The Gift of Silence

Hello Everyone. Thank you so much for all your messages. I check the blog everyday and your words are a great encouragement for me.

I just got back from a weekend silent retreat. It was incredible. While there it dawned on me that because of that stint of having difficulty breathing my chemo was pushed back which made it possible for me to attend the retreat! God is so good to me as he knows what I need!

While on retreat I thought a lot about how my time here on earth may be short but that it doesn't mean I can no longer do great things for Christ. I need to squeeze as much as I can out of every moment given to me - for my family, friends and my work for the Church.

In our faith nothing is wasted, not even suffering. I have the opportunity to offer up so much for my family and for you. My one fear is that I would forget this....that I would arrive at the end of my illness and realize that I wasted such a beautiful opportunity. This weekend was a good reminder for me - so I did a lot of praying for you.

Pierre and I meet with my doctor tomorrow morning and chemo on Tuesday. I am going to ask Dr. Chalchal about my spleen as it is still enlarged and hasn't changed from the beginning of my treatment. I would like to have an idea of what they will do if it is still the same by the end of my treatment.

This past week one of the mom's at the school thought I was my younger sister! Once she realized it was me we both laughed and joked about how chemo is doing wonders for me - it is making me look more youthful!