HALLELUJAH!

Halleujah! I feel good today (Saturday). It's Jesus, Prednisone, and Xanax (?; a calming drug, taken only as needed), and MOSTLY Jesus. We've been joking this morning around the house about my effervescence, and I said with hand on hip and a twinkle in my eye, "Now, you know good and well this is how I always am—bubbly and joke-filled." Besides Pred and Zan occasionally, I'm on an anti-seizure and an acid med to help with all the OTHER meds. Ugh! I hate meds.

The family said to me, "Hey, give me some of that Xanax (?), and my friend Sandra stopped by on Thursday night before the neurosurgeon's appt.. She offered to go to Mayo and get my MRI on CD for my neurosurgeon to see. She offered some valium all around to the family, and we joked that we'd have a valium party, or go get us some wine either one! And you have to understand the joke of that, because we are a family of almost 30 ministers and wives and are teetotalers and don't drink a drop of wine or alcohol. I call us the Levites, who were the priestly tribe in Israel.

Back to the Valium, Sandra takes it rarely, for TMJ; something new to her. Of course we didn't take her up on her offer, though I wished I had, come Friday morning when I only got three hours of sleep. Went to bed at 4 a.m. after sitting up all night folding clothes, watching Christian TV, etc. Or was that Wednesday night? Anyway, lots of sleeplessness for me, sorta my norm. However, my fam. doc. prescribed Ambien, oh yes, that was Thurs. night?, so me and Ambien got along just great the last two nights.

The surgery is schedule for Thursday at 7:30 a.m. We had to have a conference room for me to see the neurosurgeon because of my entourage. Seven of us, with five more arriving Friday. The food is flowing in from our dear, dear church, and we're all hoping not to gain too much weight. Tom Coughlin's (from NFL cookbook) fresh apple cake with apples picked in North Carolina last week was a hit, as well as the pork roast and trimmings, homemade lentil soup, succulent roast beef and trimmings, honey baked turkey, and more, more, more. I've thanked and thanked and thanked, and I say, "Lord, bless their socks off for being so kind to me and mine." Man, their cooking is good! Oh, and another woman, Ann, came and cleaned my wood floors and carpet because I was on the phone all day Thursday. God bless her.

Speaking of her, she slipped a black and silver bracelet on me and told me to wear it. "Kristy," Ann said,"three weeks ago, I bought this bracelet, and the charm says "God," but I didn't see "God." I saw "Kristy," and I have worn it for you the last three weeks and have been praying earnestly for you. Wow! My eyes tear up thinking about that. God laid me on her heart three weeks ago. The supernatural part of this entire journey for me, is, I'm phobic of doctor stuff. I admit it. I hate to label because I don't want to "give the devil any glory," but I'm also a realist in my faith and can admit to the Lord where I need help, and then He comes alongside me (the Paracletos, the Greek for Holy Spirit, The One Who Walks Along Beside Us), and pours on the answers, blessings, and glory.

Norma (my sister-in-law) spent hours on the computer last night checking out my doctor and his credentials, and people are calling like crazy with recommendations of doctors, treatment centers, and treatments, and we are weighing them all. When they're cutting into your brain and sucking out stuff (that's what he's going to do), you want the best doctor you can find. A parishioner came over this morning and he and Norma did further research. He's the head of imagine at a large hospital, and has been a tremendous help.

The doctor said he hopes to get all of the tumor out, and he used lots of technical language, but we're smart people J and could understand everything. I may lose more sight and may not. I may wake up not being able to speak or hear, BUT he thinks it will return soon (that is, if it even happens). It's not in the motor part of the brain, so that's good he said. He also said he can't confirm if it is the glioma until he gets it out and lets the pathologist look at it on the operating table and then a freeze type lab thing which will come back in three days.

Excuse any typos. I'm in a hurry. Hundreds of emails and calls keep coming. Please know I love you all and will get to the emails as soon as I possibly can.

Pictures (more will follow on another post):
1. Me with my hero husband, Milton.

2. My black and silver bracelet from Ann; my turquoise and gold bracelet inherited from my darling mother Grace; my gold Egyptisn braclet from my daughter Julie (a precious story behind it.). I'm holding my roll-on anointing oil from Israel inherited from my darling Aunt Tine; it's in my purse, and everybody I come in contact with someone, I'm now asking them to anoint me with oil according to James 5:14: "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord."

3. Me and my beautiful daughters. One lives in San Juan, one in Tampa.

4. Our music pastor Mike playing How Great Thou Art. Notice the antique lamps and my piano lamp are turned sideways so they won't fall off while he plays. He plays magnificently. We raised our hands and cried as he played.

5. Our music pastor and wife Dana anointing me with oil and praying, according to James 5:14.

6. "Words from the Lord" people have given me.

7. My sister-in-law Norma who doles out my meds. In front of her is Tom Coughlin's fresh apple cake (from NFL cookbook). A church member made it.

One other thing: I know some people have prayed in faith during dire sicknesses and died. We're pastors; we've sat through illness and death situations untold times. When the doctor who delivered my diagnoses at Mayo on Wednesday evening remarked that he'd delivered this diagnoses to many, many people and that he'd never seen anyone take it so calmly, I said, "Doctor, we're pastors, and I'm on prayer chains and our family and pastor friends are praying for me, and that's why I'm so calm.

Some of you reading this have had loved ones who have died from sickness, perhaps from cancer. I don’t know the ins and outs of God's ways; I don't know the ins and outs of healing. But I DO know that I am trusting God with all of this. I'm believing with all of my heart that I WILL LIVE AND NOT DIE. I have been given lots of "words from the Lord." Many have said God isn't finished with me yet, that I WILL LIVE to tell this story, and that this story will help many, many people. So I believe that.

I went into this saying, "After my diagnosis on Wed. evening, we drove straight to church and told our church people. I said, "If I die, I'll just get to see my darling mother in heaven that much sooner. If I live, God will use me in a VERY UNUSUAL way." My faith is that He is going to spare my life for A SPECIAL PURPOSE.

Amen and amen. Milton's taken the babies to the zoo this afternoon and the girls of the fam. who are here are going to the mall. Adios.