Thursday, January 2, 2014

Processing.........

First Baptist Church, Lebanon, TN - December 14, 2013

This was the scene from the balcony of the church about one hour prior to the wedding ceremony of my niece.  It was quiet, peaceful and one of the most beautiful settings I'd experienced in a long time.  Bill and I simply "sat" with our thoughts, emotions, fears and excitement.  For so many weeks prior to the wedding, we had no idea if we'd even be able to be there, so we also sat there with tears of joy and thanksgiving.  The ceremony was simple, elegant and perfect.  She was a beautiful bride and we couldn't be prouder of her.  We are so thankful that she chose to attend the University of Tennessee for her undergrad studies and now is in her second year of Vet School also at UT.  We will have her here for another couple of years and secretly wish she might join a Vet Practice locally so we can keep her forever.
 
 Aunt Sharon, Uncle Bill and Niece April
December 14, 2013

Not the greatest picture in the world of Bill and me....I think our weariness shows both in our posture and our faces.  Bill was less than three weeks out from his last chemo treatment and the trip wore him out, but like I said, we were just thankful to be there!


December 14, 2013

I wanted you to see this picture so you could see our other niece, April's younger sister, of whom we are equally proud, plus my gorgeous sister and brother-in-law!  April honored me by asking to wear MY wedding veil and I thought it worked perfectly with her dress.  It has been almost 37 years since that veil was worn the first time!

We had a wonderful Christmas!  Bill's strength has returned slowly, but steadily.  We have taken full advantage of our first holiday season in the condo by entertaining small groups several times and hosting my family's Christmas celebration.  It has been just what we both needed - precious time surrounded by friends and family.  

The New Year rolled in quietly and peacefully.  I am not the least bit embarrassed to tell you we were both sound asleep at the stroke of midnight.  We spent yesterday taking down Christmas decorations, talking about the challenges we faced in 2013 and making plans for 2014 which will also begin with more challenges.  

Bill had his post-Chemo PET Scan this past Monday and we will meet with his Radiation Oncologist next Tuesday to discuss results and determine where we go from here.  We are told that radiation is in his future no matter what the scan tells us "as a precaution!"  He is not looking forward to that, but in his usual fashion, is facing it head on and doing everything he can NOW to pave the way by being as healthy as he can.  He is eating well and gaining weight.  I am reading everything I can get my hands on about what he will be able to eat while undergoing radiation and how I can help him be creative in getting calories in his body!  

We are just so very, very ready for this to be in his past and he be given a clean slate!  We've already spent many hours discussing what we will do with this clean slate and how we will be different.  I'll be sharing some of our thoughts in upcoming posts!  In the meantime, I hope that each of you are looking forward to 2014 with anticipation and remembering 2013 more for what you gained than what you lost!

Thanks So Much for Continuing to Read Gains and Losses!
Your Support Has Meant the World To Me!

17 comments:

  1. What can I say other than I wish you well and all the best for the new year. I hope Bill continues to improve (us Bills have to stick to gether) so keep rocking on.

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  2. Best wishes in 2014. We were asleep well before midnight too!

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  3. Aw, I love the Christmas themed wedding!! You all look wonderful!

    I hope 2014 brings you both improved health and lasting memories. Thanks for keeping us informed!

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  4. Your niece was a beautiful bride! Glad to hear you had a good holiday and that Bill is regaining his strength. Fingers crossed that this next round of treatment passes quickly and uneventfully.

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  5. Great to hear from you Sharon --and to hear that you both had a wonderful Christmas. I am busy taking down our Christmas today…. I got all of the outside ones in yesterday --before the rains…

    Looked like a beautiful wedding. Great photo of you and Bill. Love your dress… So pretty. And Bill looks GREAT….

    Best of everything for a tremendous 2014… You two will do it!!!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  6. What a beautiful family...inside and out. I can see the gentle soul in every person in each photo. I am so glad you had that event at this time in your lives. I will continue to pray every day for you and Bill, and for his recovery.

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  7. Great photos, Sharon. So glad you could make the wedding. Good for you for researching in advance. Take care of yourself, too. Hard to do, but essential. Thinking and praying for safe travels for you and Bill this 2014.

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  8. Well, very good to hear from you! I think that's a really good picture of you and Bill!

    Don't you think you need to get a dog so your niece will have a good reason to join a local vet practice : ))

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  9. I'm glad you made it to the wedding, and you both still look wonderful!

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  10. I thought you both looked great in the photo. I also think it is the first shot of you I've seen not in hiking gear!!!

    I wish for you a happy and healthy new year.
    Lori

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  11. Glad to see you both had a great holiday season. Nice to see you all fancied up for a change! Been thinking of you and Bill...I got my results from my upper GI the day after Christmas and have to go in to have my esophagus cells destroyed. They are still mutating and killing them could give me a clean slate to restart with so most likely I will soon be posting about that journey once insurance gives the go-ahead on the procedure. Bill's lucky to have you home to do all that food research and planning, keep up the positive attitude!

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  12. I thought that was a very nice picture of you and Bill! Here is to a much better 2014 for both of you.

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  13. What an absolutely beautiful setting for a wedding. I hope that you get that clean slate; it is wonderful for you to keep looking into food options! I know that when my aunt had radiation, she talked about the dietary restrictions being difficult.

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  14. I think you both look strong and happy. I'm thrilled you were there and Bill was feeling well enough for the occasion. It certainly was beautiful. I look forward to hearing your plans for your future. I know it will continue to be a loving one as soon as you get past this roadblock we are all too familiar with. As your niece starts out on this new journey of her own, she is lucky to have you both as wonderful role models of a loving long lasting marriage.

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  15. What a great photo of you and Bill! (And the others, of course.)

    Wishing you both a joyful 2014! It won't be without hurdles and icky spots, but that should just make the other side even more joyous.

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  16. Love the photos - what a beautiful bride and lovely church. What a blessing that you could make the wedding. Prayers and good thoughts for you both as you move onto the next phase of treatment.

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