep moving forward and not go backwards. He agreed. When he was telling me how hard it was to get up, he said he had not realized how tired he had gotten. He was not meaning to get so tired. I guess it was refreshing for him to be able to embrace once again something he loves doing. They stopped at Highland Hollow, one of Gary's favorite places to eat, and enjoyed a great lunch. He now lays snoring in the bedroom. My heart is filled with joy! God is great and if we just trust Him, things seemed to work out so much more wonderfully.
Gary feels like he will be able to go to the shop for one or two days for a couple of hours to learn how to enter paper work. We hope to start this week. His mental abilities are much clearer these days. I believe the radiation is working its way out of Gary's system. Once he is able to learn how to enter paperwork, I can devote more time to my profession. I must say, the market is quite crazy in Boise. There is very limited inventory of houses, not to mention that houses are going for higher than listing prices. This is good for sellers, a little frustrating for buyers.
We still have not taken Gary back to the oncologist or radiologist. We feel he is still not mentally strong enough to counter their skeptism of his healing. We want everyone to know we believe his cancer is gone. We do not need a doctor to tell us that it is. God has already done this!
I have had some people interested in the smoothie recipe that Gary and I drink every morning. Actually, my body is starting to crave it for lunch as well. I would be much healthier if I would cut out the junk I eat for lunch and drink a smoothie instead. The recipe is as follows:
4-6 strawberries 1 banana
8oz rice milk 2 egg whites
1tbl honey 1 tbl flax seed oil
1 tbl raw cocoa powder 1 tbl maca powder
1 scoop raw organic powder 1 apple
Blend all ingredients and enjoy. It takes a few days to get used to the taste. Your body will start craving this drink. It gives us nutrients that we don't get in the foods we consume these days.
The cocoa powder is from Navitas and it is called Navitas Natural Organic Cacao Seed Powder. I believe it will come from Amazon. I have not had to order any more yet. Dan sent the one I am using now. I looked it up and it will go from $6.49- $9.07. The Raw Organic powder comes from iherb.com. It is Garden of Life perfect food: Raw Organic Green Superfood, 240g. It is about $28.81 before shipping. The canister has a green and white label. The Maca Powder comes from Navitas Naturals Maca Powder. It comes in 16 oz pouches. It goes for about $18.62. I have ordered more, but have not received as of yet. I wrote a number down, not sure I recall what it is, but perhaps it is the product number: 104-2950986-206103.
I encourage everyone to try this recipe. I have problems with a queasy stomach and it seems to help. Enjoy!!!
Here is one of the things Sifu encouraged us to practice doing: He said to breathe through your feet. Sounds crazy, I know, but it actually works. Definately takes practice, but I have felt the air blowing out of my foot. First, think about your foot grounding into the earth, like the root of a tree. Then feel the air traveling from the bottom of your foot, up your leg into your stomach, up through your back, into your neck, into your head, where you hold for a few seconds. Then let it travel down your chest into your stomach. Hold a few more seconds and then push out with a hmmpf(sp??). After practicing for a few times, I do believe you will start feeling air rushing out the bottom of your foot. The reason why it is good to do this, is because it will teach you to de-stress and help you meditate. It will help one become grounded with nature.
We also are going to start Tai Chi this Wednesday. We will be going to Fit for Adventure, on the corner of Cloverdale and Amity in Boise. The time will be 6:30 p.m. Gary is slightly nervous. He thinks he will only be able make it for 15 minutes of the 30 minute class. I will be lucky to make it 5 minutes. I might have already shared that, but, it is a true statement. We invite everyone to join in and share this experience. The instructors name is Arthur and he informed me the cost is $2.50 per person each class. We will meet once a week. However, Arthur does do classes Tuesday and Thursdays for those who are beyond the beginner stage.
I wish everyone a wonderful week! Spread your smile and love and compassion to all who cross your path.
Love and Blessings, Sue and Gary
I have slowly started cleaning and purging the house. It is an overwhelming task, but much needed. We have lived here since August 1983. That might give everyone a somewhat visual idea of what I am tackling, not to mention I am a packrat. I have fabric and craft items that I have been saving for when I have time to work on. Quite comical actually. First, I spent my life caring for my husband and children, then add self employment, plus helping Gary with his shop. Life is an adventure. I actually found the floor of my closet and was able to vacuum it. I also found part of the garage floor. Amazing.
Gary has steadily improved since arriving home from Wisconsin. He is eating so much these days. Definately a far cry from his food intake before Malaysia. My heart is just singing praises to God for the miracle he gave Gary. Gary wakes up and eats some granola, then I make our smoothies. He is ready for lunch about 2 hours later. There are days where he has a snack in between as well. He has been eating a great dinner as well, even after pounding snacks, mostly cashews and peanuts, all day.
