Celebrations!

I will write when I get back or sometime this weekend, if I have computer access. Thank you for your prayers! Mom and I are about to leave for Charlottesville. Praise the Lord!

Misc. Ramblings

I wanted to change my website look and feel to reflect summertime. So, I looked online tonight and found several backgrounds that were pretty. Even though my family aren't really "beach" people in the true sense of the word, we still enjoy collecting seashells. Actually, there is a beach near St. Petersburg, Florida, that I really enjoyed the last time we went on a family vacation. It had a quiet atmosphere and when we were there in late December of 2005, we had the entire beach practically to ourselves. The sand was like white, fluffy flour and the water was warm. There were also some picnic tables and trees that provided shade from the sun. Someday, I'd like to go back to that beach.

In health news, my rib continues to heal. I actually found a background tonight that was of human ribs and I seriously considered using it! I'm thankful Paul Burton insisted on wrapping the rib, because that has helped a lot. I didn't have as much pain today as before, although it still is quite intense. I'm just thankful yesterday's sneeze didn't cause permanent damage. Today was a bad day for allergies, though. Mom went to Wal-Mart this afternoon and discovered a new over-the-counter allergy medication called Zyrtec-D. It's a twelve hour pill that successfully removed most of my allergy symptoms. I've only developed allergies in the last two years; I now have a new appreciation for those who deal with it all of their lives in all seasons of weather.

I received my Mary Baldwin College diploma today. Paul Burton actually had to sign for it. I was thankful the Lord gave me that surprise, as I needed a pick-me-up by dinnertime. Forget the degree, I'm just happy my full name was spelled correctly - even with the appropriate dash between my two middle names. That's a big deal to me! It's a rather large document, so now I have to find a pretty frame for it. I plan to hang the diploma in my office.

Outside Refreshment

The sun is about to set and I'm turning my thoughts over to tomorrow's day of worship, rest, and refreshment. In many ways, today was that kind of day for me, though. I began this morning with some adrenal issues, so I took extra Prednisone. I'm thankful Mom and Dad know what to do for my body, because within a few minutes of my "page," Mom had my body back on track. I don't have to panic as often anymore and think, "Oh no, is this going to lead to a hospital visit" like I used to fear all the time.

After a mid-morning nap, I woke up this afternoon to a pleasant and big surprise. Paul Burton, Dad, and Mom had laboriously cleaned off the top front porch. The siding had been power washed; All of the bugs and cob webs were gone. Not only that, Mom had repainted the porch swings. Dad had sprayed off the bed we made for Eunice to use several years ago when she stayed with us the last month of her life. The netting over the bed was re-hung for the summer months. Paul Burton had made two flower arrangements and one was on the nightstand beside the bed. Two wicker porch chairs were placed near my bed, so guests would be comfortable while they visited with me. The entire porch felt like an article right out of Southern Living magazine! I spent the remainder of the afternoon and early evening outside resting and enjoying God's creation. I told Mom that imagining five more weeks of bed rest were now tolerable, because of my outside bedroom. Below are a few pictures for your enjoyment. The first two pictures are of the front porch and the last picture is the view I enjoyed all afternoon from my outside bed.

Prayer Request

Thank you for the prayers regarding my ribs. It's indeed been a painful healing process and I have to constantly remind myself it only happened less than a week ago. Since I'm on almost complete bed rest, I have a lot of time to pray for others. Thus, please share prayer requests either by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

Below is a prayer request I just discovered this morning after reading the online news' websites. Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my favorite contemporary Christian artists. I just bought his most recent CD two weeks ago. I've always appreciated how he uses his talents and fame to promote adoption. He and his wife - after adopting three girls from China - created an organization (Shoahannah's Hope) to "reduce the financial barrier of adoption". Please pray for the entire family, but especially for SCC's teenage son.

© 2007 Tucker Photography.
(Left to right Will Franklin, Maria, Steven, Shaoey, Mary Beth, Stevey Joy, Caleb and Emily)

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN, {with the family SUV driven by her teenage brother]. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

Annelise's Visit

It's been a busy week. Today, I am feeling really good, which is amazing. Even my Methotrexate days went well this week. I was thinking this afternoon that I've actually had four "good" days in a row. What a blessing! I have to constantly monitor my body, the medications, my pain levels, etc. And sometimes, that's inconvenient, but it still pales in comparison to being curled up in bed -- or worse -- the hospital. I am beginning to make memories with my family that do not relate to Hermanksy-Pudlak Syndrome. Praise the Lord!

Yesterday, we had the "rare" treat of babysitting Annelise overnight. It's hard to believe she's almost eighteen months old. Sadly, I was so sick when Annelise was an infant that I don't remember much of her "early days". For that reason, it's now especially fun to watch her growing into a little girl with her own personality and preferences. She's talking a lot, too.

Annelise ate her dinner and dessert without any complaining. In fact, after eating the first bite of ice cream for dessert, she clearly said, "ooh cold"! We all looked at her and smiled. Even though I've studied human development, I was amazed to watch how Annelise's brain made the necessary connections to relate the cold sensation with the ice cream.

Qavah and Annelise are more playmates than aunt and niece, so it's a blast to watch them interact together. After dinner, we spent 1 1/2 hours outside. Dad got the wheelbarrow out, so he could take Qavah and Annelise for a ride. The girls both giggled with delight. Annelise ran all over the place and kept us very busy, so not only was she exhausted by the time we got back inside, but we were as well! Below are a few pictures of Annelise's visit.

