it's been a long while since i've posted. i've been so busy lately. the days seem to fly by. but today, everything has moved in slow motion at times. my spirit has been invaded with sadness. about three years ago, a lady i know, was told that she had cervical cancer. hope was there to buy time, but no hope of a cure, as the cancer was too far gone. she kept her spirits high, at least publicly, as she decided what to do. fighting was her decision. she and her husband have two beautiful daughters, so she felt her only choice was to survive, for them. the entire family was involved in every process, each step of the way. the youngest daughter, at the time, four years old, was even able to find the "pros" in the situation. A had to have a complete hysterectomy where absolutely every female piece of her was removed. molds were inserted to help her retain some shape and ostomy bags were attached. anyway, M, her youngest said one night, "mommy, just think how lucky you are". A thought to herself, "lucky?" she then asked M what she meant and the little one replied, "because you don't have to worry about missing the good parts of the movie when you have to go to the bathroom, cuz you don't even have to leave the room!" that is just one of the funny things that have happened along the way. in the beginning there was much humor intertwined with the sadness. when i would see A, her spirits high, i would forget about the tough road she was walking. the following year, the older daughter, J, was in my class. she is such a good girl and a wonderful student. she is a perfectionist. unfortunately, that caused her to move a little slower than everyone would like. she was a joy to have in class. the cancer came back to A's body that year and J spent more time out of school than she did in school. i did what i could to help keep her on track. things just weren't going too well. A needed more treatments, this time the treatments really wore her down. she was weak and i saw very little of her, but when i did, she was still her old cheery self. she still cared for her family as she always had. she still smiled. she still lived. the next school year i moved up a grade and i had the pleasure of having J in my class once again. this time, she only stayed in school until christmas. A and JD decided to pull the girls out and homeschool, as she was getting much worse. this was last year. they had planned a family vacation as soon as the treatments ended, as they did not know how much time was left. after the treatments, the cancer was undetectable. finally, hope came through again. a few weeks of recovery were needed before they could take their trip. before they could go, the cancer came back. this time in her chest cavity. back to the hospital for more treatments. the family set more survival goals. the same goals each year. make it through six months. one year. summer. girls' b-days (nov.) holidays. she kept on pushing. the beginning of this school year, they decided to continue homeschooling, although not much was getting done now. the treatment had ruined A's bones. teh slightest fall would break a bone. then, a terrible cough would break one. around october, the cancer came full force. brain and spine tumors. more goals came- the girls' b-days, then the holidays. i was supposed to go an see her about two weeks ago, but she was in so much pain from the development of a new tumor, that i had to wait. about a week ago, i was given the okay to stop by, but i couldn't because of my schedule. D and i decided to visit this week. we won't be visiting now. on christmas day, A slipped into a coma and at four thirty this morning (12/29), she went to be with God. she leaves behind her parents, sister, husband, and two gorgeous daughters. she was really an awesome lady and mother. i will miss her greatly! i don't have a clue how her girls will get through this loss, but i do know that God is awesome and can take care of them. please pray for their family.

before & after