The Best of Times; The Worst of Times!

About nine months ago, our world was rocked.
I found a lump and tests confirmed that it was breast cancer.  The oncologist gave it a longer and more complicated name, but we just decided to call it Trouble.
Trouble entered our life and made us feel all freaked out.

"What?" I cried out, "Cancer?  I can't have cancer!
I'm too young!
I have too many kids!  Who will be there to raise up Liam? Donovan?  Gwen?  Lochlan?
What about Paul?  My husband needs ME to be strong!
Plus I am WAY too busy to be sick!
Who will teach the kids?
Take care of the house?
Do the laundry?
What about all the things I still want to do?
The places I still need to hike?
The growing old that I want to do?
There must be some mistake!"

But God doesn't make mistakes.
He heard my cries - I mean, it would have been hard NOT to have heard them.....they were pretty loud and wet.
He heard the cries of Paul, myself and our children intertwined, like a messy harmony being raised up to heaven.
He heard our cries and He delivered us from our distress.  Not the trouble, mind you, but the distress.
He took our sorrow, our anxiety and our pain and He comforted us with His love.
I am here, He said.
Do not be afraid, He said.
Do not be discouraged, He said, see all these people who love you.  They will help you out for a while.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" I raged, "I can't do this!  It makes me feel sick and I am a terrible sick person!  I don't want to have needles!  I don't like relinquishing my rigid schedule!  This is too hard!"

Be still, He said, and know that I am God.  I am your strength.  I am your refuge.  I am always here even when trouble comes to visit.

And so the days rapidly turned into weeks and the weeks into months and here I am:  Chemotherapied, surgically-altered, and radiated to a fine, reddish hue.

"Wow," Paul and I said to each other today, "it's done!"

We met with the Radiologist today.  We will meet with her again in a few weeks.
Then a mammogram in a few months for Miss Remaining-Breast.
And a follow-up appointment to be followed by a yearly follow-up appointment.
And some medications that need to be taken daily.

But, other than that, we are DONE!

I left radiation for the last time today.  Radiation Rush #25.  Two of the Radiation Therapists shadowed me and Paul as we made our way to the celebration bell hanging in the hallway.  There is a bell in the bowels of the Juravinski Centre too!  It has an identical purpose to the one hanging in the Chemotherapy Suite on the third floor; the bell hangs ready to be rung with GUSTO in order to celebrate loudly the completion of treatment.

With Paul and the two Radiation Therapists as my audience, I rang that bell.

Loudly.

Tonight, Paul and I went out for dinner with Liam, Donovan, Gwen and Lochlan.  It was a glorious celebration!  We are so thankful that the treatments are complete.  We are so thankful that this journey has been characterized by many joyful and blessed moments alongside the bloody and yucky ones.
One of our kids even described it as "fun".

I'm not sure I would have gone with "fun" as the adjective to describe these past nine months.
Perhaps "fortifying" or "uplifting"or "interesting and educational".
Whatever the correct adjective may be, tonight we give thanks.
Thank-you, God, for always hearing our cries and delivering us from our distress.  For comforting us.  For stilling our storms.
You are so good.
Your love endures forever.

Cheers!
Thank you for reading and for your prayers for our family.
Much of today's blog is inspired by Psalm 107 and Psalm 46.
Go forth and check them out.

God bless.
Brigette & Paul, Liam, Donovan, Gwen and Lochlan