Gary went skiing today with Ajay, Jessica, Jake, Ron and Gayle. He was able to make six runs. Wow!! He informed me when he came home, that he sat down on the sixth run and had a hard time getting back up. I had asked him, before he left this morning, not to push himself too hard. I encouraged him to keep moving forward and not go backwards. He agreed. When he was telling me how hard it was to get up, he said he had not realized how tired he had gotten. He was not meaning to get so tired. I guess it was refreshing for him to be able to embrace once again something he loves doing. They stopped at Highland Hollow, one of Gary's favorite places to eat, and enjoyed a great lunch. He now lays snoring in the bedroom. My heart is filled with joy! God is great and if we just trust Him, things seemed to work out so much more wonderfully.
Gary feels like he will be able to go to the shop for one or two days for a couple of hours to learn how to enter paper work. We hope to start this week. His mental abilities are much clearer these days. I believe the radiation is working its way out of Gary's system. Once he is able to learn how to enter paperwork, I can devote more time to my profession. I must say, the market is quite crazy in Boise. There is very limited inventory of houses, not to mention that houses are going for higher than listing prices. This is good for sellers, a little frustrating for buyers.
We still have not taken Gary back to the oncologist or radiologist. We feel he is still not mentally strong enough to counter their skeptism of his healing. We want everyone to know we believe his cancer is gone. We do not need a doctor to tell us that it is. God has already done this!
I have had some people interested in the smoothie recipe that Gary and I drink every morning. Actually, my body is starting to crave it for lunch as well. I would be much healthier if I would cut out the junk I eat for lunch and drink a smoothie instead. The recipe is as follows:
4-6 strawberries 1 banana
8oz rice milk 2 egg whites
1tbl honey 1 tbl flax seed oil
1 tbl raw cocoa powder 1 tbl maca powder
1 scoop raw organic powder 1 apple
Blend all ingredients and enjoy. It takes a few days to get used to the taste. Your body will start craving this drink. It gives us nutrients that we don't get in the foods we consume these days.
The cocoa powder is from Navitas and it is called Navitas Natural Organic Cacao Seed Powder. I believe it will come from Amazon. I have not had to order any more yet. Dan sent the one I am using now. I looked it up and it will go from $6.49- $9.07. The Raw Organic powder comes from iherb.com. It is Garden of Life perfect food: Raw Organic Green Superfood, 240g. It is about $28.81 before shipping. The canister has a green and white label. The Maca Powder comes from Navitas Naturals Maca Powder. It comes in 16 oz pouches. It goes for about $18.62. I have ordered more, but have not received as of yet. I wrote a number down, not sure I recall what it is, but perhaps it is the product number: 104-2950986-206103.
I encourage everyone to try this recipe. I have problems with a queasy stomach and it seems to help. Enjoy!!!
Here is one of the things Sifu encouraged us to practice doing: He said to breathe through your feet. Sounds crazy, I know, but it actually works. Definately takes practice, but I have felt the air blowing out of my foot. First, think about your foot grounding into the earth, like the root of a tree. Then feel the air traveling from the bottom of your foot, up your leg into your stomach, up through your back, into your neck, into your head, where you hold for a few seconds. Then let it travel down your chest into your stomach. Hold a few more seconds and then push out with a hmmpf(sp??). After practicing for a few times, I do believe you will start feeling air rushing out the bottom of your foot. The reason why it is good to do this, is because it will teach you to de-stress and help you meditate. It will help one become grounded with nature.
We also are going to start Tai Chi this Wednesday. We will be going to Fit for Adventure, on the corner of Cloverdale and Amity in Boise. The time will be 6:30 p.m. Gary is slightly nervous. He thinks he will only be able make it for 15 minutes of the 30 minute class. I will be lucky to make it 5 minutes. I might have already shared that, but, it is a true statement. We invite everyone to join in and share this experience. The instructors name is Arthur and he informed me the cost is $2.50 per person each class. We will meet once a week. However, Arthur does do classes Tuesday and Thursdays for those who are beyond the beginner stage.
I wish everyone a wonderful week! Spread your smile and love and compassion to all who cross your path.
Love and Blessings, Sue and Gary
Monday, March 12, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
I hope everyone had a fantastic Monday. It sure is nice to feel spring in the air, even on a cloudy day. I am so ready for the warmth of summer.
I spent my first night alone since hearing the news of Gary's diagnosis last night. It was definately an emotional evening. My eyes did leak, but they were mostly tears of gladness and relief. I have kept my emotions mostly in check, striving to stay strong for everyone, especially Gary. The house was so quiet, except for my baby kitties. They were distressed over my weeping. They stayed very close to me. My furry little protectors they are. The house was active as well. The doors were rattlling off and on. I did not let myslf get freaked out. I knew God would keep me safe. I actually slept better than I anticipated I would. It seems so surreal that it has just been about 3 months since Gary's diagnosis. The emotional ups and downs have been very trying and tiring. We have been to the other side of the world as well. Crazy! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a year ago being where we are now. Gary being diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer that had metastisized with no hope of living past a year and then going on a faith journey and being healed of the cancer.
