EASTER

Last week, I shared that Mom had little side effects right after treatment and has so much more energy than she normally does that week of treatment.....and this past week was the SAME!!!! This week is her week off from chemo so it should be another high-energy week....WOW...3 weeks in a row!

On Thursday, Mom prepared an early Easter dinner since I was there on my Spring Break Wed. night-Fri. night. She fixed ham, baked pineapple, mac n' cheese, seasoned green beans, baked potatoes, cornbread, and cherry pie. Mom needed little help from me...all I did was shred and slice some sharp cheese for the macaroni and do the dishes. She had to get a different ham, and she made the mac n' cheese a little differently so she wasn't sure how they would turn out. Everything tasted fabulous as it always does! And the company was great as well since Mom had invited over a sweet couple who they've been friends with for a long time.

On Friday, I was in the kitchen when I saw an Edible Arrangements van pull up in front of the house so I said, "Mom, I think you're getting an Edible Arrangement!" If you're not familiar with them, they are so pretty, and the fruit always tastes so fresh! It turns out they were from some friends of theirs who they would be seeing that night for a surprise birthday party for the wife. This party is the biggest social gathering she's been to since before her surgery so it's such a blessing that she feels the energy to go and is comfortable being out and about.

Mom sported both of her wigs while I was there. The first wig (more curl) she got was from a store in Rehoboth and the second one (more straight) is from the Amercian Cancer Society catalog where she's gotten her cute hats. They both look great on her...the first one has highlights in it, and the 2nd one is more the color her hair was before.

On Sunday, Mom and Dad are planning to go to their favorite place for breakfast in Bethany, The Froghouse, and they're invited to a friend's home for Easter dinner. Mom continues to eat pretty well, but everything still tastes the same so she looks forward to being able to taste again when the treatments are over.

Dad is busier now that lawn mowing season has started. It seems to be good timing though since Mom's energy levels have been higher recently.

Mom's CA-125 levels have been dropping significantly after each treatment cycle, but this past time, they only dropped a little. She is at 160 right now, I believe, and they need to be at 30 or below. She has completed 4 cycles of treatment and has 2 more to go to complete the minimum of 6 cycles. She may need to receive more depending on the CA-125 levels. Click here to find out more about CA-125.

April 20 - Treatment 5a
April 27 - Treatment 5b
May 11 - Treatment 6a
May 18 - Treatment 6b

I ask prayer that despite the CA-125 level report received yesterday, Mom and Dad would continue to be encouraged and reminded of God's faithfulness in the past. Our God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us knows our needs and will continue to provide!

FORGIVEN

A little boy had just been tucked into bed by his mother, who was waiting to hear his prayers. But he had been naughty that day, and now it was bothering him. So he said, "Mama, I wish you'd go now and leave me alone. I want to pray by myself."

Sensing that something was wrong, she asked, "Bobby, is there anything you ought to tell me?" "No, Mommy," he replied. "You would just scold me, but God will forgive me and forget about it."

That little boy understood one of the greatest salvation benefits of all—the reality of sins forgiven. The Bible indicates that in Christ "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:14). We who have received the Lord Jesus as Savior enjoy freedom from sin's eternal condemnation (Rom. 8:1), and we can also have daily forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).

The apostle Paul said that salvation provides these added benefits: we are justified (Rom. 3:24), and we are at peace with God (5:1).

We should never get the idea that our sins are taken lightly by the Lord. But when we acknowledge our guilt with true repentance, God is ready to forgive because of what Jesus did on the cross. It's up to us to accept it. — Richard De Haan

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all. —Watts

When God forgives a sin, He never brings it up again.