Joy in the Midst of Grief, Is it Even Possible?

2 months ago we lost a friend...

Bonnie has been a part of our circle for as long as I can remember.  She lived just up the road from us in a little yellow house that bloomed bluebonnets all spring long.  Though in her 80's, Bonnie was a bundle of energy and the memories run long of the fun we've had together...

She and her daughter, Marilyn were a happy part of our Lunch circle, our Bible Study group and our Road-Trip Warriors escapades...

Her loss has left us a little off-center.  Her faith strong, we never doubted her home-going.  The goodbyes were sweet and full of love.  Her family centered in Christ's promises.   And yet, there is such a hole left in our lives...

We miss that smile, the encouraging hugs, even that sassy way she had of livening even the most ordinary of days.

And while we feel the missing, her daughter struggles all the more, for more than mother-daughter, they were best of friends.

And so, when life grabs you by the neck and drags you through paths uncharted, it is often that we end up adrift with no anchor... and in the midst of the uncertain, the bluebonnets bloom sure... and we dared to snatch Marilyn up for a Road Trip, even in the midst of grieving Bonnie...

For in our Cancer Journey, mom found that sometimes you just need to Get-Away for a bit.  And though we weren't Traveling with Cancer, we indeed needed a reprieve from the heart-ache... A granting of permission to go and enjoy the people, places and activities that bring us so much pleasure.

And so the Road Trip to Waco was born.  A Grace Break most needed.

Waco?!  Yes, the home of our newest addiction... The Fixer-Upper!  Have you seen it on HGTV?  Chip and Joanna Gaines are the warm and crazy hosts of a show that we simply love.  So where better to head off to if you live in Texas?  Magnolia Markets, the fabulous Fixer-Upper store front!

 

Oh and we shopped...

 

and shopped...

 

And then since you can only shop so long,

we set out to explore the Back Roads of Waco.

Friends, you need to visit Waco!

 

 

 

Such beauty... flowers spilling, heart-aches easing...

 

And we found the tallest Crepe Myrtle we've ever seen!

 

 

And of course, we ate and laughed...

and talked about our moms, and Bonnie,

and cried a bit...

And felt the Grace Break right on down to our very hearts.

And, naturally we found our bluebonnets...

 

Spring time in Texas...

Somehow Grace gives joy even in the midst of grieving,

for sharing the heart-aches together, surely eases the pain

and gives way to such beautiful memories.

Thanking God for the gift of you, Miss Bonnie,

your light and legacy live on...

P.S. You would have loved this trip!

Back Roads and the Journey Less Traveled...

This past weekend found us traveling north for The Auction...

Hearts were tense, treading on tender ground.  We knew the emotions we would face as we headed for home...

And so rather than taking the direct route, miles and miles of interstate, Farmer Husband mapped our travel through the Back Roads of Missouri across the Grand Mississippi in the quaint town of Hannibal... It took our minds off the impending work of the coming weekend and provided an anchor of peace to our tattered souls...

The colors were marvelous... the old towns full of character... so much better than the monotous droning of the interstate.

It was an Alternative Route.  And it took us from Point A to Point B just as the Traditional Interstate Route, but oh the sights we saw on our Back Road trip...

 

 

 Perhaps we can begin to think of the Alternative Treatments for pancreatic cancer in the same light. 

Not everyone wants to journey the Back Roads.   Some are perfectly content traveling down the smooth interstate. 

For the next week, our journey takes us to the Alternative Treatments...

Alternative treatments are therapies that extend outside of the normal practices of conventional medicine. Some patients use these therapies in place of the traditional treatments.  And some patients are deciding to integrate these alternative treatments in with their traditional treatment plan for what they consider to be a more well-rounded approach.

I have divided the alternative treatments into two groups.  This is not scientific...it's simply Jane's way of sorting out all the confusing information out there.

I feel that there are alternative curative treatments and alternative supportive therapies.

For example... the Budwig Diet Protocol claims to be a real solution to curing disease... I would classify this as an alternative curative treatment.  But using Barley Life supplements to help maintain blood counts during chemotherapy would be considered an alternative supportive therapy.

We've been pretty honest on the website...mom didn't try very many of the alternative treatments.  The traditional route fit her medical background and she felt "comfortable" with that choice.  But she did try a few of the holistic suggestions, we'll explore those this week too.

And finally, as we explore these alternative therapies, please, please remember this... Before you attempt any new treatment on your own, we encourage you to talk it over with your doctor and cancer team. I strongly urge you to consider all alternative treatments very carefully.  It is true that food-derived antioxidants, minerals and even essential fatty acids play an important role in our health. Making the decision to eat a particular food or natural product for benefit should be done only after much research. The information we are discussing here is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from a health care professional. It should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or construed as a prescription of a medication or other treatment.

We're heading down some Back Roads on this Journey.  Join me?   You never know what we'll find around the next bend...

In Grace, Always,
                        Jane