An angels' wingspan is broad enough to lift the heart of the entire world.

March 30, 2012 I am sleeping more each day. The fatigue from the cancer does limit my physical activities. I plan my activities for the time of day when I have the most energy. Then,I can get things done. My neighbor Paula is a very sweet person. This evening she brought me a recipe for making a morning muffin that can be made with some very health ingredients right in the microwave. She makes one every morning. Last week she brought me a Blueberry Muffin she made I in the microwave in a coffee cup. It was very good. Now I am going to make my own. If you would like the recipe, please email me and I will be happy to email a copy to you. It is easy to make, takes about 50 seconds in the microwave, is very healthy, and because you make it in a coffee cup, you take make and take on the run to work or school. She also told me about vanilla flavored Total Soy, a meal replacement drink that you can buy at Sam’s Club. I make my drink in the morning in a blender, add fresh fruit, ice and cinnamon. Have you ever wondered why with all the advancements in the medical field, a cure for cancer has not been found yet? Is it that difficult to figure out? As I grew older, I began to make healthy changes in my life. No alcohol, no smoking, no staying out late, reduce stress in my life where possible, take my medications as prescribed, get regular checkups, limit the amount of time I spend in the sun, use sun block . . . and still I get cancer. I still can’t figure out why my mother had pancreatic cancer, or her sister had breast cancer, or her brother had a brain tumor. Seems to run in the family, but that doesn’t mean everyone in the family will have cancer. There is a history of cancer in my family but how, where, and why did it start? I use to joke, telling people with the history of cancer in my family, I feel like I am walking around with a target on my chest and my back, waiting for cancer to hit me. This joke is not so funny now. Cancer hit the bull’s eye on the target dead smack in the middle of my back. That’s where the mole was removed. Austin is fortunate to have several hospitals that work with children who have cancer. Dell Children’s Hospital is just one of the many. I have often wondered how children cope with having cancer. The very young cancer patients don’t have any preconceived notions about cancer. They just know they are sick and want to get better. Their parents protect them from the grim reality of losing their battle with cancer. Still these children are sick, and like adults endure surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. When they are hospitalized, they miss being at home, they miss their friends, they miss days at school, and playing outside. One year two kindergarten students (from two different classes) at the school I was teaching, died of cancer. When I was teaching summer school in 2001, I had a really nice student named Alfredo. He was in the fourth grade and had cancer for several years. That summer, the Make A Wish Foundation contacted his family to let them know his wish was granted. I was so surprised to learn that he had cancer. You wouldn’t know it to look at him. He always had a smile. He was very upbeat and fun to be around. Alfredo had many friends and a very supportive family. Alfredo lived to graduate from high school. God had blessed me with a full life. I graduate from college with a master’s degree, had a teaching career of twenty-two years, was awarded Teacher of the Year in 1996, traveled to many places, met many interesting (and not so interesting) people, worked with the homeless, and so many more blessings too numerous to count. Now, as I prepare to face the trial of my life, I know that God is with me. The peace within me is the once empty space, now taken up by the Lord who will see me through it all. At 58 years of age, I am just really staring to appreciate how beautiful sun rises are, how cool mornings sitting on the patio with my cats and little dog are priceless, how the morning mist creates a calm, a stillness that seems to say, slow down, take time to look at the sky. That’s where you’ll find heaven. Look up for one day, you too, will ascend towards the sky and take your place among the fluffy white clouds, the pure blue sky, soaring on the wings of an angel sent by God to take you home.