Five years later ....

Five years, four months, and eighteen days later, I'm back. I didn't expect to return to the blog, and it never even entered my mind to make another post until yesterday, but here I am.

I left off in Paris in 2019. After a few days in Paris and a few weeks in Italy (it was my first trip to Europe), I returned to China to pack and say my goodbyes. I sent Mimi back to the US via Shanghai and Frankfurt in early April. On May 18th, I boarded a flight and said farewell to my beloved home away from home for most of my adult life, China.

Once back in the US, I had foot surgery, then many other medical appointments in an attempt to get my health into better shape. My cancer treatment of 2014-2016 really knocked me for a loop, and I wasn't recovering as I was told I could expect. I ended up in the hospital the day after Christmas with pneumonia. Then I continued my lung rehabilitation for my paralyzed right diaphragm a few months later when Covid hit. It was a good thing I wasn't in China when Covid came along. If you know, you know.

I had another surgery later in 2020, and it was decided that my health wasn't strong enough to return overseas. It wasn't strong enough to do much in the US either.

I spent much of my time helping my parents, who lived next door.

In 2021, my dad was in and out of hospitals ten times. He passed away in November 2021 at the age of 88. We have the blessed assurance that he is in the presence of his savior, Jesus Christ. We sure miss him a lot though. Life is just not as sweet without him in it. You can read his obituary here. I thank God every day for letting me have him for my father. He was the best man I've ever known.

I tried to fill his shoes helping out my mom, doing the bookkeeping and taking her where she needed to go. It has sure been fun spending time with her. I wish my energy level was up to doing it all, but fatigue has made it hard to keep up with everything she and I both need to do. My mom is 87 years old right now.

My sweet dog, Mimi, turned 19 years old in January 2024. She did so well in her old age. On the night of March 17, 2024, we both spent the night on the floor, because she couldn't go anywhere else. She passed away the next morning at 4:45 a.m. and was buried in my backyard the following day. What joy that dog brought to my heart and my life! I can't imagine every having another furry friend like her.

Too much loss ... too much sadness. 

My doctors consider my medical problems too complex and overlapping to try to figure out any great solutions. Their goal is to keep me stable. I have bigger dreams though. I pray that God will renew my strength and let me live my life to the fullest. Just "getting by" is something, but God has much more in mind for a child of His.

I hope this brief synopsis of the past five years fills in a few gaps. Let me know if you read this, because I'm not advertising my return to the blog, and I'm going to assume that I'm the only one that sees this unless you let me know otherwise. I'm happy to have a place to post my photos and keep an online journal once again. 

And, if I ever disappear again, don't necessarily assume the worst. I'm glad you're here!  

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! (Yes, I'm in the U.S. for the holidays.)

One year ago today

It happened August 17, 2014 – exactly one year ago today. It was a Sunday, I was in China, and I had hosted the Sunday morning gathering at my home that day for my group of expatriate friends. I’d made breakfast and coffee for them. I think we even had a light summer a.m. rain, making me glad I wasn’t the one who had to go out that morning, as was usually the case. When they left in the early afternoon, I went out on my motorbike, did some sightseeing, and met up with Chinese friends at a coffee shop. I came home that evening, gave Mimi a doggy head massage, and reveled in the lovely day I’d just had. I was in excellent health with lots of energy, especially since going off statins two years prior, and going off of sodas, sugar and wheat one year prior. At 10:25 p.m., I got in my pajamas, stretched my arms into the air, and decided to rub my own neck, something I never did. It was then that I discovered a funny little hard bump on the back right side of my neck.

I checked the left side and found nothing. I didn’t know if a lump on my neck was normal or not, but the lack of symmetry startled me. I decided I would be at the clinic run by English-speaking Singaporean doctors when their doors opened the following morning.

The neck ultrasound worried my doctor, and he suggested I get it checked elsewhere, outside the country. My organization’s medical consultant recommended waiting two weeks to see if the lymph nodes in my neck were just swollen due to an infection.

I went ahead and took my scheduled train trip in which I traversed half the distance of China from south to north, headed to the northern port city of Dalian to meet up with colleagues and friends. I felt fine, but the hard lump on my neck didn’t go away during that week of travel. If anything, the rest of my neck felt tighter than before, something I told the medical consultant.

She arranged for me to have an appointment in Hong Kong, and I showed up at the doctor’s office there two weeks and two days after finding the lump. On Tuesday, September 2^nd Dr. Chen, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, did a fine needle biopsy, and on Wednesday, September 3rd he called me back into his office at noon to tell me the news that I had cancer in my neck that had spread there from some other yet unknown part of my body. I assumed that since we just found it, it must be in the harmless early stages, but my doctor told me otherwise. He told me it was serious and that I should get home to the U.S. as soon as possible to get it taken care of.

I was stunned that this thing could happen to me at all, much less at a time when I had never felt better in my adult life. I had faithfully and meticulously done cancer screenings during annual physical exams. I had done everything I was supposed to do and probably more than what most people do. How could I have cancer, much less cancer that had spread, when I had done everything right?

I flew back to my home in China the next day, on September 4th. Under a heavy cloud of grief, I spent days trying to figure out what to do about my dog, closing out bank accounts, shredding papers, trying to pack, making travel arrangements, trying to make doctor’s appointments in the U.S. (I had to stay up at night to do this due to the time difference) and saying goodbyes as best I could. I only had five full days. How do you bring 19 years in China to closure in just five days? I didn’t know if I would ever be coming back to China, if I would ever see my friends again in this life, if I should leave my belongings behind (in case I returned to China) or would need them for a new life in the U.S. or -- in the worst case scenario -- not need anything ever again.