Gary is in L.A. He flew there and then is driving with Dan to Wisconsin. We are not real ecstatic with the thought of him driving so far, however, he needed some more herbs and he was starting to stress about the shop and financial issues. We figured the change in locations would be a positive journey and give him more time to grow stronger and to work on his faith journey. He was up to walking at least 2.5 miles pretty much every day as well as using the exercise bike-like thingy we have. He also rode my bike to Walgreens with Josh. I figure it is close to a 3 mile round trip. It makes my heart sing to see him able to do physical things again. His internal heater is also starting to work again. God is Glorius. I do believe he is putting on weight as well, and not just in his stomach like he is thinking. His appetite is improving. Oh ya, he also started mowing the lawn on Saturday. Wow!!
We are exploring options on what we should do to pay our monthly bills. We are in the process of down-sizing the shop. This will help some. We still need to sell some of our material things. I went out today with some wonderful clients. I am hoping to come into relationship with new buyers and sellers. I think it would be great if my real estate business could become busier. I would like to be able to have Gary help me out. I am actively seeking new clients. If anyone knows of individuals needing real estate assistance, I would appreciate the opportunity to interview and see if we can have a winning relationship for all parties involved. The market in Boise is moving. Inventory is low in certain price points. We are seeing houses going to "pending" quite quickly. It definately is an interesting time in real estate.
Our friend Sandy shared a story with Gary and I on Friday. It amazes me how connected we are to each other. I will do my best to tell it as correctly as possible. Sandy, forgive me if I butcher it very much. I had been telling people that it wasn't going to give a substantial snow fall in the mountains until Gary was healed. Yes, I know this was a pretty strong statement, but that is what I do, run my mouth at times. Anyway, Sandy told us that they woke up one Saturday in Cascade and looked outside. It was only supposed to snow a few inches at most, but there was about a foot of snow and it was still snowing. Sandy and her husband, Larry, went to Tamarack to ski. The skiing was powder and it was up to the about the shins deep. She told herself that she was going to ski like Gary had told her to ski in powder. She pointed her skis as taught and did the other things Gary told her and she did fantastic. Larry was asking what got into her? Sandy said she just kept thinking about Gary and then she had this "whooshing feeling" come over her and she started crying. Larry was concerned, but she said she was okay. They finished their run and loaded back onto the chair lift to make another run. Sandy's cell phone rang, but she worries about dropping her phone when on the lift, so she did not get it answered. She told Larry they needed to get down the mountain and into the lodge so she could check her phone. I think she might even have had some battery issues and the phone wouldn't work right. Anyway, they get off the lift, ski down and get into the lodge. She switch batteries and checked her message. It was from Zach. He called her after receiving my call from Malaysia telling them that Gary's cancer was gone. She knew. First, the deep snowfall and then the feeling that Gary was okay. God sure does work in mysterious ways. I truly believe in things like this. I always have and always will. I believe we should trust our senses more than we do.
Sandy and I are going to cleanse my house of the negative energy. There has been so much stress, anguish, anger and sadness released in this home, it is time to renew and bring in positive energy and faith. We are thankful for every day and all the blessings we are experiencing daily.
Gary and I send our love and blessings to all. I need to read what I have written in the past. If anyone has questions about our journey, I respectfully request that you ask them by commenting. There are some things that we are not ready to share, but there are things that we will. We are still processing our journey somewhat ourselves. It was such a quick journey, yet it seems like it was a lifetime.
Sweet dreams!
I spent my first night alone since hearing the news of Gary's diagnosis last night. It was definately an emotional evening. My eyes did leak, but they were mostly tears of gladness and relief. I have kept my emotions mostly in check, striving to stay strong for everyone, especially Gary. The house was so quiet, except for my baby kitties. They were distressed over my weeping. They stayed very close to me. My furry little protectors they are. The house was active as well. The doors were rattlling off and on. I did not let myslf get freaked out. I knew God would keep me safe. I actually slept better than I anticipated I would. It seems so surreal that it has just been about 3 months since Gary's diagnosis. The emotional ups and downs have been very trying and tiring. We have been to the other side of the world as well. Crazy! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a year ago being where we are now. Gary being diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer that had metastisized with no hope of living past a year and then going on a faith journey and being healed of the cancer.
