Even With Scars, I Will Flourish

Why hello, friends! Yes, I know it's been three months since I wrote a blog post. I decided to pop over to my neighborhood Starbucks to write. When I'm at home I seem to get distracted. Here's my favorite distraction...Gracie!

The past couple of weeks have been rather scary and unpleasant, but the worst is behind me and I'm "on the mend." Sometime between October when I had my yearly mole check, a rainy Seattle Winter and a few sunny vacations, my fair Norwegian skin was damaged. I have had bouts of skin cancer in the past; Melanoma at age 20, a Basal cell a few years ago, and various precancer moles so I am predisposed to abnormal cells.  I get my moles checked once a year and I DO wear sunscreen when I'm on vacation but I don't apply it every day. 

I noticed an odd spot on my arm this Spring and made a Dermatologist appointment to have it biopsied. I am proud of myself for being proactive because unfortunately, it turned out to be a Melanoma. My diagnosis led to needing a wide margin removed around the area, and the sentinel lymph node removed for testing.

From the time I was diagnosed until my surgery, it was a mere two weeks. I then waited a

week to get my pathology report to find out if my Cancer had spread. I was so grateful for a good report! Now I'm in the process of healing; still wearing a sling, still having pain, and still waiting for the bandages to be removed and see my new scars. 

I heard this new worship song by the band I am They called "Scars" on the radio during the time leading up to my surgery.

"So I'm thankful for the scars

'cause without them I wouldn't 

know Your heart

And I know they'll always tell of who You are

So forever I am thankful for the scars."

Rather than focus on my ugly scars (hey, maybe I'll finally get a tattoo someday to hide them), I want to focus on God's goodness and how fortunate I am. I had SO many friends, family members and people that have never met me praying for a good outcome. What a blessing, and I felt covered in love. I will admit I had some anxious moments and sleepless nights while waiting, but I never doubted God was with me and for me. I want to take good care of myself now, and do what I can to prevent future Cancers. Which brings me to the my-one-word I chose back in January...flourish.

A few years ago my Fraternity, Chi Omega, chose flourish as their theme for both undergrads and alumni. Currently, the theme is "sisters on purpose" I love that too! 

Photo source: Sorority Sugar on Pinterest

The definition of FLOURISH resonated with me since I want to be used in my home and community to bless others. I'm adopting the bloom where I'm planted mentality. I also found a scripture verse that spoke to me.

Flourish definition:

1. To grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

"wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake"

synonyms:

grow, thrive, prosper, grow/do well, develop, burgeon, increase, multiply, proliferate;

2. a. to achieve success: Prosper

    b. to be in a state of activity or production

    c. to reach a height of development or influence

3. to make bold and sweeping gestures.

"The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him." Psalm 92: 12-15

If you have fair skin or suspicious-looking moles or spots, please learn from me. Don't spend too much time sunbathing and get checked out! The American Cancer Society website has a lot of information. 

Although I can't do a whole lot of typical summertime activities outside right now due to having my arm in a sling and needing to stay clean and dry, I will be applying my sunscreen, wearing a hat, and seeking an umbrella chair the next time I get to travel to a beach or desert destination. Oh, and using my self-tanner...

Thanks for reading, See Jane Learn! 

In His Grip,

xo Jane

xo 

P            

Photo 
PhPho

Friday Favorites: Pink Trees, Beaches, and Other Things

Happy Spring! While we were in Florida last week, our town "bloomed!" The Harbor had warm, sunny weather and Florida had... WIND and chilly temps. The sun did come out all but two days though, and we bundled up and enjoyed the beach and private pool.

Around my town are gorgeous pink blossoms, yellow daffodils and other signs of new life. Even though the Northeast is being blasted by snowstorms and we've had chilly rain and sleet, we can be assured that Summer is coming.

While baby Hazel takes her afternoon nap, I gathered this week's list current favorites:

Favorite new worship song: 
"More Than Anything" by Natalie Grant. The lyrics hit home as I watch friends going through hard medical issues. "Help me want the healer more than the healing..."

Favorite new vacation spot:
Have you heard of Anna Maria, Florida? It's a bit South of Tampa on the Gulf side. Our friends invited us to escape the waiting, and so we flew five hours and discovered a BEAUTIFUL beach.
We stayed in a rental home called "Serendipity" and once you see the pictures below you'll agree with the name and why it's already booked out for the next year...

I wanted to move in! It was amazing and I was in love with the decorating. Four Master Suites, chandeliers in every room... worth about four million. Golf carts are allowed on the island roads, and we also enjoyed riding cruiser bicycles to the shops. What a blessing to share a week here with friends! Thanks again, Gardners!

