Living a Blessed Life

Yes, you read that right. I am thankful for 2020! I know it may be difficult to understand given the many reasons we have to be angry with 2020 and ready to throw it out the window, but hang with me here and you just may agree. We're called to "Be on Guard. Stand Firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love." 1Corinthians 16:13-14 First of all, I do not believe there is ever a year, month, week, day, or hour that defines us. The story of our entire lives and our relationship (or lack thereof) with God is the only thing that truly defines us. Each moment of each day builds upon the next to create us into the person we were designed to become. I have found that a positive attitude through adversity and trial not only helps us personally, it helps that people surrounding us to stay positive as well.  POSITIVITY IS CATCHY! There are peer reviewed scientific studies proving the Power of Positive Thinking. These studies discuss the many mental and ph...

It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas at the Schwarz home! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, regardless of how different it was this year. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family in Iowa (I always love going to spend time with my parents), and then hosting Darek's family (minus Uncle Mark) on Saturday. We definitely missed having Uncle Mark with our crew for the long weekend, and are holding onto hope that we can be together during Christmas instead. I know there are many disruptions and changes to the way we typically do things this year, but I have decided to choose joy, hope, and peace instead of worry, discouragement, and anxiety.  I choose to enjoy every moment with my children at home, even when things feel stressful for a moment.  I choose to find the joy in being home and having a little more down time to read a Christmas story to my kids before bed each night, instead of being in a stressful rush to get them tucked in. I choose to find peace in...

Dance Partay!!! Let's jump right into it.  On Monday, 10/26/2020, I drove to Edina to have my 6 month follow up CT scan . My sweet neighbor, G.J., rode along with me. It was so nice having her company in the car, and we proceeded to have a great time shopping at Hobby Lobby. :-) I was fully expecting to wait until my Friday follow up appointment with my doctor before receiving the results. My phone rang at 4:45PM and the caller ID said it was my Doctor's office calling. I figured they were just calling to confirm my Friday appointment, but they were calling because they had already received the CT results and they wanted to share them with me. Drumroll, please............................. The scan came back "normal!" Hallelujah! That is great news, as I have been diligently working on my daily habits in eating and supplementing in ways that will prohibit cancer growth. It is NOT easy, but it IS working! Queue the happy tears and happy dance! I have to admit that I ...

  Hello again! If that title doesn't pique your interest in this post, I don't know what will. Haha! I know that genetics can be very confusing, but I find them fascinating, and hopefully you will gain an appreciating for the role genetics play in our lives by the time you finish reading.  Maybe it is just me, but the overarching question one finds themselves with when diagnosed with cancer or a different life-threatening illness is, WHY ? Then it's, WHAT caused this and could it have been prevented? (Side note - it doesn't even matter if it could have been prevented because here we are. It's too late to look at prevention and spiral into the realm of the unknowns and unchangeable. This question is only necessary in order to look at helping others with prevention.) Finally, WHAT can I do to heal and keep this from recurring or spreading? After my surgery was completed and the cancer I had was staged, I was given the option to do genetic testing. Backing up a moment...

I can hardly believe it is almost fall! The weather this week has shocked me into that reality and I am finally embracing it. Much to the dismay of Darek, I turned the furnace on yesterday. It was 66 degrees in the house, and I was working from our basement office which is even colder! Brrr! I will add that I did wear my slippers and a sweater, and eventually wrapped a blanket around my legs to keep warm before I finally caved. My heated seat and heated steering wheel came in very handy, as I waited in the pick up line for the kids at school! The day prior, I thought I would simply use the space heater in our office and that would be sufficient for the day. It was sufficient, until it blew the circuit breaker, and I quickly decided that I was not about to do that all fall. Haha!  ANYHOW... I spend a lot of time in thought these days. I used to let my mind run wild with so many things of no importance whatsoever. I am now working very hard to intentionally think on things that matte...

My Daily Breakfast 3 Months! Can you believe it?  Well, we are actually 4 months out from surgery, but 3 months from my first checkup so please don't mind the discrepancy.  Now that we cleared that up, I would like to share my reports. Anyone who has ever dealt with a chronic illness or cancer will know that there are many moments of uncertainty - every. single. day.! Maybe this passes with time, so I will be sure to let you know as I continue to write year after year. Any little twinge of pain or negative thought can send us spiraling into an abyss of what if's and doubt. That is where faith comes in. The moment those thoughts take hold, we have to re-train our brain to think something positive and speak truth over the uncertainty. These moments of  not knowing and waiting reveal our character and our faith.  A recent devotion I was reading spoke of God's favor. (I will paraphrase the short study) The concept behind the study was that it is important who we surroun...

