Dan’s Victory

Saturday:  I had a good, but very tiring day.  I slept in late.  We wanted to go to Bainbridge Island., but Jane wasn’t sure whether I felt okay.  I had pain behind and around my eyes, but I told her I was ready to go.  So we walked the 5 blocks or so to take the Streetcar downtown.  Then we walked 10 blocks or more to  the Brainbridge Island Ferry.  It was a nice ride, but best of all we were on the back deck and a lady came up and we started talking.  We found out she was here alone on business from Bermuda.  As we began talking, we were able to share what God was doing in our lives.  That was about the time we came to the dock at Bainbridge Island and I invited her to walk with us if she would like - not wanting her to be alone.  She accepted our offer and we soon found out she was a Christian and some things about her life, her husband and children.   As we walked through the town, we talked a lot about our churches and about things important to us in God’s Word, our faithetc.  Jane and I invited her to lunch and treated her, which surprised her.  Jane and I planned on being back to the apartment at 2 o’clock, but all of a sudden it was after 3:30 p.m.  Lisa (the woman we invited to go with us) invited us to stay with her family anytime we want to go to Bermuda!  Nice invitation.  It was a long walk back to the apartment from the ferry and I was exhausted and a bit concerned that I had overdone it.  I took a nap and we ate and relaxed the rest of the evening.  I had to stay up late because I hadn’t done the hydration which I usually do in the morning and then had to do the medication hydration (that is a total of 5 hours).  I slept on the couch for awhile during hydration, but had to get up and put everything away before I went to bed.  It was a good day though.

Sunday:  I was tired since I got up at 6:30 a.m. to attend church (we got permission from the nurse) at TCAL. We wanted to attend the early service so had to be there by 9 a.m. We got there about 10 minutes early and were warmly greeted when we came into the church.  In fact, to our surprise, the people in the foyer started clapping.  Boy, was that humbling - I know they really were giving God glory for bringing us back (It’s been almost 4 months!).  After greeting time Pastor Dave asked me to come forward and say something to the congregation.  I shared a little how God has brought me through and reminded them that God is trustworthy.  We can trust Him, and it is pretty dumb not to trust God!  He then asked the congregation to stand and pray with him, a prayer for me.  We still have another month at Fred Hutch, but do hope to be able to be in church at TCAL every Sunday.  We checked out a large garden on the church property that Denise (Pastor’s wife) has planted and had some help preparing.  It is a beautiful garden with lots of produce which she is planning on being able to use to give to those in need.  We arrived home and ate lunch.  And thank you, Pat, for the lunch, and Denise for the garden vegetables.  The rest of the day, I told Jane I planned on resting!  This in resting?!

Ps 20:7-8 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.  They are brought to their knees and fall, we rise up and stand firm.
Ps 22:5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

May God guide you through your day!
Dan

I had a good, busy day today, but I’ll tell more about that tomorrow…

The following was taken from Moments of Peace in the Presence of God:

God’s Strength is Enough

“Powerful is Your arm! Strong is Your hand! Your right hand is liftd high in glorious strength.”(Ps. 89:13)

To small childrren, an adult must look like a giant. You loom over them and stoop down to pick them up in your arms. In the instant you do, however, your intimidating strength blurs into a single gesture of tenderness. Sometimes that’s how you see God — vast and mighty and towering in strength high above you. The moment he folds you is his arms, however, you remember that he is, after all, your loving God.

When you grow weak and afraid, the image of God’s strong arms brings a fresh reminder of His nearness. God is quick to save when you call on Him, and He promises to keep you in the palm of His hand. There, safe in His grasp, you find the courage and strength to do whatever He asks of you.

Psalm 136:12-13 - With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for His mercy endures forever. To Him which divided the Red Sea into parts: for His mercy endures forever.

Have a woonderful, God blessed day,

Dan

Thursday and Friday,  June 25-26, 2009

These two days have been interesting and good days. Friday - Had a pretty good night sleep. Slept in but not too much. Blood draw and then saw the nutritionalist. She said we (Jane) is doing great making sure I get the sodium and the protein I need. She said we will take next week off from seeing her since we are doing so good. One positive! We also had a clinic, as it is called, with the two doctors and a nurse. I was told I no longer need to take the liquid medicine that is in the corn oil - at least for now. It is a “mild” steroid that only affects the wall of the digestive tract. Since the stomach stuff - purping whenever I walked too fast or uphill -seemed to be going away they wanted to see what would happen if I no longer took it. If I do not have to go back on it then they are going to take me off or at least reduce the amount of it I am presently taking. Second positive! After lunch I had a real nice nap as Jane went to curves. Third positive! Naps are nice! The evening went well and not nausea. Fourth positive!