Favorite Florida Food:

Perfectly-made sweet tea! Fried shrimp! Fries! Breakfast burritos! Cinnamon rolls as big as our faces and donuts! I ate shrimp twice~the last night I had Coconut Shrimp before toasting another perfect sunset with my favorite frozen vacation drink; a Miami Vice! (I still can't understand why those are basically the only things I enjoy that contain coconut.)

On our last morning in Florida, I had breakfast on the sunny front deck; coffee, bacon, and a Mimosa. Perfect! We may or may not have eaten LOTS of Oreo cookies also... because they were there and we never buy them at home. YUM!

Favorite Non-fiction Book:

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis, is fantastic! Make sure to buy the hard-copy because you are going to want to ear-mark pages and underline sentences. I KNOW I will be rereading this often and doing a lot more hi-lighting. There are so many good chapters and messages it's hard to pick one, but I was crying during the one about parenting. 

"Mom, you should parent in whatever way works for your family and spend less time worrying about other people's perceptions of how you're doing."

I've held onto guilt about mistakes I made raising my four children for years. It seems like my battle with self-confidence and people-pleasing has been going on for way too long. Time to let that go. I am 58 for goodness sakes!

Another favorite quote:
 “A confident woman doesn’t crave other people’s approval because she already has God’s. When we know we have His approval, our craving for other people’s approval decreases." Lynn Cowell Proverbs 31 Ministries

The waiting appears to be over! My guy received good news on the job front, and it will be official on Monday. Thank you for hanging with us during this time of uncertainty and unemployment. God's timing is perfect.

Easter is coming!

As always, thank you for stopping by my little corner of the world and reading, "See Jane Learn!" Enjoy your Palm Sunday and have a good weekend!

In His Grip and Choosing Joy,
xo Jane





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5 Favorites for Friday

Hello Friends and Happy Friday! Only two weeks until "Good Friday" and Easter weekend! We're hoping to head over to Spokane to celebrate Resurrection Sunday with most of our kids. The fact that our song-bird daughter will be helping to lead worship is definitely worth the drive East...

Our bible study table wine tasting adventure was a blast. I think this needs to be a yearly tradition.

Here are 5 of my favorites this week:

1. We love our stemless champagne glasses. We try to keep a bottle of our favorite Wycliff bubbly on hand (there's a Rose' now too!) and last weekend we were able to invite our next door neighbors over on the spur of the moment for a toast to Jacquie's new job. Cheers to new jobs, friends, and glasses that are affordable and don't tip! 

2. Check out the blog "True Worth." Maria Furlough is a Mommy of five (Gideon is in Heaven). She is currently writing a book about her experience of losing her son and she's just started doing occasional videos where she shares her peace from scripture. I learn so much from her and she's only 34~I could be her Mama!

We interrupt this blog post for a cat issue... Apparently Thor has been eating some Easter basket grass that he found downstairs. Why do I still have my adult children's baskets and have saved the fake grass? Anyway, poor little guy "got sick" on the kitchen floor. Thankful it was an easy spot to mop up, which made me decide what my third favorite is:

3. SWIFFERS! What did I do before they invented Swiffers? I need the dry ones to quickly get rid of the dog and cat hair (although my battery-charged Dyson does a fabulous job) and the wet ones to quickly mop the floor.

http://cdn.messenger.pgsitecore.com/en-us/-/media/Swiffer/Images/Products/Primary/Sweeper_hero_01_v3.png?h=940&la=en-US&w=940&v=1-201605191546

4.. My husband and I are hooked on the show "Designated Survivor" starring Kiefer Sutherland. Have you seen it? SO good! Love the cast. It's on ABC on Wednesday nights but of course we record and watch it whenever Mike is home...

http://televisionpromos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Designated-Survivor-ABC-TV-series-artwork-Kiefer-Sutherland.jpg

5. The song Even If by Mercy Me. It's the one my head keeps singing when it isn't singing all the songs from "Beauty and the Beast!" The lyrics are powerful! I love to be reminded of God's faithfulness especially at times when I need to trust my loved ones to God's plan; my Mom had to be readmitted to the hospital. Praying the new meds will help her lung infection clear. It's hard to be so far from Indiana...

I do want to add a not my favorite to my list. In an attempt to be healthy and reduce toxins that might cause Cancer, I ordered some deodorant that a friend recommended called Piper Wai natural deodorant. Ick..the smell, feel, not to mention lack of feeling dry. No thank you. Guess the hunt is on or I'll stick to my Dove.

This weather report makes me smile. I'm off for a Spring Break with my two daughters on Sunday. We are looking forward to time together in Sunny, Southern California. Thanks for reading "See Jane Learn" and I hope you have a happy weekend!

Grateful for Grace and In His Grip,

xo Jane