Gary is in L.A. He flew there and then is driving with Dan to Wisconsin. We are not real ecstatic with the thought of him driving so far, however, he needed some more herbs and he was starting to stress about the shop and financial issues. We figured the change in locations would be a positive journey and give him more time to grow stronger and to work on his faith journey. He was up to walking at least 2.5 miles pretty much every day as well as using the exercise bike-like thingy we have. He also rode my bike to Walgreens with Josh. I figure it is close to a 3 mile round trip. It makes my heart sing to see him able to do physical things again. His internal heater is also starting to work again. God is Glorius. I do believe he is putting on weight as well, and not just in his stomach like he is thinking. His appetite is improving. Oh ya, he also started mowing the lawn on Saturday. Wow!!
We are exploring options on what we should do to pay our monthly bills. We are in the process of down-sizing the shop. This will help some. We still need to sell some of our material things. I went out today with some wonderful clients. I am hoping to come into relationship with new buyers and sellers. I think it would be great if my real estate business could become busier. I would like to be able to have Gary help me out. I am actively seeking new clients. If anyone knows of individuals needing real estate assistance, I would appreciate the opportunity to interview and see if we can have a winning relationship for all parties involved. The market in Boise is moving. Inventory is low in certain price points. We are seeing houses going to "pending" quite quickly. It definately is an interesting time in real estate.
Our friend Sandy shared a story with Gary and I on Friday. It amazes me how connected we are to each other. I will do my best to tell it as correctly as possible. Sandy, forgive me if I butcher it very much. I had been telling people that it wasn't going to give a substantial snow fall in the mountains until Gary was healed. Yes, I know this was a pretty strong statement, but that is what I do, run my mouth at times. Anyway, Sandy told us that they woke up one Saturday in Cascade and looked outside. It was only supposed to snow a few inches at most, but there was about a foot of snow and it was still snowing. Sandy and her husband, Larry, went to Tamarack to ski. The skiing was powder and it was up to the about the shins deep. She told herself that she was going to ski like Gary had told her to ski in powder. She pointed her skis as taught and did the other things Gary told her and she did fantastic. Larry was asking what got into her? Sandy said she just kept thinking about Gary and then she had this "whooshing feeling" come over her and she started crying. Larry was concerned, but she said she was okay. They finished their run and loaded back onto the chair lift to make another run. Sandy's cell phone rang, but she worries about dropping her phone when on the lift, so she did not get it answered. She told Larry they needed to get down the mountain and into the lodge so she could check her phone. I think she might even have had some battery issues and the phone wouldn't work right. Anyway, they get off the lift, ski down and get into the lodge. She switch batteries and checked her message. It was from Zach. He called her after receiving my call from Malaysia telling them that Gary's cancer was gone. She knew. First, the deep snowfall and then the feeling that Gary was okay. God sure does work in mysterious ways. I truly believe in things like this. I always have and always will. I believe we should trust our senses more than we do.
Sandy and I are going to cleanse my house of the negative energy. There has been so much stress, anguish, anger and sadness released in this home, it is time to renew and bring in positive energy and faith. We are thankful for every day and all the blessings we are experiencing daily.
Gary and I send our love and blessings to all. I need to read what I have written in the past. If anyone has questions about our journey, I respectfully request that you ask them by commenting. There are some things that we are not ready to share, but there are things that we will. We are still processing our journey somewhat ourselves. It was such a quick journey, yet it seems like it was a lifetime.
Sweet dreams!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Happy Monday! What a beautiful start to the week.
Gary had difficulties sleeping last night. He believes he is still on Malaysia time. We talked from 12:30 a.m. until just about 2:00 a.m. It was a talk that hopefully will bring positive changes. He woke me up at 7:15 and asked if I was ready for a smoothie? I was really wanting to sleep, but I crawled out of bed and helped him by prepping the strawberries and showing him where I had put the recipe. I was going to crawl back into bed after finishing the smoothie, however, Gary had made the bed and had pulled my shoe tubs out from under the bed and had put them on top of the bed. He was working on figuring out why the heated mattress pad was having issues. This is great progress, even tho I was grumpy that I could not crawl back into bed. I folded some clothes, ironed my pants and prepared for the day. Gary was cleaning the slider as I left for work. He not only washed the glass, but cleaned the track out. He also cleaned the front window. Gary also went to the school Rachel teaches at and broke into her jeep. She locked her keys in it as she got out. She was busy talking to me on the phone. We missed our morning conversations on her way to work and I guess she was preoccupied with our phone time that she forgot to grab the keys before shuttting the door. The fact that Gary was able to once again be our car hero is fantastic. Praise God for His healing miracle.
Gary also vacuumed today and fixed my front blinds. WOW!!!!! My heart is filled with joy and gladness. We are so blessed. He made his own lunch as well. He was a little sad when I arrived home. He said he wanted to make me dinner, but he was wiped. I could only smile and tell him good job and that I was proud of his accomplishments on this day. I am so thankful to God for this new life we are in.
Gary even made sure my little kitties were not left outside when they snuck out on him. This in itself is very surprising. A year ago, he would be pretending to shoot the little furries. When I walked in the door, he told me he didn't know where the gray kitten was. My eyes became a little moist with his concern of my babies.
