Mammogram

Well, it has been three months now since my last mammogram. The doctors have been watching a couple of spots in my left breast for the 18 months. The last mammogram showed some changes, so I am having a more detailed appointment today.

I don't know about you, but I REALLY dislike getting mammograms. The procedure, where they squeeze those ever so soft parts of you flat as a pancake, doesn't bother me so much, but the WAIT kills me. I am scheduled to have the mammogram done at 1:10 today. That means that I will get out of their office around 5 pm. UGH! There goes my day.

Even though these are digital exams and not film, they keep you in the office so that you get same day results and follow up appointments are made on the spot. I guess that is the good part, particularly if your exam doesn't go as well as you anticipate.

The good thing is that my neighbor gave me a book to read. It is Getting Things Done by David Allen. More about this next time. For today, if you read this, say a little prayer that the tests turn out OK. I'll be in the waiting room reading a book for the day, waiting on my mammogram. :-)

SURPRISES!!

I love surprises. Well, I love MOST surprises. The surprises I am talking about today are the good kinds of surprises.

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to spend time with my friends, Tina, Leslie, and Melvin. It has only been in the last year or so that I have been in touch with my childhoold friends. I am sorry I let time pass. I really love these people!

We talked frankly, laughed loudly, and listened eagerly to one another. It was a party at the restaurant. Our daily burdens were lifted, we were living in the moment, and we were being ourselves. What an awesome time!

It was interesting to relive some memories and to discover we were not the people the others thought we were. This is not totally a bad thing! It was fun to see the shock on one another's faces when we told stories of high school/college days, stories we agreed to not reveal! I love these friends; what a great evening!

I look forward to my next visit with the gang. We hope to include more friends and have a pool party and other such nonsense.

As my friend Dawn L said on one of my visits home, "There's no friend like a childhood friend."

I have other friends from other seasons in my life, but I agree, there is something special about those childhood friends and memories.

Still Waters

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pasture; He leads me beside the still water. He restores my soul."

I could use some still waters and some restoration of my soul. It has been a long four months. Months of worry, lies, deception, anxiety.... I almost don't know who I am. I feel like everyone has had a piece of me and there is nothing left for me to renew.

How do I find my way back? How do I break out? Where do I begin?

I begin with those first few, precious words..."The Lord IS my shepherd. I shall not want."

HE is my shepherd. He is the one to whom I look to meet my needs. I don't need to want or desire any other cure. He is the one who will meet my needs so that I don't want. Isn't that the most excellent news?

It goes further...."He MAKES me to lie down in green pastures. He LEADS me beside the still waters."

He is going to give me rest from this; he is going to MAKE me lie down. I had better cooperate and lie down when he tells me. Bad things happen when you try to tell God how it is going to be.

He is going to lead me to still waters. He is going to deliver me from this. He knows the calm way out of these last few months, and he is going to lead me in that direction.

Trust Him to be my Shepherd.
Rest in the green pasture.
Follow to the still waters.

I'm ready, Lord. Let's go!