| [Sunday, Oct 28, 2007] I spent last week with Shel and other than her usual fatigue she's doing well. Much of the week was spent taking care of insurance issues, which hopefully will get resolved soon. Her hair continues to grow in curly and we are excited to see what it will look like when it's long. I've included a few pix from the week including one of some beautiful flowers Eric brought to her at the hospital. She is busy making plans for what she will do come January when her treatments are complete and her time is once again her own. She asked if I thought she should try and go back to work full time and take just one college class, or take a full load and work part time. My suggestion was to ease back into both - slowly - part time work and part time classes. As she regains her strength she can always pile on more. I could feel her anticipation and excitement at the thought of returning to a normal life. There is no way to describe this journey. I've been searching for a quote I found 20 years ago when I was the Newsletter editor for the California Chapter of the SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Foundation. I remember it was by Neal A. Maxwell, a General Authority of the Mormon Church. It was about how sorrow expands our hearts and allows us to eventually feel everything more deeply, including joy. I have found that to positively be true. This particular trial has allowed me to feel greater appreciation for all my relationships, and old friendships which have been rekindled have added a new positive element which is helping to sustain me. I have also gained many new friends while on this journey, each holding a very special place in my heart. I know in my very core that I have a choice in every moment how to BE. I can REact to external forces and allow them to determine my state of mind - or I can ACT based on my internal compass and CHOOSE in each moment how to feel. I am in contol of myself whether by conscious choice or by default. I can choose how this unfathomable experience my daughter, her husband and family are going through will affect me. I can allow the moments of fear and sorrow to be released through my uncontrollable healing tears, and then move forward with a deeper compassion for others. A full life is comprised of the entire gamut of emotions, and allowing them all to be expressed helps the soul to heal. Only by allowing the bubbling terror-filled emotions to surface can we bless and release them, thereby allowing that expanded space left in its wake to be filled with greater joy. Peace and Blessings, Sheri 
In Oxnard 
Shel's New Hair |