Kicking off 2015 with Good News

I had my Tri-weekly appointment and bloodwork today. My tumor marker is down another 10 points! I'm sooo thankful and in awe that God has done this for me. My heart swelled up with joy tonight, when at dinner, the kids shared their best & worst part of their day (we try to do this every night at dinner). A month ago we added a 3rd thing to share...how you see God in your day.

Meran & Jameson both shared that they saw God in their day through my good test results and that the cancer is shrinking. (I could have cried watching that 9 year old boy's face when he shared that). 

Thank you Lord for these sweet teachable moments & times of growth through uncertain times!

I'm excited to kick off this new year with this great news. My heart is full of joy and gratitude.

We wrapped up 2014 visiting both our families on a 10 day road trip...Hume lake to San Francisco to Visalia, back to San Diego. 10 full days filled with family, fun and making great memories!

  

The extraordinary ordinary

This morning at 3am I was awake. It's a typical side effect from the chemo, though I really can't complain considering. When this spontaneous awakening occurs, I pray and give thanks, and usually can slip back into slumber within an hour. This morning though, from 3-4, I had a phrase running through my head. 

"Finding the beauty in the ordinary makes things extraordinary"

Did I hear this somewhere? Read it? Not sure, but it continues to run across the prompt screen of my mind, and I love it.

Today was a beautifully ordinary day. We stayed in the confines of our cozy home. Just the 6 of us. We stayed in jammies past noon, ate 3 meals together, put together new toys, watched a Christmas movie, and sang " happy birthday" to Jesus before eating His cake. There were also meltdowns, bickering and bonkers...but it's looking for and finding the beauty in those ordinary moments that made our day so extraordinary. Extraordinary certainly does not mean perfection. And boy, am I glad about that!

It made me think about all those "ordinaries" surrounding the extraordinary Christmas story...

The ordinary girl God used to carry His Son. Extraordinary.

The ordinary stable Jesus was born in. Extraordinary.

The ordinary people Jesus loves and the ordinary people He uses to bring glory to His beautiful name.

Extraordinary God.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only Son into the world, that we might live through Him. I John 4:9

Merry Christmas! May you experience all His extraordinaries in your everyday ordinary.