To My Mom,

"Her children arise and call her blessed"
And "her husband also praises her"
Proverbs 31 describes many mothers, but
Perhaps the greatest mom I know is...
You

Mama, today is the day I celebrate you
Over and over again, you have given of yourself
Thank you for putting your own desires aside for me
Healing hands and "faithful instructions" bless me daily
Even on this website, your love and compassion is evident
Rest assured, you have many jewels in your Heavenly crown
"She watches over the affairs of her household" describes you

Down in my heart, I'm thankful you became my mother
A "woman who fears the Lord," like you, "is to be praised"
You are "clothed with strength and dignity" so may you "laugh in the days to come"

(August 2006)

Love,
Kathryn

Sabbath Blessings

Yesterday was an absolutely wonderful day! Our family caught up on some much-needed rest. In the afternoon, we watched the open rehearsal of the Roanoke Symphony and Roanoke Symphony Chorus' performance of Verdi's Requiem. The RSO Chorus actually combined with 4 other choruses to make up a choir of three-hundred. Paul Burton is in the RSO Chorus, which practiced every week since Christmas. One of the most special aspects of watching Paul Burton sing was knowing that his dream of participating in a well-known, well-disciplined chorus had come true, even though he didn't get to complete his studies at Philadelphia Biblical University (where he attended for three semesters prior to getting his R.N. degree from VWCC). The Lord redeems everything and HE created this special opportunity for Paul Burton. The official performance is tonight, and although we can't attend, we will be listening to it on the radio.

Last night, we attended another musical performance by Bonsack Baptist Church's choir. Our friend, Whitney Dobyns, played her harp; I made sure I got a good seat to watch her music techniques! Qavah listened intently to all of the music but got especially excited when she heard the lyrics of one song describing David killing the giant Goliath. I enjoyed seeing Qavah's enthusiasm, all the while praising the Lord that she is a part of our family.

After the Bonsack choir concert, we went to Dairy Queen for dessert. It actually became a joke in our family, because we didn't have time to go home between the afternoon and evening concerts, so we had dinner at Dairy Queen. Then, we wanted to enjoy some time with Whitney and her family, so returned to DQ around 8:00pm last night. We were thankful there was a shift change between our visits!

A few fun pictures. I praise the Lord for yesterday's bonus day. I went to bed wanting to pinch myself to see if the blessings were indeed true. We now have more memories to tuck into our heart.

Qavah and Kathryn:


Where in the world is Paul Burton??


There he is! (a bit blurry, but he's looking at the camera, wearing his brown suit jacket):


Whitney, Qavah, and Paul Burton:

Weekend Wrap-Up

I'm glad we are approaching the Sabbath. It's been a long, painful week. However, the Lord has blessed me with doctors who care. On Monday, after waking up to the shocking site of my Hickman wound open, I scheduled an appointment with my hematologist. He knows that if I call or email him before a routine visit, then something serious has happened. I don't think there has been one time that I've contacted him where he delayed my appointment for several days. It's such an answer to prayer!

Dad took me to Monday's emergency appointment, which was a rare treat. Unfortunately, I vaguely remember the car ride and visit. I showed my hematologist the Hickman site and he promptly said, "Well, I can't let you go home without a plan. I'll have to admit you to the hospital unless you have a better idea". I suggested Home Health Care and he readily agreed. He also wanted to start the IV Rocephin in his office, in the infusion room, where normally chemotherapy is conducted. That is the last thing I remember about Monday. Somehow, Dad got me to the infusion room. And later on, Mom and Qavah met us there. The rest of the week was spent sleeping, having muscle spasms, adrenal issues, and attending to my wound sites. Like I've written before, any open sore feels like a million fire ants attacking my body. This week, I had the Hickman wound and a fever blister. Double whammy!

I updated My Bookshelf. About a year ago, I bought Emily Post's Etiquette from Amazon. When the book first arrived in the mail, I was so excited about it. Then, due to school and health, I was only able to skim the book. The other day, I decided to dust the book off and read it cover-to-cover. This 17th Edition is an updated version of Post's classic, which means the book contains Emily Post's advice as well as etiquette for the "21st Century". I found the section on e-mail and instant message quite helpful. Someday, I think it would be fun to host an Etiquette dinner or weekend for my girlfriends.

I did have one new, interesting experience this week. Mom had some serious dental work done yesterday morning. Thursday through today she has been in a lot of pain. Last night, neither Mom nor I could sleep because of our respective wounds. Thus, we quietly talked together in my room. I played "mommy," because I tried to comfort Mom in hopes of giving her enough relief that she would drift back to sleep. I gave her a back and foot massage. She slept a little, but unfortunately, the pampering didn't take her mind off of the dental work. Her pain was intense and sobering. As I tried to bless Mom, but without much success, I felt extremely helpless.

Today, I was talking to Mom about the emotions of last night's experience. She said empathetically, "Now you know how we have felt for the past two years. We see you suffer, and try as we might, we can't always relieve the misery." Last night, I thought I would burst into tears just from watching the agony Mom endured. It was heartbreaking! I am thankful for parents who have joined me on this tough health journey. And I'm also grateful there exists a Lord that can comfort us when all human attention and love fails.