Gary said that when Sifu laid his hand on his leg and said his prayer, he, Gary, could feel something flow into him and push out the negativity. I saw his face. It was amazing. We are just the average people and it is amazing that we are experiencing this healing miracle. I just want to continue to give God the praise and thanksgiving that is right. We are nothing without His Love. What a faith journey. It threatens to intimidate, but we push that negative feeling away and embrace the excitement and gladness we are experiencing and feeling. We want to be examples to the world of what truly believing in the Power of God and his love for us can bring. We don't know when it will be our time to be called home, but when it is, we will be ready. I am thankful for the last 3 months, warts and all.
Enjoy the rain and clouds tomorrow. They bring new life and there is beauty even in gray days.
Love and blessings,
Gary and Sue
Gary had difficulties sleeping last night. He believes he is still on Malaysia time. We talked from 12:30 a.m. until just about 2:00 a.m. It was a talk that hopefully will bring positive changes. He woke me up at 7:15 and asked if I was ready for a smoothie? I was really wanting to sleep, but I crawled out of bed and helped him by prepping the strawberries and showing him where I had put the recipe. I was going to crawl back into bed after finishing the smoothie, however, Gary had made the bed and had pulled my shoe tubs out from under the bed and had put them on top of the bed. He was working on figuring out why the heated mattress pad was having issues. This is great progress, even tho I was grumpy that I could not crawl back into bed. I folded some clothes, ironed my pants and prepared for the day. Gary was cleaning the slider as I left for work. He not only washed the glass, but cleaned the track out. He also cleaned the front window. Gary also went to the school Rachel teaches at and broke into her jeep. She locked her keys in it as she got out. She was busy talking to me on the phone. We missed our morning conversations on her way to work and I guess she was preoccupied with our phone time that she forgot to grab the keys before shuttting the door. The fact that Gary was able to once again be our car hero is fantastic. Praise God for His healing miracle.
Gary also vacuumed today and fixed my front blinds. WOW!!!!! My heart is filled with joy and gladness. We are so blessed. He made his own lunch as well. He was a little sad when I arrived home. He said he wanted to make me dinner, but he was wiped. I could only smile and tell him good job and that I was proud of his accomplishments on this day. I am so thankful to God for this new life we are in.
Gary even made sure my little kitties were not left outside when they snuck out on him. This in itself is very surprising. A year ago, he would be pretending to shoot the little furries. When I walked in the door, he told me he didn't know where the gray kitten was. My eyes became a little moist with his concern of my babies.
Gary said that when Sifu laid his hand on his leg and said his prayer, he, Gary, could feel something flow into him and push out the negativity. I saw his face. It was amazing. We are just the average people and it is amazing that we are experiencing this healing miracle. I just want to continue to give God the praise and thanksgiving that is right. We are nothing without His Love. What a faith journey. It threatens to intimidate, but we push that negative feeling away and embrace the excitement and gladness we are experiencing and feeling. We want to be examples to the world of what truly believing in the Power of God and his love for us can bring. We don't know when it will be our time to be called home, but when it is, we will be ready. I am thankful for the last 3 months, warts and all.
Enjoy the rain and clouds tomorrow. They bring new life and there is beauty even in gray days.
Love and blessings,
Gary and Sue
Sunday, March 4, 2012
March 4, 2012
Happy Sunday everyone. We made it home safe. I just have to once again give praise and thanksgiving to God. I was quite concerned about the lack of time we had between connecting flights from Malaysia and Hong Kong. Gary and I said a prayer before leaving the hotel on March 2. We asked God to be our pilot and to keep our travels safe. Upon arriving at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, we had to wait for about 30 minutes before the counter opened up. When it was our turn to go up to the attendant and get our tickets, the attendant told us we would not make our connecting flight. She informed us that the plane had arrived late the night before and that the plane we were to fly out on that morning was short staffed. I must have looked quite panicked. She told me she had an idea. She said they would put us on a different airline to fly out. I asked if there would be a cost incurred and she informed me no. She had another airline attendant personally walk us over to the other airline. It took us about 40 minutes to get things arranged, but we received our tickets for Malaysia airlines. We were supposed to fly out on Cathay Pacific. We had about an hour wait before the flight. The airline personel wheel chaired Gary to a seating area to wait. I proceeded to go exchange our currency back from the Malaysian ringett to the Usa dollar. I then found us something to eat.
