We gather together . . .

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! I hope you take the time to count your blessings and when you do, you discover a humongously long list of things for which to show your gratitude. I know my list is long and I thank God for all He has given me. All of you are on that list ~ I appreciate you more than I can say.

I've no doubt that this Thanksgiving will be especially poignant for my family and me. I think we've all learned never to take anything for granted. Once, you do that, you begin to more fully realize the importance of every moment you're given. Considering everything, we have too many blessings to count.

Well, guys, yesterday was an eventful day. It started early in the morning when I washed my hair and found it falling everywhere! Yup, I'm going to be bald very soon! It was quite a shock to realize that so much could fall out at once. By the end of the day, the quantity of my hair was reduced by about two-thirds or maybe three-fourths! I'm shedding worse than Chessie and Casey! I had asked the chemo nurses when to expect this and they said two weeks after treatment and they were right on the money!

How do I feel about it? Well, I've no doubt that looking at a bald head in the mirror is going to be a shock at first. However, there are hats, scarves, wigs, etc. It's only an external change. The thing I'm much more concerned about is what change the chemo is having on the cancer cells inside. If I have to lose my hair to destroy those, it will be more than worth it. I know that my family and friends will still love me, bald or not, so what difference does it really make? While my vanity may receive a little kick in the butt, a simple thing like hair loss certainly isn't going to ruin my day. It reminds me of a little story that was going around last summer:

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

"Well", she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today". So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"Hummm," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today". So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail". So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day, she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEAH!", she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything....

At 6:15, with or without hair, I had to go have my medi-port implanted. It all went without incident. Once in the operating room, the anesthetist said, "Now I'm putting an oxygen mask on your face. Goodnight." That's the last thing I remember until I woke up in the recovery room. While the wound looks terrible ~ all bruised and ugly ~ it isn't particularly painful. It is sore and there are things I can't do with my left arm but, all in all, it really isn't too bad. And . . . since it's my left arm . . . later today, I'll still be able to fork lots of turkey into my mouth. ; )

Whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving or not, have a blessed day.

Until next time . . . Always show your gratitude.