Surreal Blog

Wow, it's been quite a few weeks. Mom has been in and out of the hospital several times, emotions have been up and down, I've been praying like I've never prayed before and we had the meeting you never image you'll ever have. The one where a doctor actually gives you a time estimate on how much longer your mother has left to live. Wow. Mother came home tonight and has decided not to undergo any more procedures to combat the cancer; even after the radiation treatments the areas in the brain have grown. She was treated with antibotics for the pnemonia and is on blood thinners for the clot in her lung plus they're going to put her on a low dose steroid again to help get the swelling in the brain down which may have been causing her moments of lost lucidity. Even though the doctors have an estimate based on their worldly reports I know that there is a bigger power at the helm and she has already gotten more time than most people who have been diagnosed with the same type of cancer. Now it's time to ride it on out and enjoy ever precious moment we have left.

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In addition to spending some days at the hospital I've also gotten a few sub days this week. My first of the new year, it was nice to have somewhere else to put my thoughts and energy. Tuesday I was in a 1st grade class with many medical, mental and behavioral issues but we had a decent day. Today and tomorrow I am in for the band teacher which is always one of my favorite slots to fill. I also had a chance to meet with the principal and offer my services in the Upper Elementary School to host a Choice Time Choir during the last Trimester. She was totally into it, without hesitation so starting in March I'll be rehearsing with hopefully a nice size group of 5th and 6th graders Friday afternoons from 3-3:30pm. It is by giving that we receive so my thought is by sowing in without pay perhaps it will bring more opportunities with financial advancement in the future. Plus, I just love to sing with kids and I need an outlet for my creative juices.

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Robert has been on the road this week in Illinois and then to Wisconsin with a possible call on the horizon to Florida. There have also been some possible new business opportunites that have been being researched and discussed at the shop and I am hopeful and expectant that prosperity is soon to come from these endeavors.

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Alexandra is getting into final stages of her directorial debut; tech week, next week, then dress and "Cut" opens Thursday, February 4th. It is a play, inside a play, inside a play, inside a play; complete craziness and bedlam....right up her alley. She is also in the midst of her first official grounding after making some very unwise choices. I'll spare the details but she has lost the use of our vehicles until further notice and is working her way back into our good graces. She's also talked about looking for another job because they keep cutting her hours at Burger King.

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Fox is holding on to his A and A+ average and was excited to be the only student out of all three of his Science teacher's classes to get 100% on the last test. Plus he finished writing the novel he's been working on and has been given permission by his AR teacher to go down to the computer lab and work on typing it into the computer during SeminAR time since he is way ahead on his points.

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Ben is looking forward to celebrating his 10th birthday next month and wants to do some Laser Tag for his celebration, we're doing our best to make that happen. Ethan is hanging in there as well and has been a real prayer warrior with me for Gramma. The other boys pray too when prompted but Ethan takes the initiative to cry out on his own which blesses me greatly and touches my heart.

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Even through these trying times, good things are happening.

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**Today's photo is from a family reunion in 2007, Mom is in the center in the green shirt surrounded by three of her five sisters and a cousin.