More Praises!

We had our appointment yesterday for my ten day blood labs. I say "we" because the two really do become one! Everything is perfect, to quote the nurse, my labs are "amazing". I love when God comforts me in such special and creative ways. If you remember when we were going after our first chemo session I asked you to pray that the Dr. would be 'amazed' at my progress and labs. We have not had one visit to that office that someone, a nurse or the doctor, did not use the word 'amazing'! God always meets me where I am and tenderly comforts me with some sort of assurance of His faithfulness. We do indeed serve an awesome God! Madi (and Reagan)and Mason and I are heading to Talladega for the weekend. We are meeting my sister and her husband there and I am really looking forward to it. We had lunch in Atlanta with some very special friends who reminded me that I can confidently ask for a miracle. Jesus, they reminded me, said that we have not because we ask not. I looked in my Bible for that familiar passage and in my search I found nine places where He promises that if we ask we will receive! That is just what I found on a quick little search in the New Testament! I will share with you this one that has touched me. Matthew 21:22 "And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." So Mason and I are reminded to continue to faithfully ask and trust God for a miracle healing of my body, and we ask you all to continue to believe as you pray without ceasing for His healing. Please continue to pray for my strength as I go through this treatment, for Mason to remain my patient encourager. Also for him to receive encouragement as he is giving so much these days. Pray as always for our children, that they will continue to trust God with their fears and concerns and to be open with us through this journey. As always, we ask that God will be glorified in all of this. Today I am thankful for a Savior who loves me so much that He has surrounded me with an army. He always knows what I need, and He so often offers me His Word through you, His body who are obediently serving. Again, thank you all for your prayers and for walking this journey with us, words cannot explain what you mean to us.

It is good to give thanks!

I sat down to write tonight and opened my Bible to Psalm 92, and it is perfect! "It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High." That is how I feel this evening. I apologize for taking so long to post, there are many reasons. One is a praise, I am sitting at my new computer as I write this! Another is that this treatment hit a little harder and a little faster than the last one did. Nothing unbearable, just wearing. I am tired and kind of yucky feeling, but this too shall pass. Another reason is that Jillian is home! It has been such a sweet time with her that I cannot pull myself away! I will get to the details of my praise for my health, which is that the chemo is working. The mass that was forming in my right breast that was measurable is less than half of its original size! The doctor was very pleased, and as we have asked, we pray that he is continuously 'amazed'! He is very encouraging, and we continue to ask for your prayers for my healing and for God to be glorified. I am so very thankful for all of you and for your love and prayers that have poured over Mason and I and our children. Tonight I am so very thankful not only for the physical healing that God is granting, but for the many blessings He has given so generously in such a short time. The kids are growing so much in their trust and faith in our Marvelous Savior. Alex seems to be settling in and God has shown her to a circle of believers and hopefully a church home! She seems to be resting in Him and we thank you for supporting her with your prayers. Jillian is beautiful and loving her job and God is truly providing a community for her of believers in Tallahassee and blessing her as she trusts Him with her life and career. Mason Thomas has become such a young man through this, Mason and I are daily grateful for how we see him grow in his faith and character. Madi Kay is just a ray of sunshine that brightens Mason and I beyond words. Thank you all for how you have supported each of us with your love and your prayers. You have all sustained us and allowed us to experience the peace and grace of God in ways that we could never have imagined.

Week of Blessings

Yay, it's Sunday! Even better, it is a Sunday that Mason and I got to go to our church together! That is always special and a perfect blessing at the end of a week of blessings. Only God can take a week that I have been dreading so deeply and turn it into such a special week of His tender mercy as He gently and lovingly carried me through and allowed so many incredible opportunities to praise Him in the process. Thank you all who prayed for the rain to be controlled so that Mason could be at church on one of those special Sundays during this long season. As you know, we had such a special time of praise and worship on Tuesday with the friends of MRO and Newsong. Yesterday we had a unique time of worship right smack dab in the middle of turn 4 at Lowe's as we attended a Christian Concert, God truly is uncontainable! More blessings as we joined an unusually large group at the pre-race Chapel with an especially powerful time of worship. It is so exciting to see His presence and hand in so many ways. The perfect end to this beautiful week was standing beside my husband and children and our StoneBridge family as we worshipped our amazing Creator! What a merciful God we serve. Tomorrow is my second chemo treatment. Please continue to pray for the chemo to be effective in destroying the cancer in my body, and for my body to be strong through the process. Pray for the nurses who will work with me and for the oncologist who is overseeing my case. Pray for them to be wise and alert, and to be touched by God as they work with me. Please pray for Mason and I to be a light, and for our peace and hope that we have through our Lord to shine through at the treatment center. I pray that I will be aware of those around me who the Lord may be calling me to share a word of encouragement with or just a smile or to pray for; that I would step outside of my carefully guarded bubble in trusting obedience. Please continue to pray for our children as they display such incredible faith throughout this journey. Thank you all for your prayers and love, you have done more than we could express. Lamentations 3:22 - 24 "Through the Lord's mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not, they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him.' "

Kisses from God.