Friday - Stayed up too late last night (11:30) and then was up getting rid of liquid 5 - 6 time, and then woke again at 3:50 a.m. Not good! But I was able to hook up the liter of hydration at that time and did some sleeping on the couch (One positive!), and hydration was done by 8 a.m. (Two positives). After breakfast (with no nausea - Third positive) and Jane and I went to the clinic and had a blood draw (I guess that would have to be considered the fourth positive) and then not only the bone marrow aspiration but also with it a bone marrow biopsy (fifth positive - but not particularly pleasant!) But it will show how well the stem cell transplants are working. A good nap at the apartment followed and dinner at a near-by restaurant. A good restful evening - at noon Jane beat me again in cards but we tied at Phase 10 which barely ever happens.

Be sure to be praying for Dick. His shoulder is still being a problem as is his knee. Now his jaw has been giving him trouble - one day on one side and then the next day of the other side as well. Pray for him!

Read these through a few times. Let them sink in to your heart. They may well be helpful to you in some way today! God’s Word will not return void!

Jer.10 :23-24 – I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. Correct me, Lord, but only with justice, not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing.
I Cor. 1:8-9 –He WILL KEEP YOU STRONG TO THE END, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is FAITHFUL. :29-31 — … no one can boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 2:9 – “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. … no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

God give you an exceptionally great day!

Dan

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.

The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
“We must do something about father,” said the son.
“I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.
Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded,
“Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.
“The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words struck the parents so that they were speechless.
Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.
Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens,
how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:

a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I’ve learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents,
you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.

I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.”

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands.
You need to be able to throw something back.

I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you
But, if you focus on God, your family, your friends, the needs of others,
your work, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

This came to me by email from a friend.

Jesus said, ”

Matthew 22:

³⁷Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Dan

Tuesday, we had no appointments so we slept in a bit.  Jane went to Harborview Medical to visit her dad.  I felt I shouldn’t be in a hosptial because of the germs, so I did stuff on my computer and took a nap (I think).  I didn’t have nausea all day and had even forgotten the nausea pill before dinner.

Wednesday, we had to be in Puyallup by 9:45 a.m. for Jane’s MRI.  (On the way we listened to one of Pastor Dave’s sermons.)  The MRI took a lot longer than we expected - a couple hours.  Part of that time I walked up to Rainier Oncology where I had been treated before my oncologist sent me up here to Fred Hutchinson.  I wanted to just say “hi.”  I found out Dr. McCroskey is off on Wednesdays.  But, I did get to see three of the people I know there.  On the way to our house, we went at Costco.  Then we went to McGlenden as we needed to replace our garbage disposal.  We then went to our home and dropped off the things we purchased that others will be needing who are helping with our dog etc. and picked up our mail which our neighbor is picking up daily for us.  I took a nap in the car on the way back to Seattle (I’m not supposed to drive) and Jane took one when we got there.  We relaxed the remainder of the evening. It is important to note that I’ve had only a little pain in my back once in a while.  I am being faithful to doing exercises every evening - that has helped.   Also I haven’t had nausea now for three days.

Jane’s dad was released from the hospital today.  Doctors felt like he was no longer at risk.  I am not sure what they found in regards to the suspected anuerism, since Jane didn’t ask that many questions of him when she called him this morning.  He was just getting ready to go home and she found him a ride home.  So even more good news!  Thank you, Lord, and that all of you for praying for him.

Oh, I just thought of this:  When people leave the The Pete Gross House, they put nice items or clothes on a shelf that they don’t want to take home.  It is for anyone here (cancer patients or caregivers) to have.  If you ever feel like you want to donate something to residents at The Pete Gross House, the address is Manager, The Pete Gross House, 525 Minor Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109.  Include a note that this is a donation to any of the cancer patients, caregivers, families to be left at the shelf on the 1st Floor Lobby.

