Hello, friends! After weeks of preparing for surgery, enduring surgery, and slowly recovering from surgery, it’s so good to be back at my desk with fingers on the keyboard again. I’ve missed you and can’t wait to share some exciting news with you! But first, allow me to get you up to speed on my health issues.
Several months ago, a suspicious looking spot was found on my right kidney. Due to insurance restrictions, the additional testing needed for a diagnosis was slow in coming. The testing and confirmed diagnosis stretched into the holidays: renal cell carcinoma.
I would need a partial right nephrectomy. The tumor, along with part of my kidney, would need to be removed. Thus, the surgery that’s held my attention this past few weeks.
Surgery is now over and believed to be a success. And I’m so very thankful. I’ll share more of this journey and God’s goodness through it another day. But for now, just know – God is good.
On to the other news…
This past September, I entered a writing contest with very low expectations of winning. So low, in fact, that the contest itself slipped my mind after submitting my entry. It’s not that I didn’t want to win; I had simply grown accustomed to not winning.
You can imagine my surprise and joy when I opened an email to find my name listed as the grand prize winner. Stunned, tears filling my eyes, I struggled to voice this good news to my husband and children.
I had won.
Not only the publishing of that one article, but an actual book publishing package. I knew this was not something I had accomplished on my own. It was God who had placed a desire within me long ago to write a book and it was God who had opened this door.
God was making a way for me to do what He had called me to do. Whether I considered myself ready or not, it was time to write that book. Now all I had to do was figure out the book God wanted me to write, and then write it. I’m finding that’s much easier said than done. But God is faithful. Through much prayer, many conversations with trusted friends, and lots of hard work, I’m making headway. And for that, I’m thankful.
I share this with you because you are my community, and as part of that community, I covet your prayers and support more than you realize. In turn, I hope you’ll trust me to also pray for and encourage you.
My heart’s desire is that we recognize the goodness of God woven within each of our stories. Whether it’s a tough diagnosis or an exciting opportunity. Whether it’s a journey laden with failures or successes, happiness or hurts, dreams or disappointments.
Friend, whatever journey we face, may we stand together. May we hold one another up. And may we always declare the goodness of God – through the hard times and the good. Because He is good.
He is good indeed.
Congratulations! Glad to hear your surgery went well. Hopefully, you won’t have to endure chemo or radiation. Praying that you heal quickly and completely.
Cathy Purvis
Thank you, Cathy. ? I hope you and Jim are doing well.