Today was a one of the days along this journey that I have been dreading. This morning I was going about my day, trying to ignore the obvious. Hair kept falling out, tickling my nose and arms, making a mess every where I settled, and I kept trying to persevere. I did what I often do when I am frustrated, I went for a walk. I didn't even get five houses away when I texted Mason, I knew he was in a meeting but asked him if he could talk. He offered to leave the meeting, asking what was wrong. I spoke female code to him, which he is getting very good at after almost 29 years of being married to me, and he came home as soon as his meeting was over. Madi cut my hair short with scissors, and Mason used the electric hair trimmers to get it really short. Then, per the instructions we found on the internet, I took a very long shower to soften the hair folicles, and my sweet husband very tenderly shaved my head. This is a very technical description because that is how I had to address this as it all began. Mason said as he was shaving my head, a task that was neither quick nor easy, that it was not on his bucket list but he now considered it worthy. It was one of the most tender moments in our marriage. As the covering of my hair was peeled away Mason found scars, some I had stories for and others I did not. I can't explain how this one little thing deepened my relationship with my husband, but I have to say that while going through all of this was not on my bucket list either, I am thankful for having him to share this with. Tonight we went to the MRO fundraiser where I received even more blessings. I met a woman who is on a very similar journey, she is a few months ahead of me. I have met so many women who have been touched by this horrible disease, and they are always a special blessing to me. She will become a special friend, I am sure. Then Newsong did a concert. One of the singers shared a beautiful story of he and his wife's journey through cancer. She was told that there was not much hope and he shared a crazy story of how God surrounded them with their church family, of the pain of watching his wife go through all of the horrors of this disease and its treatment, and of his anger at God. He spoke of that crazy place of being mad at God yet knowing that He was their only hope and crying out to him in praise because he knew he had to. Needless to say, Mason and I sobbed through his whole story and the praise song that followed. Powerful as only God could be. We got to meet him after and shared our story. I told him about our day, he looked at Mason and said the joy of shaving your wife's head is a special one that only a few had the privilege of understanding. I told him how special the moment that I had so dreaded was, and that ending this day with an incredible time of worship was such a gift. He said that his wife finished her last treatment two years ago last January, and is cancer free. They have come to call cancer their evil friend because of all of the blessings and lessons they learned in the process. Today, he said, was a "kiss from God", and that there will be many more kisses even in the dark days that will come along this journey. The verse he shared with me that became his wife's life verse is Proverbs 31:25 "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future." Once again, I am reminded of all that I have and that He is my exceedingly great reward. I am thankful for the kiss from God today.

Hats, hats, and more hats!

I sat down earlier to write and ran my fingers through my hair; they came out with a handful of hair. I decided to cook dinner, then ???? Mason and I went shopping and I am now the proud owner of a mesh skull cap (to sleep in), six hats, and one scarf (I need Madi to go scarf shopping!). One more step in my journey. Tomorrow night, I believe, will be the wig debut, provided I am brave enough to go ahead and complete the hair loss process between now and then. Today I am thankful for my husband who brings humor into everything and loves me for who I am on the inside and is so crazy that he thinks I am going to be beautiful bald. I am thankful for my children and all of their love and support, and for all of you who are sustaining us in fellowship, love, and prayers. I am thankful for all of the oncology specialists who are amazing and truly called to do what they do. I am thankful for having cancer as fall and winter are arriving so that the hats will be less awkward to me (God knows my heart, and He loves me the same). I am thankful that the MRO concert/fundraiser just so happens to be tomorrow night so that I will be supported by our crazy and special friends there for my big debut, as Mason says, the NASCAR community is a pretty good audience to try things out on! I am thankful that I serve a God who loves me so much that He sees to all of the details in such a personal way just for me...wow! 2 Corinthians 12:9 "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

PRAISES!!!

Today was a great day filled with answered prayer. The Dr. could no longer feel the lymphnodes and the mass that was forming in my right breast is noticably reduced! This is after only one chemo treatment. We all prayed for him to be amazed and he even used that word today. He said that I am one of the "lucky" ones because of how well my body responded to the chemo. We all know that I am blessed and that luck had nothing to do with it! My blood work was "perfect", she said that there is no sign in it that I have had any chemo and my white blood cell count was a little high which means that the shot is working. All is well and we are set for October 19 at 11:00. They will check my blood again before they give me the treatment, so please keep praying. I got to go to Bible Study today, always such a joy. I cannot ever express how it feels to have so many people praying for me and my family. Mason and I speak of it often and we are so thankful for all of you and for a God who is detailed and so personally directs all of our prayers. You all pray for things that we don't even think of! I was thinking about that today and it reminded me that this has been a tiny picture for the Vincent family of what we have in Christ. In Exodus 17 Joshua was leading a battle that could not be fought alone. Moses went to the top of a hill and held up the staff of God. Only with the support of Moses did God give victory to Josua and the Israelites, when Moses let down his hands as he grew weary the enemy would prevail. Exodus 17:12 "But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other." Thank you all for being our Aaron and Hur. I found strength today in Isaiah 40, particularly verses 28, 29 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary and to him who lacks might He increases power." We serve an amazing God.

