Best Christmas Ever

I love Christmas! It's the most special holiday of the year to me. Several years ago once my three children were grown and married we began a Christmas tradition that on Christmas morning they and their families would come over for a Christmas brunch.  Because of my recent cancer diagnosis a very special friend had volunteered to give up her Christmas morning to bring that brunch to my family - all 18 of us!  That sacrificial act of giving up her Christmas morning to bring us breakfast was overwhelmingly kind.  The food arrived around 10:30 am that morning and my children and grandchildren arrived soon after.  After hugs and greetings were given I ushered them into the dining room where the food was hot and waiting.  As each one came to the table I saw that they were all still wearing their coats. Before I could say anything about that every one of them threw off their jackets and all were wearing pink t-shirts that said, "TEAM CATHY". I was overwhelmed with emotion and immediately began to cry.  They too, l had tears in their eyes as we hugged and I expressed gratitude for the beautiful Christmas gift of love they had just given me.  Christmas is about Jesus birth and the precious gift God gave to us.  My family is a precious gift to me that I cherish deeply and - cancer or no cancer - this definitely was one of the best Christmas' I have ever had! 

 ~ Merry Christmas ~

~ Cathy

The Day My World Changed

It was the week before Thanksgiving and I had my grocery list written and ready to go buy the food needed for my Thanksgiving dinner. I first had to stop by the medical center and get my once-a-year mammogram,  and then I'd be on my way shopping. The mammogram went as usual - the awful squishing of the boobs - but this time I was told they wanted to do an untrasound too. OK. That was taken and before I knew it the radiologist had come in and told me they had found a mass in my left breast. What did that mean?  He said a biopsy needed to be done. That was scheduled for the following week.

The fear was overwhelming and the waiting was unbearable.  We had Thanksgiving as usual and I didn't say anything to my children.  Why worry them if it wasn't necessary, right?  Finally the day came and my husband and I went in to find out the results.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. McBroom, the results show you have breast cancer." That was the day my world changed.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I was in shock. And I was scarred!  The next few weeks were spent finding doctors, scheduling appointments and trying to adjust with the fact I have cancer.  The big "C" word word had always scarred me and it was so very hard to believe that I now had it.  My breast looked the same as always - no lumps, no sore spots - maybe they had made a mistake?  But no, it was real - I had breast cancer!

Sharing the news with my grown children was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  The anguish and shock on their faces said it all.  I tried to be strong and encouraging to them while all the while shaking on the inside with my own fears.  At this point we didn't know what stage, how advanced, and what my prognosis was.

As it turned out, I had Stage One, Invasive Carcinoma.  My onocologist said that the tumor was very small and it was a very good thing they caught it early.  Surgery was scheduled for January.

Within the week of my diagnosis my father-in-law died suddenly.  Two major blows so close together.  Our hearts were broken as we headed to Tennessee for the funeral.  We returned home the week before Christmas.  How could I find joy this Christmas season with so much saddness?

Sometimes life is just overwhelming! It's almost more than we can handle.  In the midst of trials and pain - only the Lord's comfort, and his strength can get us through.

Praying this Christmas season will be one of overwhelming PEACE & JOY.

~ Cathy

Let the leaves fall

I'm ready for . . .

hoodies, hot cocoa

boots, jeans, warm scarves

 cozy blankets,

crisp air, flushed checks

pumpkin patches, falling leaves

books, a roaring fire

football and holidays

It's that time of year again where the days are getting shorter, the leaves are turning beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange, and the air is crisp and clean.  Fall is here!  This time of year ushers in some of the best holidays of the year! Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!  When I think of fall I think expectation! Expectation of coming months and how much I love them!  ~ Cathy

I Dare You

I am recopying this post from one I recently read that is a beautiful reminder to us to always be aware of the opportunities God gives us to share his love with others.

(Written by Amy Byrd)  

She sat next to me on the plane. She sat at the window, and me, in the dreaded middle seat (I always have a hard time figuring out the arm rest when I sit in the middle.) :)

Although we were politely keeping to ourselves at first---We bonded instantly as we both laughed at the guy on my other side. He was  snoring so loudly that our seats were vibrating before the plane even took off, poor guy.

That’s all it took.

She began to share her story.  He cheated, lied and betrayed her. Now, here she was . . . starting over.  I could see in her eyes that she still could not believe that what once was an African Safari honeymoon, has now turned into a move across the country to start all over again. 

For a moment, her lips were moving and I was literally talking to God while she was talking and didn’t hear several seconds of what she had just said.  I felt so strongly God had put us together.  He knows everything of mine and with calculated intention intercepted our lives. 

This makes me feel more challenged than ever to speak words of life into others.

It’s so easy to exchange a few pleasantries with someone near you.  Might I dare to see someone near as an opportunity?  Might I dare to be a woman that would not only allow kindness to come from my mouth but Truth to be shared?

