Living a Blessed Life

My journey with colon cancer began on March 26th, 2020. At that time it seemed that our entire world started spinning in a different direction. COVID became a household term. Fear and panic struck the hearts of many, but we were merely trying to grapple with a different life-threatening disease. Cancer. I know God’s timing is always perfect, but it was difficult to see how this could be so. In my mind this scenario was far from perfect! How do we find our way through these murky waters when the world is literally shutting down? Hindsight is always 20/20 I can now look back and see the many, many, many ways God was working this for my good. GI clinics were not taking routine cases, so my case was expedited as emergent in order to gain approval for my first colonoscopy. (WooHoo, right?) I definitely was not excited for this, but I am grateful that I was able to get in within a week. Once I was diagnosed, I met with a surgeon. Finding available appointment times ...

Today was supposed to be the day that we received the “GOOD NEWS” of a clear PET scan. Darek and I were ready for this appointment, armed with positive thoughts and expectations. I picked Darek up from work and we journeyed on toward the Oncologist office. We checked in and were called back within a couple of minutes. I was greeted by a nurse I have had previously who has a son he same age as Toby. We discussed baseball, as her son plays too, and he has played against Toby’s team. It was great having such a friendly person start our visit. Shortly after she left the room my Oncologist (Dr. L.) came in. She was friendly and pleasant as usual, but she got right to the point this time. Typically the results from tests and scans appear in the MyChart app as soon as they are read by the Radiologist. This time the PET scan results were not there so I didn’t even have the opportunity to nervously read through them ahead of time. I believe this was by design. Dr. L informed us that the tw...

We are on day number two of, “Snow Day!! - NO SCHOOL!!” I made a paper snowflake and slipped it under Toby’s door while he was still asleep, to alert him of the fun day ahead today. The kids are thrilled to have another cozy day at home, sleeping in, eating pancakes, doing puzzles, and shoveling / playing in the snow. This snow is DEEP ! It seems that no matter how many times I shovel a path for our beagle, Maple, she insists on pouncing through the deep, and playing in it. I am thankful that she enjoys it, and does not resist going outside no matter how cold it gets here. She brings the entertainment in our backyard. I honestly have no idea how many inches have fallen at this point, but it feels like we are over 12” so far between yesterday and this morning, with snow continuing until tomorrow morning. I found myself looking at the radar this morning, and instead of a typical storm system that moves through, it is swirling in place! :) It sure is beautiful...

It has been a couple of weeks and we are approaching the new year with anxious anticipation. Setting goals, making resolutions, and committing to a “Word of the year” are on the minds of millions of people! A great deal of money is spent on new exercise equipment and programs, as well as health coaches, trainers, and diet plans. Whatever your focus may be, I encourage you to keep your TOP focus on the most important things. My Top Focus: Intentionally spending time with God through devotions, books, prayer, and journaling. Being present for my husband and children. Sometimes this means putting my phone away for a concentrated amount of time and engaging in conversation without interruption. Other times it means making a special treat, or simply preparing a nutritious, homemade meal. Making time for friends, in any fashion. Grabbing a treat together, chatting at a sports event, taking a walk, or even (gasp) talking on the phone ! We had a very nice Christmas with family, and I hea...

Toby’s Snow Family - welcoming all passersby. Snow has been falling for the past two days and at times it truly feels like we are living in a snowglobe. The beauty of the white blanket on the ground and the flocked trees brings all of the feels of Christmas! Living in Minnesota, many people naturally assume that we always have snow for Christmas, but that is not the case. I was recently looking at a map of snow trends over the past 50 years, and our region seems to have a brown Christmas every 3rd year, give or take. The White Christmas lends some sort of magical, peaceful feeling to our families and communities. I liken it to the effect that flowers have on mental health. Visual beauty, particularly in colorful plants and flowers, improves mental health. I wonder if there are any studies showing a correlation between snow cover and mood. Left up to me, I would hypothesize that there is an increase in mood when nature is beautiful! Maybe I should take a poll and write a paper ...

“ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ” — Ephesians 2:8-10 If you made it through my entire last post, CONGRATULATIONS!! That was a long, wordy compilation of thoughts. Here I am in week 2 of my recovery already, and it still feels surreal. I have shared with some friends that when I woke up from surgery I felt like I was living the movie Groundhog Day ! “I have done this before, but where am I and what is going on?” I am also waiting for Thanksgiving break… Hahaha! It is hard to believe that today is December 7th already and Christmas is only 18 days away !! I did have one minor setback last Friday. My right arm had been feeling a little sore from the IV that was removed and ...

And… I’m HOME! It was a typical Black Friday morning. The Schwarz household got showered and ready for the day, made some coffee, grabbed our coats, and headed out the door. First stop, Menards! We made our way through the store with ease and found most of the things on our list. To our surprise the checkout lines were very short, which made the experience even more enjoyable. Next stop, Target. I started feeling like I had an upset stomach while we were shopping and when we arrived at Target it was getting a bit more uncomfortable. I was a little perplexed because my diet doesn’t vary, so thinking I ate something bad was not a consideration. Darek and the kids were looking at games and toys, and I let them know I was not feeling well and I would wait for them in the car. I just needed to sit down and see if this discomfort would pass. I got to the car and took a Zofran to help with the nausea I started feeling. I was coming off of my chemo infusion week, so I thought maybe ...