NOVEMBER 29, 2010

Thanksgiving is past, but in our house, we are still giving thanks to God for His blessings on our life.

A little over a week ago, I had to accompany our one and only granddaughter to the dermatologist to have a mole removed and sent away for testing. Having Gary go through his journey with cancer and at present, dealing with our son-in-law, Andy with 4th stage Melanoma, this was a very disconcerting event in our lives.

I held onto the promise that God would not give me anything I could not handle, and made sure I told Him that I would NOT be able to handle Brianna having cancer too. Today, we received word that her test was negative and I do not have to say how relieved we all were!

This evening, I was thinking about all that has gone on in our life in the past 3 years.

Thanksgiving 2008, Gary had spent several months receiving treatment for his cancer and was supposed to start the process for his stem cell transplant after the holiday. His father had prayed a very special prayer that day, thanking God for bringing Gary through his journey with cancer. We did not know at the time, we would have some rough times ahead. That weekend the tumor in his brain manifested itself, causing him excruciating pain. I remembered praying to God, that if he was not going to survive the cancer, to go ahead and take him now and spare him the suffering. He would suffer for another 6 weeks until he had the GAMMA procedure.

Thanksgiving 2009, we were busy with preparations to return to the Philippines the first week of December. After spending an unplanned 2 years in the States, we were excited and anxious to return to the land and people we love. It was a very special time for us as a family. There were many times that year, we did not expect Gary to live, and to have him alive and free of cancer was a wonderful blessing for our family.

Thanksgiving 2010 ... Gary, Sandra and I are once again in the States, helping care for our grandchildren while our daughter and son-in-law travel to Houston for his treatments. Andy was present for Thanksgiving, just having arrived the night before from Houston. He is far from being finished with his journey and continues to need your prayers. You can go HERE for updates. So ... can I still "Give Thanks" when we are still dealing with CANCER? Yes, I can.

Giving thanks to God is not an optional thing for a believer. Thankfulness should flow naturally from the Christian who realizes the great gift of salvation offered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus Christ suffered the penalty for what He did not deserve (all my sin), then freely offered to me the reward (eternal life) that I did not deserve. What an awesome God!

"Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations." --Psalm 100