I feel I must share my bathroom experience. This was before the money exchange and the food. Yes, I washed my hands extremely thouroughly. Okay, I went into the ladies room and waited for a stall to become available. One finally did, and boy was I surprised. It was just an approximately 3 inch raised platform with a hole in the floor. I was not liking it at all. I braised myself and relieved my liquid. When finished, I stood up and low and behold, I missed the hole and peed on the floor. Oh my goodness. There was no toilet paper either. Thankfully I had tissues in my purse. I cleaned up my liquid and then used the hose attached to the water faucet to further clean up. Boy, what a learning experience and one I would rather not have to repeat. I guess the women there just use the water to cleanse when finished doing their duty. Needless to say, I did not use the toilets in Hong Kong either just in case they were similar. I hate airplane toilets, but at lease they are toilets like I am used to. It was pretty comical to say the least. It will be a life lasting memory.
We arrived into Hong Kong with no issues and were whisked to our gate to wait for boarding our Cathay Pacific plane back to the states. I have to say, the seats on Cathay Pacific our awful. They do not recline. They have no butt padding either. However, they feed your three meals plus snacks. We had one meal on the Malaysia airlines on the way to Hong Kong as well. Lots of airline food. The Malaysian airlines flight was not very crowded. Gary had two seats to himself to stretch out and I moved to the middle aisle where I had five seats to myself, even tho I only used one. Gary was able to stretch out and I did not have to have him draped across me. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for the long, almost 12 hour stretch from Hong Kong to San Francisco. We were crammed in there like sardines. Gary did get a window seat, I was in the middle seat and there was someone in the aisle seat. Gary was Mr. Fidget! It was refreshing, yet at times frustrating. Refreshing that he was showing his ADHD behavior that used to be somewhat normal, but frustrating because he was Mr. Whiner pants about his leg hurting. Sifu gave me an assignment to encourage Gary to power through the pain. The pain had already dimenished drastically from what it was upon our arrival into Malaysia, but he was constantly fretting about it. It seemed that every five to ten minutes he was whining about either his leg or butt hurting. I told him to cowboy up. My butt and legs were hurting also. I was not allowed the privelege of draping my legs across him, like he was doing with me. I had to remind him that at least he was alive and could feel the pain. What a blessing. Also, what a blessing that he had a leg. I reminded him about his brother who lost his leg a year or so ago and our dear friend who lost his leg near the same time. I told him, they were most likely always going to experience leg pain. Gary had a better prognosis. The radiation was moving out through his lymph glands and eventually would be purged out. I told him to look for the blessings instead of embracing the discomfort. This is one of Gary's challenges. He was wanting instant healing and back to what he considered normal. Sifu told him, the cancer was gone, but the mental battle was going to be challenging. I think the fact that Gary has not had any prescription pills since February 24, is itself, a miracle and blessing from God. He was so heavily drugged on the trip to Malaysia that he does not recall it. I have to say, I wish I could push it from my mind as quickly and easily. It was frightening and really tested my faith and trust in God.
Gary actually watched some in flight movies travelling to the states. Great progress, once again, from the flight going there. Gary showed impatience during our meals as well. We had ordered bland food for him, so he received his food first. He would be completely done eating before the rest of us had our food brought to us. He would want the attendant to clear his plate and then he would want up to use the restroom. Once again, I had to pray for patience. He was told by the attendant that she had a clean cart and could not take his food tray until after she had distributed the meals. I guess he did not believe me when I told him. He had to hear it for himself. Patience is not his strong suit at this time in his life. I can only look back and smile. He is free from cancer and not a walking zombie any longer. He is quite thin, but we are working on fattening him up. It was great that the flight back to the states was almost 4 hours less.
We arrived at San Francisco airport. Once again, there was someone waiting with a wheel chair to assist us back through customs. We once again were required to remove our shoes, something we did not have to do in Hong Kong or Malaysia. Backing us slightly, when we arrived into Hong Kong, Gary had an airport employee use a gun-like unit to take his temperature. There was an individual on the plane to San Francisco that perhaps should have had this done to them. It seemed like they were coughing up a lung the whole flight.
We received our boarding passes and had about 3 hour wait for the flight to Boise. Gary stretched out on the airline seats and proceeded to nap. We had the worse seats on the flight home. We were in the last row on a puddle jumper. These seats do not recline and they are directly across from the toilets. Woohoo! Economy seats. I was exhausted. It had been a long 21 hours. The positive, we made it to Boise 5-10 minutes early. We were able to watch the kids walk in to the airport. It was so heart warming to feel their arms around us and to see their smiling faces. We grabbed our bags and headed home to a shower to clean up before going to Rachel's and Josh's for a yummy homecooked, not airline, meal. We started watching a movie and we did our best to keep our eyes open. However, Gary and I, I guess, had snoring wars. The eyes were not wanting to stay open any longer. I felt a soft touch to my cheeks and it was Gary asking if I was ready to go home. I said yes and off we went. This is the great part, Gary drove home. God is Glorius. Gary has not driven since December. My heart was singing.
