Serving

"Carson", for my fellow Downton Abbey fans, has delivered my morning coffee bedside and I am grateful for waking up in comfort.  I look forward to a day of mild responsibilities and a radiation treatment...and, by the way, "looking forward to a radiation treatment" is only possible when I visualize what those beams are hopefully accomplishing!  (My ever-encouraging friend, Beth, reminds me that there are three important things to remember during radiation treatments:  1. Nap,
2. Nap and 3. Nap!  Great advice and heeded often!)
On these good days I can't help but think of others whose needs are so much greater than my own.  I don't want to miss a moment of my own journey and its accompanying lessons to be learned and benefits to enjoy along the way, but I am very much looking forward to getting back to serving others in more physical, as well as spiritual ways.  I really miss the hours Jody and I spent volunteering at a local women's center and I would love to reenlist in the army serving kids in uninvited situations.  I am feeling somewhat useless as I spend inordinate amounts of time on the couch, wrapped in the comfort of the blanket given to me by a caring friend who spreads great joy by the gifting of her very special creations.  (You know who you are, Michele!)  But before I create the impression that I need to be told that I am not useless, I'll be quick to say that I do realize that this is my season to serve in other ways.  My immediate mandate, cheerfully and gratefully received, is to share the goodness of a Great and Powerful God Who works in and through ALL situations, whether they are defined by the receiver (me, in this case) as positive or negative.  In God's plan, it's all good!
So, today I will pray along with the Puritan of old:
"If it be consistent with Thy grace, and the great ends of Thy glory, then bestow upon me the blessings of Thy comforts;
If not, let me resign myself to Thy wiser determinations."-The Valley of Vision:  A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

On the health front:
Yesterday's weekly meeting with Dr. Ambrad was blessedly uneventful.  The decision regarding my adjusted oral chemo treatment should be made today and his guess is that my dosage will be halved. No arguments there!
My blood and assorted other lab results revealed nothing unexpected and what few side effects I am experiencing are normal for my treatment.
I am thankful beyond measure for God's goodness.