Top of the Hill: Every Day is a Gift

Much has happened since my last post in November. I had computer issues and had to "refresh" my computer which meant things disappeared and I had to re-figure out signing into and posting on my blog. If I have some blogging time on a Sunday afternoon I don't want to spend it trying to figure out the computer.

November 2015 will be one of those months long remembered. First in November I was hired on with the Mansfield Richland County Public Library as a Branch Clerk at the Lexington Branch. I have now been working about 6 weeks and I really like it. I work two 8 hour days a week and one 4 hour day. I get to do a variety of things, assist patrons in finding things, check out and in books, work on displays and help keep things in order. The job was truly a blessing as I feel I am affecting people of our community in a positive way, I have very little stress, and I am surrounded by books!!! Additionally, I am hopeful that bringing in a little income will help as Gary plans for retirement at some point.At the same time as I returned to work after 20+ years my sister Maureen was beginning to enjoy retirement and then... to the best of my recollection it was on November 13 the day of my interview that Maureen learned the tumor that had been removed from her thigh was in fact melanoma. It has been a difficult journey with some good news but much difficult news to bear. On December 11 she had a PET scan, that night we went on our annual shopping overnighter and then on Dec 14 she underwent a gamma knife procedure to deal with a suspicious area on her brain, on December 16 got the results of her PET scan showing clusters of cancer cells in her body and on December 23 she had her first immunotherapy treatment. I was able to go with her to her second treatment on January 7. I met her oncologist who relayed that her blood work came back okay after her first treatment and she was good to go for her 2nd treatment. That was the good news but the bad news was her doctor would be leaving Cleveland Clinic. I know this was difficult news for Mo but I reminded her that ultimately our trust is in God and he has a plan. On February 4 she will have an MRI and see if the gamma knife did what it was supposed to do and then if her blood work is good she will receive her 3rd treatment. When she retired she and Larry were excited to reserve a spot on the Buckeyes Cruise for Cancer which departs on Feb 20th. Who would have thought that she would be fighting the cancer battle herself. The hope is she will be well and she and Larry can join their friends on the cruise. Her 4th and the last of the initial treatments will be when she returns from the cruise.With a cancer diagnosis comes the need to learn a whole new language. I tend to dive in and try to read and learn as much as possible about something I am presented with, This time I hesitated. I needed to step back and let this soak in and not overwhelm me. Just in the last couple of weeks I have felt ready to become educated and I have checked out a stack of books to try and understand what Mo is facing. I also found some books on autoimmune disease which is a subject that I feel I also need to be educated as it affects me and a number of family members. Mix in a few others and here is my stack:

reading, listening, watching

I pray that Maureen's treatments will be successful in bringing about remission of the cancer and we will have many more years of lunches, shopping trips, and time together creating special family memories.I am reminded that every day is a gift! Jesus I trust in You! God's will be done!

Mom, Maureen, and I on our annual shopping trip Dec 2015

Memories of Advent and Christmas 2015

Rooney Christmas

Decorating cookies on Christmas Eve at home

Colleen's Donald Trump cookie

Christmas Eve full moon

Christmas Eve...a beautiful group of women if I do say so myself

Gary with his Christmas gift from the girls...a drone!

Grandpa and the cousins that could make it to Korte Christmas 2015

The selfie stick was a big hit as a white elephant gift for Sean who spent January in Estonia

Our annual trip to the zoolights! We met at Polaris for shopping and lunch and then John had to go to work and the rest of us went to the zoo on Elle's last night before heading back to Kansas