Father, thank you for your presence, for drawing us and helping us in these trials. Thank you all for continuing to walk with us.

This has been a full week of ups and downs, but a time of thankfulness and family as we all celebrated Thanksgiving. Monday, Theresa got the steroid injection. The anesthetic did help with the achy part of the shoulder pain for about four hours and wore off. We were hopeful this would mean the steroid would kick in, in a few days and do the same, but actually the shot didn’t help at all. The Radiologist told her he found her shoulder injection more difficult than usual. Theresa had a few days of increased pain. Wednesday we made the Thanksgiving pies together and her elbow bumped a plastic bowl, and it caused her shoulder to light up in pain for 10-15 minutes. She is trying to do the exercises. She has resigned herself that we will have to wait until the inflammatory stage is over, 3-4 months from now, and will probably have to have surgery to release the joint. Until then, we will have to trudge through the long nights and pain. We did have a nice Thanksgiving with my family on Thursday. Usually I get up and buy a paper around 5am, so she can have the ads to look through for Black Friday. This year she didn’t have the energy for that, instead she has made very good use of her iPad shopping the deals. We made Thanksgiving dinner Friday and enjoyed it with Theresa’s Mother and Brother in Battleground on Saturday. These few days wiped her out. Monday she will get her next infusion. I think the next 7 months will be much the same. By July she will be done with her active treatment for the cancer, will be restaged and hopefully by that time her shoulder won’t be an issue.

In my blogging, one of my goals was to keep you informed, as many of you were interested in these details, which helped you know how to pray. It also allowed you to see the roller coaster ride cancer and the complications can have on a person and their family. But another of my goals was to share that despite these struggles, God is good. He meets us every day, His strength is sufficient for each day. He answers prayers (as we all have seen) and ministers to us through it all. We have experienced His lovingkindness and faithfulness through every bit of it. He sustains us, renews us, and gives us an eternal perspective. We have so much to be thankful for. I am humbled by His utmost care on this bumpy, rocky road we travel on. I testify that He is the only constant that stands True. He provides the solid foundation for life, through Christ who provides the way for this communion. Yes life is hard and messy and full of ups and downs, but if we are faithful, obedient, and thankful in it all, then the invisible becomes visible, His faithfulness becomes so obvious. That is why Paul writes to “keep on the good fight”, “press on to win the prize”. Persevere, endure and overcome – it will be greater than you can imaging in the end.