Update for 11-18-06

Since I have no voice due to a bad cold and can't talk to anyone I thought I would write in the blog and tell you all about Wellness House. We went for a self hypnosis class this morning for two hours. There were about 22 of us there and we went around the room and talked about why we were there and what kind of cancer and how long etc. We also talke about what we did when we were down. The facilitator was excellent. He has run a medically based hynosis program for 16 years at U of I Chicago. Then we put on earphones and he led us through. When we took off the earphones he told us we had been doing it for 25 minutes but it felt like 10. It was very relaxing. He leads these sessions for Wellness House once a month. He also gave us a CD to use at home. Several of the people came up afterwards to talk. I, of course, just stood there smiling. All I have is a whisper. It was very supporting to see almost all these people who are vegetarian or vegan since their diagnosis. They really see the value of getting rid of sugar, meat, salt and dairy. One of the guys said QiGong was a great class. Wellness House is closed over Thanksgiving, but Joe said he would give that class a try. It was a great group of people and I sure see the value of sharing your stories. There were 4 other caregivers there.
Yesterday Joe had is pulmonary function test and he didn't pass with flying colors but he did OK. The Dr. put him on an inhaler for 4 weeks and he will be retested then. The doctor said if he passed it with using the inhaler he would OK him to dive but he had to use the inhaler til we got back from Bonaire. That would be fine with him. We are having dinner with Ed and Jayne our neighbors who went to Utah with us and she is fixing something she learned to make in Italy where she went with her sister a few weeks ago. She was a great cook before. I can't wait to see what she'll prepare vegan. We stopped at Wild Oats grocery store after the trip to Wellness House this morning and found some new products that were vegan. We had homemade (well, fresh-made) vegan lentil soup for lunch. Joe has watched football all afternoon and I have been in the bedroom watching TV and sleeping. I'm not much company with my whispering and Joo being hearing-impaired somewhat. I am really the silent partner this weekend.
Our small group was studying the last part of the Our Father with the subject of "deliver us from evil" or the evil one. It was interesting to hear Max Lucado say that God controls what he allows the devil to do and he does it for three reasons: To refine us, to awaken the sleeping, and to strengthen the church. He said that each time the Satan tempts us and we turn to God instead, it is like scoring a basket at the wrong end of the court from your team. Satan loses. Joe feels like God is using this cancer to refine him and it definitely has brought him closer to God. Joe is trying to make each day count. We feel so much more connected to God and each other. We are closer than we have been. Times of trial always have something good in them. Our friend Rick Mlady passed away this week. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer about 10 days before Joe found out about his. Joe will be a pall bearer on Monday so please remember the Mlady family in your prayers as they grieve for a wonderful husband and father. God bless you all and keep on praying. It was wonderful to see the strength of the faith of the people at the meeting this morning. I don't think there was one who didn't mention prayer as a sustaining force in their lives. By the way, the Doctor is a Dr. of ministry with a practice of hynosis for the medically ill. Bye for now. Mary Anne