Its been quite some time since we've "talked," and I apologize for my absence. I've really missed you all! To be honest with you, I've kind-of taken a break for awhile. It was something that I needed to do. As I have recently found out, it's VERY easy to get caught up in the "business side" of music. I have to confess that I was so excited and so wrapped up in it all...so trying to "make things happen," that I allowed myself to forget what I was doing, why I was doing it, and Who I was doing it for. Once again, I allowed my humanity to take over and it became about me. Ugh! It's so easy to do. I was gently reminded that this isn't about me...it's about Him, and I decided to stop for awhile. Back in October I prayed for wisdom...for guidance...for God to lead me, and to show me where I need to go. It was so hard, but I handed it ALL over to Him...every last song. I gave up control. I put my family first and decided not to do anything until the first of the year. In doing so, I knew that if anything came about during my "time off," it would be of His doing, not mine...
In October of 2001, my younger brother Roy noticed a lump in his left groin area. The doctor diagnosed him with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. His was a very rare form. He had both the large and small cell varieties. We were told that his Cancer was in stage 2. He is my only sibling, and I was devastated! I was four months pregnant with my daughter Claire. It was an extremely stressful time, to say the least. He was put on probably a million prayer lists!!! Thankfully, his tumor was encapsulated within a lymph node and the doctor was able to remove it. He underwent chemotherapy, and in August of 2002 his tests showed that his Cancer was gone. This month marks the 5 year anniversary of that day! God has been so good to my family, and He has allowed my brother to use his experience with Cancer to help others. It has also strengthened his already incredibly strong faith! He is a true inspiration!!!
I thank God for sparing my Brother, and for the medicine that helped save his life.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services. The society's mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Please help by donating.
To learn more please visit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's website at leukemia-lymphoma.org, and to locate events in your area visit the Team in Training website at teamintraining.org.