Dan

Ps 7:10 My shield is God Most High,
Ps 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. 18 But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

Tomorrow I will get you undated for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Dan

AWESOME GOD

Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food.
According to the Quartermaster General in the Army, it is reported that Moses would have to have had 1500 tons of food each day. Do you know that to bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each at least a mile long would be required! Besides you must remember, they were out in the desert, so they would have to have firewood to use in cooking the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a  mile long, just for one day. And just think, they were forty years in transit. And, oh yes, they would have to have water. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day and a freight train with tank cars, 1800 miles long, just to bring water! And then another thing! They had to get across the Red Sea at night. Now, if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So there had to be a space in the Red Sea, 3 miles wide so that they could walk 5000 abreast to get over in one night. But then, there is another problem……………each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds the size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles long…. think of it! This much space for camping. Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed in God. God took care of these things for him. Now do you think God has any problem taking care of all your needs?

The Lord will bless you, guide you and protect you as you go along your way, or should I say HIS WAY. His love is always with you, His promises are true; and when we give Him all our cares, we know He will see us through. Our God is an Awesome God!!
So when the road you’re traveling on seems difficult at best remember to pray (and ask others to pray too) and God will do the rest.

(Although I made a few personal changes at the end to help make this applicable to you, all the statistics were sent to me over the internet by a friend.)

Sunday was a busy day.  We couldn’t go to church, but Dawn, Danica, and Hannah were here.  Dawn wanted to take us to brunch for Father’s Day.  The first place we went had an hour wait, so we walked back the 4 blocks and another 3 blocks but that was an adult only pub/restaraunt.  So we went one more block up the street to a restaurant that would would open 15 minutes and they let us in early.  It was a good meal, even to me!  After Dawn and girls left for Vancouver, we took off to Jane’s brother’s home in Lakewood to celebrate their father’s Fathers Day.  Jane’s dad and his wife (her mom died about 30 years ago and he remarried about 28 years ago.) arrived there too.  So, we had three fathers there.  At about 4 - 5 o’clock we came back to Seattle, relaxed for the evening and went to bed a little early.  It was a tiring but good day! 

Monday started a bit for lazy.  We went to the clinic for a blood draw and nasal wash.  That was it!  We got home and  Jane went to Curves and I was suppose to spend the time while she was gone taking a nap.  But John C. called about visiting (he was only about 10 minutes from here).  So, I was glad to see him and spend some time and show him around and talk about how things are going not only with him but also Chuck A.  Jane got back when we were coming down from the roof garden.  We recognized what super view we will have of the fireworks at the Seattle Center on the Space Needle!

Just after lunch Jane’s sister-in-law called and told us Jane’s dad had been airlifted to Harborview Medical Center about 10-15 minutes from our place.  So, we went to visit.  They are not yet exactly sure what was wrong with him, but it could have been an aneurism.  I stayed a few minutes with Dad, but told a nurse about my multiple myeloma treatment and asked if there were people there who could give me problems.  She talked to another nurse, brought me a mask and suggested I stay in a one-family waiting room.  So from here on I probably should not visit Dad in the hospital, but Jane will be able to.  I know Dad will understand.  We got home and I told Jane we needed to go to a restaurant since I didn’t want her to have to make dinner.  So, we went to an Irish Pub we had heard about and the food was really good and just in case you are wondering, we had only water to drink!  I took a nausea pill before we went to dinner and had no trouble with nausea.  I continue to feel stronger and walk faster.  The next verses clearly explain how I feel:

Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I have …. Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation. (Ps. 111:1)
Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for ever. (Ps. 113:1-2)

Dan

I’ll tell you about the day tomorrow and Monday’s events etc. also.

I hope what is below is helpful to you especially if you are going through a tough time right now.

Dan

TAKEN FROM AN E-MAIL SOMEONE SENT ME:

Sometimes we wonder, “What did I do to deserve
this?” or “Why did God have to do this to me?”

Here is a wonderful explanation!

A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong: She’s failing algebra.
Her boyfriend broke up with her. AND her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter
if she would like a snack, and the daughter says,
“Absolutely, Mom, I love your cake.”
“Here, have some cooking oil,” her Mother offers.
“Yuck,” says her daughter.
“How about a couple raw eggs?”
“Gross, Mom!”
“Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?”
“Mom, those are all yucky!”
To which the mother replies:
“Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves.
But when they are put together in the right way,
they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

God Works The Same Way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all
in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually,
they will all make something wonderful! God is CRAZY about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen.
GOD can live anywhere in the universe and He chose your heart.