Blessings!

I went to post today and I am always so blessed by the comments I receive! Mason once said that checking the blog is like an easter egg hunt every morning! So much richer treasures are you all! Thank you. Madi and I went to a Look Good Feel Better class yesterday at the oncologists office. What a special time with other women in my situation! I was blessed by all of them and their determination to make lemonade! Tomorrow is my appointment to see the oncologist and have blood work done to see how I am doing. It is important to stay on schedule with chemotherapy but it is also important for my body to stay strong. As always, please pray that the Dr. is amazed! I always have a difficult time with allergies and the fall is especially trying. Please pray that they will ease and not wear me down. As I spent time with the Lord this morning, this is a verse that touched me. Psalm66:20 "Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!" Thank you all for your prayers, my peace at this time is amazing.

The wig is ordered. . .

I haven't posted in a few days partly because my computer is a mess and when Mason is out of town it is very frustrating to post anything! There is a new computer coming, until then I must be patient. In complete honesty, however, it has been a difficult week. Fatigue can give a foot in the door for the enemy and all kinds of crazy thoughts. I am realizing that this is a spiritual battle as well as a physical battle. Friday I went and ordered a wig, which was much more difficult than I had anticipated. I had a couple of friends go with me, I wanted to have more than Mason and Madi's opinion; I love them but I needed assurance from more than a man and a teenager, I needed a woman who was over 40! (Madi is sitting with me and wants the record to reflect that the wig I ordered is what her a Mason picked out!) Anyway, it took an emotional toll. It is a funny thing about this disease, it is so intrusive and it hurts in so many different ways. Then I feel guilty that I am so effected by it all, who would trade hair for life? I guess you see the crazy thoughts I was speaking of. Friday I walked alone for the first time since all of this started. That is very strange for me, I walk nearly everyday, and often alone. I enjoy it, it is usually a time of prayer and trying to listen to God. I have been missing that, I cannot go through this without God challenging and pushing me. I must arm myself for this battle and one of the ways I must do that is to spend time alone with Him. I realized on Friday night as I shared some of these thoughts with my amazing son, that I am going through a period of wrestling with God. Amazingly, I had a very solid confirmation, and comfort, at church today. How does God always do that? How can I doubt a God who has revealed Himself so powerfully to me in all of the details over this past month? I am better today and have so many things to be thankful for that I am having a difficult time picking what to write! I am thankful for a husband who loves the Lord and is walking this journey with me. I am thankful that in spite of all of the failures and inadequacies of Mason and I, that God has blessed us with these amazing children who love Him and are trusting in Him as they support us in this journey. I am thankful for the body of Christ who have so powerfully upheld us in love and prayer. I am thankful for the privilege of serving the Creator of the universe Who loves me so much that He will patiently guide me and comfort me as I wrestle with Him. Psalm 5:11 "But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You, let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them, let those also who love Your name be joyful in You." Please pray for me as I seek God in this, let me hear His voice and grow in my trust in Him. Please continue to pray for Mason as he supports me that he will also be supported and comforted. Please pray for the kids, that people will continue to reach out to them in love and support, and that they will trust in the Lord and find comfort and strength in Him; that they will understand that He is their exceedingly great reward. As always, please pray that my body stays strong through the chemotherapy and that the cancer will be destroyed.

Answered Prayer!

Yesterday I thought I would title this entry "Prayer for Pain", I had a shot that is supposed to increase my white blood cells and one of the side effects (and signs of it working) is bone aches. So I prayed all day yesterday that I would feel the fruit of this medicine that is supposed to help me. It was such a full day, in a very good way, that I did not get to post. I did, however, wake up in the night to bone pain, thus the name change! My praises have become for funny things these days! Yesterday was such a nice day, I got to go to Bible Study, always a blessing, then Mason and Madi and I went to try on wigs. The two of them made it so fun that the emotional side of all of that was almost completely forgotten! My lovely husband learned that God knew what He was doing and that I should not be a long haired blonde! I had a very special and uplifting walk with a very special friend, and we had our life group last night. Our life group is college kids that fill me each week with joy and blessing that I cannot describe! What a privilege to be a part of their lives. My energy was very good yesterday and I continue to praise God for His protection and provision. Between the women's study in Isaiah and our life group study in Romans, I have pondered a lot on all that has been done for me through Christ on the cross. I am so blessed, beyond measure or words. Please continue to pray for my strength, courage, and healing. Pray that my body will stay strong so that I can continue my chemotherapy on schedule, and that this treatment will destroy the cancer. Please pray for Mason as he leaves today for Kansas City, that he will have peace and feel the presence of God as He is away. Please continue to pray for our wonderful children as they continue in their lives, that they will trust in their Heavenly Father as the perfect and merciful God that He is. Psalm 84:12 "Oh Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!"