Pray, hope, love. Lather, rinse, repeat.

OK, it has been a while since I made an update on life to this audience. Isn't that the point of this thing to keep my audience captive with my little life story? ;) tehe, just kidding. But alas, here I am.

Grandpappy finished his first round of Chemotherapy without great incidence which is a great praise. He is due for back surgery on Thursday.  The surgeon said that this should have happened a long time ago! So it was kind of a rush to get him in. He explained the procedure had a 50-50 chance of success. Not of life or death, but in deciding weather or not he will walk again.  This is where I see the greatest faith coming out of my grandfather.  His quiet, contempt demeanor speaks louder than his words.  All of this is out of our control.  Once you realize who truly holds the deciding hand in this situation (really, the whole deck of cards), you can't help but be filled with a peace that is out of our understanding.  Grandma though, is a mess with fret. Maybe not a really a mess, but there is definitely some stress in her eyes. Can you blame her?  

The surgery itself is a doozy. They will take out a rib, get to his spine through his front, reconstruct his shattered vertebra with the rib and hope it heals so that his spinal chord will no longer be pinched and thus regaining his ability to walk on his own. 50/50 chance isn't exactly what you want to hear, but what choice do we have? All we can do is prepare with non ceasing prayer and have faith that God knows what is best, regardless of the outcome. This is the next big step.

A few of my favorite things

Useless trivia knowledge you may never want to know

I heard the best way to not worry is to pray and be grateful.   So here I bring publicly the little things I am thankful for (and possibly take for granted) every day:

1. Coffee. More specifically, that quiet moment first thing in the morning with freshly ground roasted beans. The aroma, the moment, the taste, all come together in perfect harmony. If I could chose, I would have a double espresso macchiato with every sunrise.  Two shots of espresso poured over a dollop of milk foam served in the cutest of all miniature cups. -I'm not finished- As you will well guess, espresso isn't the most, um... satisfactory of flavors (especially if you haven't been to Europe). To counter the bitter punch, a swirl of honey (or packet of natural sugar) and to add a hint of sweet, a dash of cinnamon. Perfeccion. Stir. Savor.

2. Food. In every sense. Extravagant dinners to simple snacks. Recently I discovered the wonderful world of warm goat cheese with honey....try it! There is a sense of 'zen' when it comes to preparing meals as well. and baking. Me, myself, and a fridge full of opportunity. When I find myself thinking too much, prepping a good meal is a good way to avoid an emotional breakdown of sorts.

3. Sun rises/sets. I have to stop and just feel the moment. I like to run atop hills to watch the sun rise, but also take a particular liking when the sky takes my breath away totally off-guard. Then I'm reminded of the love that radiates in my bones, and who can't help but smile at such a thought!

4. Music. Isn't it interesting how there seems to be a song for EVERY mood you find yourself in? I love how a melody can flow through me at tap my heart stings in ways I didn't know possible.

5. Stars. It has been too long since I have visited the mountain and could truly drink in the heavens in their entity (as much as you can on land any ways).  If you want to feel how awesome your God is, that's one way to do it.

6. Footed pajamas. (self explanatory)

Of course this list could go on for days! But perhaps I shall save that for another post ;)