We were awake by 1:30 a.m. We were still on Malaysia time. We fell back asleep and I woke up at about 2:30 ill. I fell back to sleep and woke up about 3 hours later, extremely ill. I had to change the bedding,including the mattress pad. It was not a fun experience. I jumped into the shower and Gary slept on the couch until I could get the bed re-made and clean up the mess. We went back to bed and woke up about 8:00. I spent most of the day doing laundry and continuing being ill. Saturday evening I folded my massive loads of laundry, while the cats played around. We crawled into bed about 10:15p.m. I stretched out and felt a wet spot at between our feet. I couldn't stand it. I was thinking perhaps the sheets had not dried all the way because something has gotten tangled up in the sheets during drying time. I climbed out of bed and looked. The little brat, Minuee had peed on the bed. She was punishing me for being gone. She would not even let me hold her all day. Once again, I had to change the bedding, including mattress pad and comforter. I washed the comforter. I got up at 3:00 am to change it over to the dryer, the wash cycle was not done. I finally changed over and started the mattress pad at 4:00 a.m.. I got up at 6 a.m. and put in the sheets. We finally got up at about 8:30. We layed down for a nap at around 1:50 p.m., but I had some nightmares, or daymares. Gary said I was mumbling extensively in my sleep and then my phone started going off. Needless, to say, naptime was over. We went to Amity school and played frisbee golf for awhile. What a beautiful day. Gary was whining about being a whimp, but, he said his leg does not hurt like it had been. Sifu was right, exercise would make it better. I went to the grocery store from the school, and Gary went with the kids to DQ for ice cream. Gary helped bring in the sacks of groceries and once again, Mr. Whiner pants. He said he was a whimp cuz it tired him out carrying a couple sacks of grocery. I just threw back, that 3 weeks ago, he was unable to carry any. Gary is showing progress every hour. We had a nice roasted chicken dinner with gravy , mashed potatoes and corn. Yum. Way better than airline food. I haven't been ill since 2:30 p.m. and it is now 11:07 p.m.
I am going to sign off for the night. Computer needs to re-charge and so do I. It seems so surreal to be back home. We left with Gary close to death and return home with him experiencing new life. The amazing power of God and His healing miracle. I ask all to just "Trust" in God and believe. That is all anyone needs to make it through each and every day. We Believe.
Love and Blessings,
Gary and Sue
I feel I must share my bathroom experience. This was before the money exchange and the food. Yes, I washed my hands extremely thouroughly. Okay, I went into the ladies room and waited for a stall to become available. One finally did, and boy was I surprised. It was just an approximately 3 inch raised platform with a hole in the floor. I was not liking it at all. I braised myself and relieved my liquid. When finished, I stood up and low and behold, I missed the hole and peed on the floor. Oh my goodness. There was no toilet paper either. Thankfully I had tissues in my purse. I cleaned up my liquid and then used the hose attached to the water faucet to further clean up. Boy, what a learning experience and one I would rather not have to repeat. I guess the women there just use the water to cleanse when finished doing their duty. Needless to say, I did not use the toilets in Hong Kong either just in case they were similar. I hate airplane toilets, but at lease they are toilets like I am used to. It was pretty comical to say the least. It will be a life lasting memory.
We arrived into Hong Kong with no issues and were whisked to our gate to wait for boarding our Cathay Pacific plane back to the states. I have to say, the seats on Cathay Pacific our awful. They do not recline. They have no butt padding either. However, they feed your three meals plus snacks. We had one meal on the Malaysia airlines on the way to Hong Kong as well. Lots of airline food. The Malaysian airlines flight was not very crowded. Gary had two seats to himself to stretch out and I moved to the middle aisle where I had five seats to myself, even tho I only used one. Gary was able to stretch out and I did not have to have him draped across me. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for the long, almost 12 hour stretch from Hong Kong to San Francisco. We were crammed in there like sardines. Gary did get a window seat, I was in the middle seat and there was someone in the aisle seat. Gary was Mr. Fidget! It was refreshing, yet at times frustrating. Refreshing that he was showing his ADHD behavior that used to be somewhat normal, but frustrating because he was Mr. Whiner pants about his leg hurting. Sifu gave me an assignment to encourage Gary to power through the pain. The pain had already dimenished drastically from what it was upon our arrival into Malaysia, but he was constantly fretting about it. It seemed that every five to ten minutes he was whining about either his leg or butt hurting. I told him to cowboy up. My butt and legs were hurting also. I was not allowed the privelege of draping my legs across him, like he was doing with me. I had to remind him that at least he was alive and could feel the pain. What a blessing. Also, what a blessing that he had a leg. I reminded him about his brother who lost his leg a year or so ago and our dear friend who lost his leg near the same time. I told him, they were most likely always going to experience leg pain. Gary had a better prognosis. The radiation was moving out through his lymph glands and eventually would be purged out. I told him to look for the blessings instead of embracing the discomfort. This is one of Gary's challenges. He was wanting instant healing and back to what he considered normal. Sifu told him, the cancer was gone, but the mental battle was going to be challenging. I think the fact that Gary has not had any prescription pills since February 24, is itself, a miracle and blessing from God. He was so heavily drugged on the trip to Malaysia that he does not recall it. I have to say, I wish I could push it from my mind as quickly and easily. It was frightening and really tested my faith and trust in God.
