Amazing Grace How Sweet The Sound

“I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continuously be in my mouth” - Psalm 34:1


Good news! The patch has kicked in! Thursday Johnny woke up from a nap and proclaimed “I don’t feel the nausea!” He wasn’t quite ready to eat but at least his stomache was not queasy. I told him not to worry – one step before the other. Just savor the moment of freedom from the pain. I can’t imagine what is worse – the pain in the side or the feeling constantly like you might throw up.

He took another nap and woke up with an appetite. Mind you, at this point it was the third day since we had applied the patch to his arm to fight the nausea and we were giving up hope that it would work. Since Sunday he had only consumed the equivalent of 1 apple and a popsicle or two. He was still on the other nausea pills waiting for the patch to take effect.

So the big moment was here and I asked him what he wanted to eat. His answer was steak and lobster. I had to laugh. Only my Johnny. From eating like a pauper to eating like a king. He has never ceased to amaze me all my life so why stop now. I grabbed the car keys and made a beeline for the nearby Outback Restaurant. The smallest meal we could get was the earlybird $9.99 special – a 6oz steak and he chose a small salad and a sweet potato for the sides, along with the petite lobster tail. As Scarlett would say – I “worked that traffic” racing home with the bounty for my baby!

I cut the steak and lobster tail up in tiny little pieces so it would be easier to digest. He ate almost all the steak and finished off the lobster. Yippee! But that was it. He was full. He wanted to save the sweet potato for later. I gave him some papaya tablets to help him digest the meal. Then he had a piece of homemade chocolate candy that our neighbor Brenda made for us over the holidays. Success! Day one of eating again. No nausea pills necessary.

Then yesterday he requested King Crab legs. There goes my baby again. Its zero to sixty or nothing at all (a reference from his drag racing days – a story for another day.) He wanted fresh corn on the cob with okra and tomatoes. I made him homemade buttermilk biscuits to go with it. I’m sad to report that it’s been so long since I made him biscuits and I was racing to get it done that I knew when I was mixing the batter that the biscuits would be too heavy and they were. You can’t win them all.

He ate the leftover sweet potatoes last night and had had a half egg sandwich yesterday morning. So we were building momentum and he was getting more alert (and sassy) with each hour. I loved seeing the ole Johnny coming back.

But this morning I saw the frown on his face. Slight queasiness was returning. He had to resume taking the pills again along with the patch (so much for getting our $135 of nausea relief that is supposed to last 5-7 days) he couldn’t eat until around 4pm. But he did eat a “crab salad sandwich” I made from the leftover crab yesterday and a sliver or two of cheese. And just awhile ago he ate a fudgesicle.

But he still takes it slow – most of the day spent on the couch. Thank goodness for continued basketball and football games to give him something to focus on. I asked him if he wanted to take a shower and he is too tired to. So we continue to walk with baby steps forward. His next scheduled chemo day is next Tuesday. That gives him two more days to develop strength. He winces at the thought of it. I cringe. But he insists on still fighting. We will see.

I gave him a manicure yesterday. He needs a beard trim. Though it has shape, the hair is growing long and getting in his way when he drinks and eats. I might take him to the barber shop. right before next Tuesday. Hopefully his strength will be at its best then.

So praise the Lord! He gives us just enough light for the step we are on. In the bible when God rained manna on the people for sustenance He only gave them enough for one day. They had to trust Him that more would be on the way the next morning. This is the walk of faith we are on right now. We say “Yes Lord! Yes Lord!” with every step. It is a very strange place to exist indeed. It is that place where all you have to hang on to is God. We never know what the next moment brings.

But, what we DO know is that God has brought us this far, and as we rely more and more on His promises to take care of us, He gives us more and more grace to handle anything. I think THAT is the key to unlocking His gifts of grace. You never truly learn to trust God until you have nothing else to rely on. What we find is that God stands there with armfuls of gifts waiting to give to us. Everytime we say to Him “I trust you” he hands us another gift with delight.

There are so many ways to say “I trust you” to God. It is music to His ears. I find that the most important way is to praise Him continuously. No matter what the circumstances are that surrounds us, no matter how bleak things look, we MUST REMEMBER that God can make a way where there is no way. Get your eyes off the world and get your eyes BACK ON GOD. He is the one in control. Get out of the driver’s seat and let God steer your life. All things will only lead to good for those who love the Lord.

So today I wish each of you that gift of grace. Unwrap your present and you will find that with God you can handle any situation. But first you have to pull the ribbon off by praising Him every second, every minute, every hour and every day. God bless you all with amazing grace, now and forever!

Beautiful Blessings,

Rene