Saturday, August 11, 2012

Long Past-due Update...


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. 

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