Wednesday, January 17, 2007
HOPE AND HELP FOR ALL.....
If you have heat and power I hope you are grateful for the comforts it provides. We have been spared in our little area of the State but almost everyone else is in a disaster beyond comprehension. Our grandson, Jonathan, (Becky’s son) works for a power company in Arkansas and has been deployed to Mount Vernon, MO to help in clearing the debris from the streets and roadways.
Becky talked with him this evening and he said there is not a tree in the whole area more than 15 feet high. The limbs are broken down, many splitting the trunks wide open, and most of the electrical poles are broken or out of the ground. He said it is amazing how much damage 2 inches of ice can do to a tree. The whole area is a disaster and unlike anything he has ever seen.
Jonathan worked in the Mississippi tornado one year with his crew and said it didn’t compare to the damage the ice storm has done. It’s cold work and hard to keep equipment going but people were so grateful it was very rewarding. Many are elderly and sickly but still found it necessary to come and thank them in person. He was very moved by their gratitude.
How many of us go to bed every night in warm, dry beds, food in the refrigerator, hot running water……all the comforts that power brings…..and stop to say thanks? I can honestly say I’m very grateful for I have experienced difficult times enough to know it is a blessing when everything is working and providing the necessities we depend on. I for one am going to pray for Jonathan and all the men who are out there helping those who cannot help themselves. They are to be commended in this dangerous work.
Rocky and I were at the Clinic today and were home by 5:00 this evening. The lab work is still looking good and he gets next week off of the Chemo but we’ll go in next Wednesday just for the lab work. We had a long talk with Dr. Suzi and when I asked just where we were in the scheme of things since we started a year ago…….she said we aren’t making significant gains but we also are not making significant losses. They have been surprised that Rocky has felt so good, looked so good and not had any serious setbacks, so they expect he will continue to respond to treatment and still maintain a good quality of life…..we hope for a long time. I know he has surprised their expectations from where he was in the beginning.
She said the most important thing for a cancer patient is good support from whoever the caregiver is. For them to be there handing out the pills, taking care of the needs, be a steadying force and staying positive, is invaluable. We realize that but also know cancer isn’t an easy foe……we aren’t letting our guard down or becoming complacent.
We were happy to see a few of our cancer friends at the Clinic today who are still doing well. The young girl from our church (who has the little toddler I mentioned once) was there and we were amazed at her progress. At first she seemed fearful and “lost.” We hadn’t seen her for a while but today she was there, glowing, smiling and very responsive. She had the swagger back and was definitely “in charge” again. It was good to see.
Another friend who has breast cancer was there and we caught up with each other. She had a big smile, confidence and we talked of normal things. It was good. I’m sorry to say a friend I used to work around one day a week……lost her son. They were there a few times and since she and I had both retired, we had a lot to catch up on. She lost her husband to cancer and two weeks later, her only child, a son, was told he had cancer also. He had worked overseas in an important position but cancer took him quickly. We will not be seeing them anymore at the Clinic.
Napoleon and the kitties were waiting in the front yard when we came home and we fed them and got them closed in for the night. Napoleon ate his canned cat food and my bread……then flew up in the big oak for the night. With full tummies and a place to sleep they are happy little critters.
Life is so full of crooks and turns it is impossible to be removed from either our own trials or for those we love. God didn’t promise we would be spared of such but He did promise to go through them with us. It is that strength that we operate from each day.
Here’s hoping your trials are all small ones,
Essentially Esther
Becky talked with him this evening and he said there is not a tree in the whole area more than 15 feet high. The limbs are broken down, many splitting the trunks wide open, and most of the electrical poles are broken or out of the ground. He said it is amazing how much damage 2 inches of ice can do to a tree. The whole area is a disaster and unlike anything he has ever seen.
Jonathan worked in the Mississippi tornado one year with his crew and said it didn’t compare to the damage the ice storm has done. It’s cold work and hard to keep equipment going but people were so grateful it was very rewarding. Many are elderly and sickly but still found it necessary to come and thank them in person. He was very moved by their gratitude.
How many of us go to bed every night in warm, dry beds, food in the refrigerator, hot running water……all the comforts that power brings…..and stop to say thanks? I can honestly say I’m very grateful for I have experienced difficult times enough to know it is a blessing when everything is working and providing the necessities we depend on. I for one am going to pray for Jonathan and all the men who are out there helping those who cannot help themselves. They are to be commended in this dangerous work.
Rocky and I were at the Clinic today and were home by 5:00 this evening. The lab work is still looking good and he gets next week off of the Chemo but we’ll go in next Wednesday just for the lab work. We had a long talk with Dr. Suzi and when I asked just where we were in the scheme of things since we started a year ago…….she said we aren’t making significant gains but we also are not making significant losses. They have been surprised that Rocky has felt so good, looked so good and not had any serious setbacks, so they expect he will continue to respond to treatment and still maintain a good quality of life…..we hope for a long time. I know he has surprised their expectations from where he was in the beginning.
She said the most important thing for a cancer patient is good support from whoever the caregiver is. For them to be there handing out the pills, taking care of the needs, be a steadying force and staying positive, is invaluable. We realize that but also know cancer isn’t an easy foe……we aren’t letting our guard down or becoming complacent.
We were happy to see a few of our cancer friends at the Clinic today who are still doing well. The young girl from our church (who has the little toddler I mentioned once) was there and we were amazed at her progress. At first she seemed fearful and “lost.” We hadn’t seen her for a while but today she was there, glowing, smiling and very responsive. She had the swagger back and was definitely “in charge” again. It was good to see.
Another friend who has breast cancer was there and we caught up with each other. She had a big smile, confidence and we talked of normal things. It was good. I’m sorry to say a friend I used to work around one day a week……lost her son. They were there a few times and since she and I had both retired, we had a lot to catch up on. She lost her husband to cancer and two weeks later, her only child, a son, was told he had cancer also. He had worked overseas in an important position but cancer took him quickly. We will not be seeing them anymore at the Clinic.
Napoleon and the kitties were waiting in the front yard when we came home and we fed them and got them closed in for the night. Napoleon ate his canned cat food and my bread……then flew up in the big oak for the night. With full tummies and a place to sleep they are happy little critters.
Life is so full of crooks and turns it is impossible to be removed from either our own trials or for those we love. God didn’t promise we would be spared of such but He did promise to go through them with us. It is that strength that we operate from each day.
Here’s hoping your trials are all small ones,
Essentially Esther