It has been a few weeks and I have had the itch to get a post put together. So many different topics come to mind and it's tough to settle on one. After listening to a podcast on anti-cancer foods, Plants will be this week's topic. :-) Don't run and hide just yet! There is some very interesting information here, I promise!! I am not a scientist or doctor, but I have done a great deal of research and learning over the previous few months, and the positive correlation between plant based diets and health are astounding ! (Also, gardening has great health benefits as well! Go grow your own food! It is fun, relaxing and rewarding!) I am going to attempt to list a few things that stuck out as major game changers. Did you know? **IGF1 is a growth hormone, very important in your body while you are a child, but skyrockets every time animal protein is introduced to the diet. There was a study on women with breast cancer showing the results of eliminating animal protein. When the IG...

For those who have been following along my journey thus far, you may be asking yourself how I am really doing and what I am doing? First, I am doing well. I am healing and every day I believe that God is healing my body and allowing me an opportunity to be a shining example for His glory! I am healed and redeemed of the Lord! There are moments when I feel tired, but it's in those times that I allow myself to rest. I know this is a journey, and I feel better and better each day. I will be perfectly honest and tell you that there are moments when doubts and fears creep up on me, and it is not always easy to fight them. Every morning when I wake up, I praise God for another day! I am reminded every morning (ugh) of the cancer that manifested in my body and I have to arm myself once again for the battle that tries to rage in my mind for my health and mental well-being. I know the truth and I continue to recall John 8:32 - "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free...

It is hard to believe we are already in the middle of June! Summer is technically not here yet, but as I watch my clothes sway in the breeze outside, all I can think is, "Slow Down, Summer!" I have had the opportunity to hang clothes out more often this season alone than I have cumulative since having a clothes line! That makes for a glorious spring (summer) in my opinion. :-) As I was pinning clothes on the line this morning I was feeling quite content and filled with joy. Then I remembered a time this past winter, just before Christmas, when my family was dealing with some challenging life circumstances. It was a time when there was much uncertainty regarding the future, mixed with sadness for memories lost. In the fall of 2018 my father was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia . This is a disease that affects the brain and neurological system, similar to Alzheimer's, but the symptoms come and go and change, making it difficult to navigate. (If you are interested in the de...

     Here we go! I am rewinding in order to bring this blog up to speed, and so I can expand on other aspects along the way. Much of this may not be new to many of you but in an effort to keep everyone up to speed I will start at the very beginning. I hear that is a very good place to start. ;) The first flowers I received      It all began on a beautiful spring day, March 26, 2020, as my husband, Darek, and I anxiously entered a clinic for my colonoscopy appointment. You may be asking yourself, why I was having this procedure, because I am technically not old enough for this yet. You are correct, however, backing up a few months, I was noticing some concerning changes in my digestive patterns. I will spare you any more details, but I decided it would be best to see a Dr. just to make sure it wasn't anything to be overly concerned about. Maybe I would need to make a dietary change, or maybe it w as diverticulitis. Brock Lesnar had severe diverticulitis, and...

It's difficult knowing where to begin. I promised to update this blog regularly, and I am going to make good on that promise. This is not exactly how I planned to begin, however. I am currently sitting alone (because, you know, COVID) in the Emergency Department waiting for a CT scan to help us figure out why I am having abdominal pain. Of course, given my recent health history, this does not come without frustration or concern. Get Behind Me, Satan! Once again, I turn to God and confess every healing scripture that comes to mind. I praise God for His goodness and mercy in every situation. I will sing for joy when my heart is heavy. I choose joy. Sometimes we have no other choice. Sure, I'm disappointed that I am here, but I have to remember to choose joy always, in all circumstances.  I will soon rewind a bit and fill in the details that have brought me to this current point in time. Right now I am listing to some good Tauren Wells on Spotify while I wait for the CT results. C...

My, how time has passed since my last attempt to update the world on the happenings of life in the Schwarz family. As they say, time flies when you're having fun! I'm not sure it has all been fun, but reflecting on the past sure does have many wonderful memories. God has revealed his blessings to our family in ways we could never dream up on our own. I must add one major update before I dive in to the details of this past year (okay, let's be honest - 2 months). June 25th, 2015 was the beginning of our life as a family of 5! Here are the details on our second baby girl: 11 Months Makaiya Faith Schwarz - 6/25/2015 6:00 PM 7lbs. 2oz. 18 inches (Makaiya) - St. Thomas - Magen's Bay She was positioned face up and refused to turn so I could deliver her quickly and easily. This was a clear indication of her personality from the very beginning. Makaiya brings a lot of joy and balance to our family. She is fun-loving, funny, sweet, and knows how to use her bi...