Another Milestone-GRACE Yet Again

Yesterday marked one week since my first chemo treatment. I was blessed to work from home and mom and daddy popped in afternoon/evening. We had a lot of fun laughing and talking-mostly laughing, daddy was delirious and cracking me and mom up and himself too-LOL. Mom brought me a house gift-a cross that says HOPE it's now the centerpeice of my table. In this battle Hope (in the Lord) is definitely something that one has to have. After they left I'd say it turned into the roughest night yet. The stye on my eye (which I learned is also sometimes a side effect of chemo) seemed to hurt everytime I moved my eyelid including closing it in attempts to go to sleep, insomnia seemed to also set in. It seemed to get later and later and still no sleep combined with a hurting stye. I watched the youtube video of Pastor Marvin Sapp's "You are God Alone" that my dear friend sent me earlier this week as it had been a comfort to me helped me to go to sleep previously, but as I watched and listened this time, the tears began to flow, more and more profusely and for a moment I broke down into a cry. In the midst of the crying I told the Lord that I knew it would not be easy but that I needed some help. Well all the crying only made the stye feel worse and then clogged my nose and sinuses adding to the discomfort. When I stopped crying, I began to read the book of Job, maybe halfway into that first chapter, I got a text back from the same dear friend that sent me the Marvin Sapp youtube earlier this week to encourage me. Mind you it was a little after 1am this morning. I mentioned in the following txt that it had been a rough night after my parents left and that I was hoping to get some creme from the dr. to treat the stye when I went in for blood work today. Shortly after this same friend called me-at 1:30am (knowing she would have to work later on that day). She prayed with me a heartfelt and sincere prayer that brought tears to my eyes, then she encouraged me, then we talked and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. I think it was 2:30ish when we hung up but after we hung up it seemed like God had given me a fresh dose of His peace and even caused the stye to be more barable pain wise and the sleep that He did bless me with was good. I was reminded that God does not ignore the cry of His children. I was reminded of His faithfulness and of His constant presence and how He ALWAYS right on time; showing up and showing out on our behalf and in our favor like no other. I started typing this post this morning but God's faithfulness and showing out continued on throughout the day. Today was the day that me and a few other mentors were scheduled to have our lunch with mentees. My mentee turned 18 today and I really wanted to be there for that and to atleast bring balloons, card, and cupcakes but God had another plan. I was just physically unable to get there but I was blessed to tell her happy birthday via phone and one of my fellow mentors was kind enough to cover me on that and come to find out my mentee did have cake after all. TGBTG (To God Be the Glory for that). Then another friend was kind enough to offer to make and bring me some homemade chicken and veggie soup (and some "other things" which turned out to be all kinds of other helpful items from toilet tissue to tea, to anti-nausea, card, jello, ect.) and to drive me to the dr. to get lab work done. Btw while I cook, it's a blessing to have friends that can hook it up food wise and are willing to do so, when I'm not up to it. Side note about the bloodwork: I am a challenging stick because I have veins that rolls but I was so thankful the tech only had to stick me one time-BLESS the Lord! Not only that but no one was there to write a prescription for creme to handle the stye on my eye that's got my left eye looking like a lazy eye but the tech did point us to a pharmacy. My friend did the leg work there too so I wouldn't have to do a lot of walking and btw had me LOL most while riding in the car. I forgot to mention that the tech suggested that I get back on one of the anti-side effect medications since all week I have been having trouble with my stomach digesting food intake. This way I would be able to eat and build my strength back up. I couldn't wait to get to that soup. I had a little bit when we got back but I took the anti-nausea and took the anti-side effect med that I was to resume for a couple days and laid down for a few mins as that one med has to be taken 1/2 hr before eating. Well I got up and got on that soup. It was a challenge to keep the portion small because not only was it goooooooddddd but I had been hungry for most of the day trying not to put too much on my stomach. After that I went on to sleep and was knocked out for a good 3+ hrs waking up to missed phonecalls-that's more like my normal sleeping pattern-not being able to hear the phone while sleeping. It seems like God is already re-regulating my sleep so that insomnia is no longer an issue as it had been this week. I'm just thankful to God for all of those that He's placed around me, for those that have been there and are there in various capacities from being vessels through which God works to meet spiritual needs and practical needs. Nothing like being covered in God's GRACE. He continues to provide over, and over and over again. Yes being one of His comes with some costs but there are benefits that far outweight those costs. "God is good ALL the time and ALL the time God is good."