Nothing so formal...

I haven't mentioned it here before but those of you that visit the site will find that I am now recording my blog entries and posting them at the bottom of the page. They don't show up in RSS or Email because of the way I have to insert the code to make the audio playable form the page. But, if you'd like to hear me reading my own blog posts, click on the link, or head to 802heaven.com and at the bottom of the post will be the player. I have gotten a few people who "stumbled" upon it commenting that they really like the new feature. I hope it's something I can continue into the future!

This morning as I was working on an outline for my book (pressures from every side!!) about what I have gone through with cancer I misnamed a file and the more I stare at it the more I think that is going to be the name of the book. It makes me smile and the cover will be funny. But until I actually get this thing written (which God seems to have given me more time for!) you'll be in the dark on the title. Sorry to tease.

I am recovering from the cold I had last week. Thankfully (Praise God!) it didn't turn into anything huge or keep me in bed for long periods of time. (There were a few days where I got up and went right back to bed until the afternoon, but honestly I think the extra sleep really helped the process.) The battle recently HAS been getting up in the morning. The chemo pills are making me really drowsy and going to sleep seems to be NO problem at all. When I get a burst of energy (generally in the late evenings) I have to take it. Though sometimes the effects of that can carry me up until late at night and that is not good. I'm working on adjusting my getting up and going to bed time accordingly.

I feel like my faith has really been allowed to grow this past week, and I am very thankful for God for it. I know I learn from times of hardship, and in comparison good times aren't as "good" without the other side of the coin. Just like any plant can't simply grow in sunlight all the time. There needs to be some cooling off times, or times when you are underground pushing towards the light. The effort and the struggle make the light all that more welcome. I feel like my confidence in what God is doing in my life has been strengthened. It's funny, but I am grateful for what happened and hope it continues, but at the same time I learned a lesson about finding comfort in the Lord and faced, in many ways, the reality of my mortality and that reminder has changed the way I look at things again.

I was thinking about the old testament and thinking that if this happened that an offering of Thanksgiving would be offered to the Lord. I was talking to Lisa about this and I said, "I think it had something to do with doves. The closest thing we have is the parrot. I wonder if we can find a Rabi at this time of night?" to which Lisa responded, "Great, that should alienate all the other people who read your blog that weren't put off by the faith healer."

Never fear the little green bird remains untouched as an offering. (Besides, we don't do offerings of a blood nature anymore, Jesus was the last blood offering to God and paid for everything.) On a serious note though I do wonder if there isn't some larger, greater way of saying Thanks to God for what He has been doing in our lives the past month and a half. The Old Testament is old, but God is the same, and even though we no longer use blood it seems like remembering Him and thanking Him is still something that we should do.

Prayer requests:

• Understanding what I need to do with my life now that it has gone in a different route than I thought it might go a few weeks ago. It's such a head-shift I need to really work on what I need to do.
• Lisa has lingering cold effects.
• That God would bless me with creativity. (Book)

~B.
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