Arranging Pictures, Mexican No Fish Fish Fry, Peace Within

One of the gifts I received at my birthday party was that photo of the 5 grandkids that it took me awhile to figure out. This week, Carrie delivered the rest of the photos that were taken that afternoon. So I shopped for just the right frames, found them at Hobby Lobby--it is the store that my friend Donna introduced me to--it has all kinds of stuff. I told Carrie that if they ever do this again, what they wear has to coordinate with the red frames! I love pictures.

Last night was Mexican night at our No Fish Fish Fry. The food was really good and plentiful. We took 3 cans of food for the local food pantry at Catholic Charities, so we got $3 off our meal. So for 9 bucks we had all the quesadillas and tacos we wanted. I have never had a potato taco before, and I must tell you, it was very good. There were onions and peppers and other things in it too. The crowd was slightly better this week, several families there, which is what we wanted, but I think a lot of the old folks maybe headed to St. Dominic's for fish. What I am told is they have the deep fryers to prepare their fish on site. At St. Peter's, we don't have that capacity, so we have to order the fish in. And when you do that, it just isn't good. So we are hoping that each week, the word will spread that we have great food and atmosphere on Fridays during Lent at St. Peter's and a few more parishoners and their friends will come. We joined Carrie and Tony, Cora, Hannah, and Nolan for the dinner. Blake is off with his friend Logan skiing in Davenport, IA. He called and told Carrie he has already crashed a couple of times. Well I think this activity is what every 14 year old boy dreams of. Flying downhill with reckless abandon, just hoping you survive when you get to the bottom.

Today I am very rested, fell asleep at 9 last night and woke up with an amazing leg cramp at 6AM. I was moaning, unable to get it to work itself out, so Mario rescued me, just like Kathy used to do when we were kids. I don't know why I get these leg and foot cramps. But anyway, I spent a little time doing my easy exercises, and during that time, the still quiet voice that speaks every now and then gave me a message.....God has a way of infusing a reason or purpose into every path in life. When I spoke yesterday with Lori, I got scared. Today I realize that the measure of contentment is how much peace a person feels within. I have to be so careful right now. When I get that kind of information like Lori game me yesterday, I have to process it with a fearless heart, not a fearful one. I have confidence in my medical care, and I have faith in God. I must also be flexible. Bend with the wind. I'll be fine. Only 7 treatments left. 2 more where I've been, then I move across the hall at the radiation center to another linear accelerator. It has a different energy for the last 5 treatments that will be right on the scar. I have all kinds of lines and circles drawn on me now to mark the spots where the radiation goes in. You have to laugh. And the final assault is that I am shrinking, my right chest that is. Wish they could find a way to shrink my behind and my belly!!!