The Strength of a Woman

Dear Life,

Thank you for bringing strong women into my life.  Thank you for giving me a grandmother who is one of the strongest.  She has what I call "Pioneer Stock".  She could have been a pioneer woman and been just fine.  As it is, she grew up as a child during the depression and watched boys she grew up with go off to serve in World War 2.  She's a no nonsense kind of woman, and she lives to serve others.  At one point in her life, she wanted to go on a mission.  She never did, but she has served her community, her church, and her family beyond any woman I have ever seen.  Her marriage to my grandfather was the example I held in my heart and continue to hold in my heart.

She now lives alone, my grandfather left this earth five years ago.  But she does not stay home....she does what she would normally do.  But now...now she is having to fight a battle.  The breast cancer battle.  As I listened to her talk about what may happen....radiation every day for five weeks...and possibly chemo....I was amazed to hear her sound receptive to what the doctors are offering her.  I used to think she was preparing her life to move on to the next...but today I heard something different.  I heard her preparing to move forward...to be with us longer.  That made me happy.  It also put me more in awe of her strength.  I pray that I can give her an ounce of the strength she has always given my family.

Grandma and Keoni three years ago

My sister Tara, Grandma and Me

Thank you for giving me a Grandma with a Pioneer Spirit.  

Sincerely,

A Mom of Boys

PS She would be so mad if she saw this post.....hee hee kinda glad she hasn't caught on to newfangled technology!

Modern Medicine amazes me

Dear Life,

I have to thank you right now for modern medicine....and the continued advancements being made.  Because of a yearly mammogram (have you had yours done yet?) three weeks ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  They told her she had a very small lump.

She saw the specialist, who told her it was stage one.  All of her health care professionals are amazed they found it....it was that small.  Yesterday, she had outpatient surgery, they took out the lump and she went home virtually painlessly.  The prep was more of a pain than the procedure.  Thank you modern medicine for making things so easy.  The reason it was so small is because she has yearly mammograms.  (Guess I need to make my appointment...just turned forty after all!)

The other reason modern medicine amazes me is because I have a son with Spina Bifida.  He is four and he is amazing!  Isn't he cute?  You can learn more about him here:  www.caringbridge.org/visit/kumakajensen
Without a shunt to redirect the excessive fluid in his brain he probably wouldn't be here.  Without a surgery at birth to close the lesion on his back he definitely wouldn't be here.

I am so grateful to those scientists and doctors who are smart enough to make discoveries, to find cures, to create surgeries and procedures to correct things and make life easier...and possible.  Sometimes I get mad at doctors because I don't like what they have to say.  But the good ones, the ones who care, they rock my world!  Thank you life, for giving us these amazing people.  They make life better daily!

From.....A Mom of Boys!!