Thursday, February 28, 2008

Lifted up by Eagle's Wings

An eagle has taken a liking to our farm. (We just hope he is not simply scoping out our geese!). The Bible tells us "those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

And in the Psalms we are told this about God: "He forgives all your sins and heals all your infirmities; He redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness; He satisfies you with good things, and your youth is renewed like an eagle's" (103:3-5).

So, this eagle must be a good sign! His presence reminds me of God's promise of strength and renewal.

This has been a rest-week for Sabine. A week without chemotherapy. Her echo cardiogram got mis-scheduled this week so we will have another go at it on Monday.

This coming Wednesday is the day we meet with our oncologist/hematologist, Dr Sheehan and see how the last round of chemotherapy went.

We are slowly, but surely, getting into a routine of appointments, scheduling, insurance, and rest. Last week, our 3-day "raising" of the cottage produced wonderful results. Thanks to all of you who were part of the finishing team.

This week, Sue and Dale finished up the electrical work. And on Saturday, John, a fellow martial artist and energy consultant will check out the cottage for drafts before the St Peter's travelling insulation team blows into town (and into the attic) on Tuesday morning laying down a good 18" of fuel-saving insulation.

This leaves only a little bit of touch-up work around the cottage and then, later in the week, the folks from Don's Electric in Dodgeville come and setup the appliances.

As of now, we don't know how the chemotherapy (Velcade and dexamethasone) has worked on this round. They drew blood from Sabine on Monday and because some of the tests must be done out-of-state, we won't know the results until we consult with Dr Sheehan on Wednesday.

This has been a hard and cold winter in more ways than one! But we both feel comforted and unplifted by your love and prayers. The women of St Peter's each recently sent Sabine a package of crazy socks -- from "Tweety Bird" to "Betty Boop!" Then "Sexy Sox," "Martini Sox" and mis-matched, colorful and zany socks! I can attest to the fact that each package brought both a smile to her face and warmth to her feet. She even got a hand-made hat from Nepal thanks to our friends Joji and Lori from California. Thanks again to all of you.

Stay tuned as we come to the end of this week...

God's blessings to you all!
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