This summer has been filled with much joy for me. Since the kids have been out of school we
have instituted a summer schedule that includes a “kids in charge” time twice a
week. They get to decide together and
agree on what activity we do during those afternoons. It has been so much fun
to be with them doing what they pick and seeing their joy. We have made tie-dye
t-shirts, so many cool crafts including our own lava lamps and ridden the log
ride at the zoo dozens of times. It is such a treat for me to just be with
them. School starts next week and I
can’t even think about it too much yet…this will be the first year all our kids will be in school at the same time.
My “clear scans” report at the beginning of June was a great
way to begin our summertime season. Because of these good scans I was able to
get a 6-week break from treatment. It felt like such a gift from God to get this
break in connection with my kids being out of school. To not think about Moffitt and allow my body
time to heal was so nice. My thighs (where I receive 7 injections during each
treatment) healed quite nicely. I went back on July 17th and will go
back once a month now until September when I get rescanned. The outcome of these scans will determine
next steps.
Near the end of June, the kids and I took a road trip to
Arkansas with my family to be with my grandmother as she celebrates her 90th
birthday. We got to see family and
friends I hadn’t seen in years. All of
her children, grandchildren and great-grandkids were present. A real treat to
her, I think. We were only missing a few in-laws. It was great to give them
good report of my health and of God’s faithfulness to me in so many ways. During our trip, we made a pit stop at the U.S.S.
Alabama, Battleship State Park in Mobile. My mom and dad had taken us kids there
when I was around Miya’s age, in 5th grade. It was fun to relive old memories and make new ones with my kids.
(The siblings and I recreating a 25 year-old picture on the USS ALABAMA)
We also went to the beach for a week which is a Becton
family tradition; Three of my kids got the privilege of doing an improv camp; And Miya is away at a church
camp for the first time ever this week!
Busy, fun summer!
(Family Pic 2012: Ana, Miya, Ezra & Isaiah in standing order.)
As always, thank you for the ways that you remember my
family in your prayers. While living
with Melanoma, I have come to the deeper understanding of the importance and the
power of prayer and community. Thank you for supplying both of these things for
us.
Love,
Jessica
P.S. I’m going to upload a couple blog entries in the next
few days that I have been working on this summer but haven’t taken the time to make
coherent yet. There is no specific order to these, just some topic I have been
mulling over in my mind this summer.