I missed a couple days, but I had good days.  Thursday’s appointments went well.  Again the doctors here are following the advice of the kidney doctor at UW Medical Center, who The Hutch doctors say, is an excellent and thorough doctor.  As a result, I was put on two other medications.  I feel like I have that well charted now, so I shouldn’t forget, along with Jane’s reminders. In the appointment today, I was told that things are going well and the most important thing they have to do now is to balance properly the medications that reduce my resistance so Dick’s stem cells can more easily take over and at the same time prevent his from taking over too quickly because that is when they will attack major organs in my body.  He said he has to have one foot on the gas and another on the brake.  We found out from the nutritionist that Jane is doing fine increasing the sodium I am taking is, but now she has to work at getting more protein into me.  I am eating about half the protein I should be.  Jane was at at the First Aid Class in Olympia, so Randy was here in her place.  She returned Thursday evening.

Friday, I didn’t have any appointments and it was Jane’s brother’s wife’s birthday, so we took them  out to dinner at Olive Garden there in Tacoma.  Dawn, our daughter, met me at our house there since Jane had a doctor’s appointment in Tacoma. It was again good to see things at the house being taken care by Scott.  Also John is staining our house which I know I can’t do. Also a couple of my wife’s friends from her school came and pulled weeds.  It was hard for me to leave the outdoors alone!  After dinner, Dawn and her girls headed to Seattle with Jane and I.

Today, we had no appointments at the Hutch.  We had reservations to sail aboard a large sailboat.  This schooner, Mallory Todd, takes cancer patients and thier families on two hour trips around Lake Union at no cost.  It hold about 40 people and 4 deck hands. On our trip, there were about 30 people. We wven saw the boat house that was in the movie, Sleepless in Seattle. Dawn got to steer it, and so did both Danica and Hannah (her girls, our grandchildren).  Later, we enjoyed a visit by Bryan and Loretta Mangum.

I am having less difficulty with nausea and more energy (as long as I take a nap or two during the day).  I am able to walk up hills easier and am learning to take deeper breaths when I do more strenuous things.  God continues to heal me as He is answering your prayers.  Thank you!

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps. 4:8)

No deadbolt or bar at the window can replace the serenity that comes from trusting God for your security. Because of His night watch over you, you can crawl into bed and sleep the deep slumber of a child, comforted by the knowledge that God is guarding you body and soul. (Moments of Peace…)

“I can lie down and go to sleep, and I will wake up again, because the Lord gives me strength.” (Ps. 3:5)

I was keeping busy and then when it is time for bed, I finally remembered to write the update.  I should also say that I was advised to not write every day but rather a couple days a week.  I am thinking about doing that, but each day post something that you may be able to apply to your life and your relationship of God and to others.

On Tuesday, I was still having a little trouble with nausea before dinner even when I took the nausea pill.  We had no appoinments, so we spent time walking - in fact, a hour and a half!  Good exercise!  One of the delivery guys who brings my hydration stuff when I am running out (this is the first time he had brought something) said “You are the picture of health! Why are you here?”  [at The Pete Gross House Apartments which are just for cancer patients and their caregivers]. That gave me a quick opportunity to tell him that I had multiple myeloma and 2 stem cell transplants and even more important how God has brought me through - to be sure He got the glory.  My story!

On Wednesday, we had one appointment with the kidney doctor at The University of Washington Medical Center.  He said the creatinine number had gone up a little as he had expected with not hydrating as much liquid.  He said the blood tests showed that my kidneys are not properly producing Vitamin D which the calcium needs to be absorbed into my body.  So he is putting me on a special type of rx Vitamin D.  He again stated that my kidneys are workiing at about 45% and that is not something that can be improved, but it can be stopped from getting worse - which is his objective.  He said I will have to regularly have my kidneys checked once I get back to Tacoma.  He also said I should no longer be pushing down liquids, but I am to be sure I get a drink whenever I am thirsty (which I previously had not done - difficult as a junior high teacher).  Again, he stated he does not see any reason to do a kidney biopsy as it really won’t show anything that he doesn’t already know.  Later Jane and I walked to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Office which is about 8 blocks from our apartment - and then walked back after talking to their receptionist. (Paperwork with them I was trying to avoid and it worked.)

“Through oral histories you learn what went on before you, and through them you pass on what has happened in your own life stories so that time will not erase your experences. Erecting personal memorials of your life — stories, photo albums, family traditions, prayer journals, and the like — commemorates the blessings that come your way. When you “tell of what He has done,” you are twice blesses in seeing the joy it brings to others and in the reliving of your story.” (Moments of Peace in the Presence of God)

That is much of the purpose in my jouraling since 2005 when all of this started, and now sharing with you daily what God is doing in my life now. I hope you will do something like this devotion book I quoted suggests: stories, photo albums, family traditions, prayer journals, and the like.  God richly bless your day and your night!

Dan