Of Sunnier California and Answered Prayers

Hi all!

Well, here we are back in California. We dug ourselves out of the snowdrifts and flew back down on Monday - got here mid-afternoon, and it was really cold and foggy. In fact, the temperature was about the same (low 40's) as what we had left behind in Portland. When I left my home, we still had enough snow in our yard to make it challenging to get out of our driveway for our trip to the airport on Monday morning. Darrell had to rock the pickup back and forth a couple of times to get enough momentum to start moving down the driveway. It worried us for a brief moment, but we made it out and down the hill to the freeway.

My time at home this time was far from normal. We were snowed in most of the time I was there. But in a way, it was fun and relaxing. Darrell said it was a little like being on vacation in our own home. I felt it was perfectly OK to stay in my nightie till, oh, 3:00 in the afternoon, or so. I mean, why shower and get dressed - couldn't go anywhere. I mean, not anywhere - not even to the mailbox at the end of the driveway. (Yes, our faithful mail deliverer brought our mail every day throughout the arctic blast, but we couldn't make it to the mailbox!)

We enjoyed days of guilt-free vegging out. We read and worshipped, napped and watched TV - whatever we felt like doing. The snow was beautiful, but after about a week it got to be somewhat of a drag. (We lost power several times and we were getting dangerously low on "necessities" again). One close friend said on his FaceBook page that he hopes it NEVER snows again. Dream on, friend! It could conceivably snow again yet this winter. We're just getting started!

Last Friday my brother was scheduled to have his double-whammy chemo treatment, but his lab test the prior Thursday revealed that his blood platelets were too low to support having the treatment. Then early Saturday morning (2 a.m.-ish) he awoke with severe leg pain and they discovered that his right leg was swollen to 5-1/2 inches larger than his left leg, we assume from the blood clots. They had done surgery just after Christmas (Dec. 29) to insert a little filter screen in his leg vein to catch the clots to keep them from floating to somewhere scary, even possibly fatal (e.g., brain, heart, lungs). I have no idea how all this plays into the swollen leg, but I have to assume there's a connection.

We have been praying all week that the platelet count would increase to at least the required minimum (100K) so that he could have the treatment today. We've been feeding him all kinds of nutritious, healthy foods and making him drink lots of fluids, and all manner of other tortuous indignities, having absolutely no idea what makes more platelets. But we reasoned that it couldn't hurt.

So, after lying on the couch all week with his leg elevated, the swelling is much improved, and yesterday (Thursday) he went for another blood test to check the platelet count. We held our breath waiting for the results. The nice thing is that Kaiser's labs post test results on their website within a very short time (sometimes within 30 minutes). We prayed and signed on to the website, and there it was - "Platelets: 132K." Mom and I cheered for joy and Sherry burst into tears. So he was allowed to have the chemo meds infused this morning. He was really beginning to lose ground without the scheduled treatment, and swears he feels a little stronger already now that he's had the medications. Praise God! You are SO good, and we are so, so thankful.

I always feel somewhat disoriented going back and forth from home to here and back home again. The first couple of days I feel a little at loose ends, and then settle back into the routine of the locale. This week has been a blur. We've been troubled about Dick's swollen leg and low platelet count and the resulting lack of medications. He's been a bit out of sorts dealing with it all, which is totally understandable, but adds to the stress level.

Speaking of FaceBook (remember I mentioned it back a couple of paragraphs), I am probably one of the few grandmothers on FaceBook. It has been a lot of fun connecting and reconnecting with family and old friends (I mean, long-time friends, not just the old ones). My new friend, Leah, is there, which is fun. If you haven't signed up, you might want to give it a try. It's a combined hoot and a real blessing, all rolled into one. It offers some real opportunities to share your heart and to just be a little silly sometimes.

Well, the household is shutting down for the evening, so I will ring off this epistle for now. Thanks for your faithfulness, your love and unending prayers for me and my precious family.

I love you all - so much!
Joanne

MY TEXT FOR THE DAY: Psalm 142 (TLB)

How I plead with God, how I implore his mercy, pouring out my troubles before him. For I am overwhelmed and desperate, and you alone know which way I ought to turn to miss the traps my enemies have set for me (look, there's one--just over there to the right!). No one gives me a passing thought. No one will help me, no one cares a bit what happens to me.

Then I prayed to Jehovah, "Lord," I pled, "you are my only place of refuge. Only you can keep me safe. Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison, so that I can thank you. The Godly will rejoice with me for all your help."