Gary actually watched some in flight movies travelling to the states. Great progress, once again, from the flight going there. Gary showed impatience during our meals as well. We had ordered bland food for him, so he received his food first. He would be completely done eating before the rest of us had our food brought to us. He would want the attendant to clear his plate and then he would want up to use the restroom. Once again, I had to pray for patience. He was told by the attendant that she had a clean cart and could not take his food tray until after she had distributed the meals. I guess he did not believe me when I told him. He had to hear it for himself. Patience is not his strong suit at this time in his life. I can only look back and smile. He is free from cancer and not a walking zombie any longer. He is quite thin, but we are working on fattening him up. It was great that the flight back to the states was almost 4 hours less.
We arrived at San Francisco airport. Once again, there was someone waiting with a wheel chair to assist us back through customs. We once again were required to remove our shoes, something we did not have to do in Hong Kong or Malaysia. Backing us slightly, when we arrived into Hong Kong, Gary had an airport employee use a gun-like unit to take his temperature. There was an individual on the plane to San Francisco that perhaps should have had this done to them. It seemed like they were coughing up a lung the whole flight.
We received our boarding passes and had about 3 hour wait for the flight to Boise. Gary stretched out on the airline seats and proceeded to nap. We had the worse seats on the flight home. We were in the last row on a puddle jumper. These seats do not recline and they are directly across from the toilets. Woohoo! Economy seats. I was exhausted. It had been a long 21 hours. The positive, we made it to Boise 5-10 minutes early. We were able to watch the kids walk in to the airport. It was so heart warming to feel their arms around us and to see their smiling faces. We grabbed our bags and headed home to a shower to clean up before going to Rachel's and Josh's for a yummy homecooked, not airline, meal. We started watching a movie and we did our best to keep our eyes open. However, Gary and I, I guess, had snoring wars. The eyes were not wanting to stay open any longer. I felt a soft touch to my cheeks and it was Gary asking if I was ready to go home. I said yes and off we went. This is the great part, Gary drove home. God is Glorius. Gary has not driven since December. My heart was singing.
We were awake by 1:30 a.m. We were still on Malaysia time. We fell back asleep and I woke up at about 2:30 ill. I fell back to sleep and woke up about 3 hours later, extremely ill. I had to change the bedding,including the mattress pad. It was not a fun experience. I jumped into the shower and Gary slept on the couch until I could get the bed re-made and clean up the mess. We went back to bed and woke up about 8:00. I spent most of the day doing laundry and continuing being ill. Saturday evening I folded my massive loads of laundry, while the cats played around. We crawled into bed about 10:15p.m. I stretched out and felt a wet spot at between our feet. I couldn't stand it. I was thinking perhaps the sheets had not dried all the way because something has gotten tangled up in the sheets during drying time. I climbed out of bed and looked. The little brat, Minuee had peed on the bed. She was punishing me for being gone. She would not even let me hold her all day. Once again, I had to change the bedding, including mattress pad and comforter. I washed the comforter. I got up at 3:00 am to change it over to the dryer, the wash cycle was not done. I finally changed over and started the mattress pad at 4:00 a.m.. I got up at 6 a.m. and put in the sheets. We finally got up at about 8:30. We layed down for a nap at around 1:50 p.m., but I had some nightmares, or daymares. Gary said I was mumbling extensively in my sleep and then my phone started going off. Needless, to say, naptime was over. We went to Amity school and played frisbee golf for awhile. What a beautiful day. Gary was whining about being a whimp, but, he said his leg does not hurt like it had been. Sifu was right, exercise would make it better. I went to the grocery store from the school, and Gary went with the kids to DQ for ice cream. Gary helped bring in the sacks of groceries and once again, Mr. Whiner pants. He said he was a whimp cuz it tired him out carrying a couple sacks of grocery. I just threw back, that 3 weeks ago, he was unable to carry any. Gary is showing progress every hour. We had a nice roasted chicken dinner with gravy , mashed potatoes and corn. Yum. Way better than airline food. I haven't been ill since 2:30 p.m. and it is now 11:07 p.m.
I am going to sign off for the night. Computer needs to re-charge and so do I. It seems so surreal to be back home. We left with Gary close to death and return home with him experiencing new life. The amazing power of God and His healing miracle. I ask all to just "Trust" in God and believe. That is all anyone needs to make it through each and every day. We Believe.
Love and Blessings,
Gary and Sue
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