I love this "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

I want to have that kind of courage and listening ear to God's voice so when He puts someone in my path I will share kindness and Truth. ~ Cathy

Vacation Here We Come!

If I were to choose a destination for a summer vacation you probably wouldn't think I'd choose a hot, dusty campground in Northern California.  But I did!  And it was one of the best vacations I've ever had!  Why?  Because I was with the man I love, my three grown children and their spouses, and my ten grandchildren!!  With everyone so busy in their lives we very seldom get together for more than just an evening or a holiday.  So the time I got to spend with them was very precious!  

When our kids were growning up we always went to Lake Siskiyou near Mt. Shasta every summer for big family campouts.  Grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. came and joined us and through the years we we made so many happy memories together.  But as the kids got older and had families of their own we eventually stopped going. So this summer we all decided to go back and make some new memories with the grandkids that had never been there.  So we piled in our cars and off we drove down to California. 

After a long nine hour drive we all pitched our tents in a big dusty, group campsite. It had the familiar smell of fresh air and pine needles that brought back so many memories of long ago. And then we spent the week relaxing and just enjoying one another. 

We sat around the campfire and reminisced, we laughed, we played games, we swam, we laid in the hot sun, we hiked, we fished, we played beach volleyball, built sand castles with the little ones, and talked about the goodness of the Lord.  We just vegged out!  No time schedules, no TVs, no computers, no video games, no distractions - just each other!  And it was wonderful!! 

I am so very blessed to have such an awesome family that I love deeply and can share life with. And now another generation has come to Lake Siskiyou and made some wonderful camping memories of their own.

And so the tradition continues!

I loved it!

Cathy

Seahawks Fever

It's was a great day when my husband and I got to go to the Seahawk Camp as a guests of one of the players!  We were able to be right on the field and saw a day full of action and fun as well as free food and  lots of introductions to some of the many players!

Never thought I'd get this close to Russell Wilson and some of the other Seahawks but found out no matter how famous - most seemed like really nice guys!  Go Hawks!!  ~ Cathy

Days of Spring

Snuggles & Sleepovers

There is just something about having my grandkids over for a sleepover that puts the world right once more!  They make me smile!  They make my heart happy! I become a kid again, running around the yard playing Tag or Hide & Seek with them.  Watching them jump on the trampoline laughing makes me want to get up there and jump with them.  (Which I can't!)  We make forts out of blankets, we sing, we dance, we laugh and be silly! I love every minute of it! Finally, when they are all worn out we snuggle up on the couch with a cozy blanket and a bowl of popcorn and watch movies together. What fun we have on nights like this!

I love being with each and every one of my ten grandkids.  Now, grant it, the older ones don't want to play Hide & Seek anymore or snuggle up with "Grammy" on the couch - but it's still so fun hanging out with them and having that special time together whatever we do!

 I cherish each and every sleepover I get to have with these precious children and teenagers!  I know all too soon they will grow up and the sleepovers will end.  Humm . . . maybe someday I will  just have to do this with my great-grandchildren!  Oh my!  I will really be old then!

I love my grandkids!   ~ Cathy (a.k.a. "Grammy")

~ Like Rain Falling on the Sunshine ~

        I love Spring!   ~    Cathy

Just Breathe

    I took the day off today to  breathe.

Breathe in being just me and exhale the stress that has entwined itself around my mind.

         Unwind. Regroup. Relax.

 My body and mind needed it desperately.

If you know me well, you know I've been helping caregive my 93 year old father.  Just recently he was in the hospital with Congestive Heart Failure.  He's home now and doing better.  But going through this with him has taken a toll not only on my normal everyday life but on my heart, too.

I feel like I'm in the "Groundhog Day" movie;

getting up and doing the same thing over and over and over again, 

day after day after day.

I'm not complaining.

Really, I'm not.

The hours spent with my Dad are treasured and cherished.

But I'm feeling overwhelmed and sad, knowing his life,

his memory, and his heart will only continue to grow

more tired as time goes on.

So, I do what must be done.

Each morning I go over and give him his pills

I cook him meals, I clean his apartment, I do his laundry

I take him to doctor appointments and the many other little

things that need to be done for him each day.

Sometimes we go for drives

sometimes we walk around Costco

 (he likes to eat the samples) 

we've even gone to Starbucks and

sat and had coffee together.

Many times we just sit and talk.

Mostly he talks and I listen to the many stories of his past

that I've heard over and over again.

But I continue to listen.

 

 He is no longer the strong, invincible father of my childhood.

I am the strong one and he, the weak.
But he is still the most kind, gentle, and sweet father
he's always been.
(With just a touch of stubbornness thrown in!)

 

I will continue to do my part in making these twilight days

of his life as happy as I can because I know each day I have left with him

is a "GIFT".

  I just needed this day to breathe. 
 

Thank you, Lord.

Cathy

                                                                             

P.S.  What did I do today to unwind, regroup, relax?  Why . . . I wrote this blog!