Now, by the grace of God, it is one year later. I have more hope and peace now than I did at that time.

The excellent news is that my doctor at MD Anderson says the cancer is gone now as far as they can tell -- but then again they haven’t seen my type of cancer very often, as I have the most unusual of cases. The request for complete healing is always in my prayers, even now, as it is in many of your prayers as well – thank you. If all goes well between now and the end of January, when my every-three-week maintenance IV treatments end, my doctor says I will be fit to return overseas.

God is surely the One who prompted me to touch my neck on that evening one year ago today, to give me warning before it was too late, something my cancer screenings had failed to do. God is certainly the One who stepped in to rescue me. I trust in Him to navigate these murky waters and see me through.

All I know is that – and I hope it never happens to you – my life unexpectedly changed forever, and it started one year ago today.

Merry Christmas from me, myself and Mimi

Wishing you all a blessed and merry Christmas. 

Thank You God for sending Jesus to save us from our sins and restore us to fellowship with You! Thank You for bringing Mimi and me safely to Texas for this chapter of our lives.

While in Houston

I have been to Houston four times since September. On the first trip, my brother J and I had one day with nothing to do in between appointments, so we decided to go see our old family stomping grounds nearby. I may claim to be a west Texas gal, but my roots are actually in the Houston area.
                        

My Grandmother Wilson used to live in this end apartment.

 

Way back in the late 50s or early 60s, my family lived in the light blue house. The brown house belonged to my uncle and his family, and they lived there for their entire lives, or at least the rest of their lives after I was born.

My dad and uncle served as volunteer firemen. I remember during Hurricane Carla we all hunkered down at the fire department to wait out the storm.

Here is the First Baptist Church. My parents got married there in 1955.

On this corner, which is now a vacant lot, my grandmother used to live in a white wooden house with a porch. It's just a block from the church.

This furniture store used to be a corner soda fountain pharmacy, and it is where my parents first met.

This is the gas station across the street from where they met at the soda fountain pharmacy.

Herfort Diamond Factory is where my dad bought my mom's wedding and engagement rings.

This underpass is the city limits between two cities. We used to travel under this a lot.

This is the hospital where I was born. Both my brothers were born here too. It has been remodeled and renamed since we lived there. It's right next to the underpass. I think we moved away from this area when I was 3 or 4 years old, but we always went back to visit relatives, so I am familiar with it because of that.

We dropped by unannounced to visit my cousin Richard who is 70 years old. Richard is funny and awesome.

 It was a pleasant day (and we arrived unannounced), so I suggested we visit on the front porch.

Here is J with a LONE RANGER guitar that my dad, uncle and even Richard played with when they were children.

I got a photo of the three of us ... the angle is distorted, but at least we can prove we were all together on that day! Glad we got a chance to visit, drive around and take some photos on this day.

Times flies, and so must I

Seems like I just got to the USA, and already it is time to leave. In a few hours, I head back overseas.

I had hoped to write more on my blog during the past few months, but it didn't happen. Maybe when I get back overseas I'll post more often. I hope.

It was good to see some of my friends, although I didn't get to see everyone I had hoped to see. It was nice to spend time with family too, and I thank God for them and their supportiveness.

I would appreciate your prayers for my journey. The plane part is 25 hours from beginning to end. I have a one-hour car ride on the front end and a two- to three-hour car ride on the back end. 

Feels like yesterday

I got to visit with several college friends in Texas recently. We graduated more than 30 years ago, but when we got together, someone commented, "it seems like the last time I saw you was yesterday." 

I'm pretty certain the last time I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. talking was during college!

This trip back, I've been blessed to see and visit more people than I did last time I was back. It's a good feeling to know that time doesn't rob of us our [most important] memories, and friendships endure despite years of separation. 

Me in the Twilight Zone

I've been back in the USA for a full week now. Here's a summary of the past week.

My well-thought-out attack plan for conquering jet lag "once and for all" within a short time frame failed once again. I really hate jet lag. The only time I remember overcoming it quickly was the time I was was in my 20s, coming from Australia to Texas, with a few days stopover in Hawaii.  Hawaii was the cure. Maybe I should try that again. Ya know, IF ONLY Hawaii was in any modern flight plan between the Middle Kingdom and Texas. And, sadly, it is not.

After staying with my parents for three nights, I have settled into another beautifully furnished beautiful house in a beautiful neighborhood. The house has been lent to me for these two months, free of charge. The lenders are kindly paying my utility bills even! I will post photos sometime. It is a real blessing to be given the privilege of staying here. And even though I'd better not tell you on this blog who the kind lenders are, I am very thankful to them.

The house has a burglar alarm. (I have a burglar alarm in the Middle Kingdom too, one that barks ferociously. The burglar alarm in Texas doesn't seem to take orders from me quite as well.) I have set off the alarm twice, and I don't know how. The first time, it woke the neighborhood on their 4th of July sleep-late holiday. I still use it, but not without a bit of anxiety. I'm afraid to touch the windows or doors while it is armed.

The first time I set it off, the thought of a burglar intrusion DID NOT EVEN ENTER MY MIND. Not until the alarm company called me and told me to do a walk around of the property to check for intrusion, anyway. I just assumed it was a mistake on my part.

Two days ago I heard fire trucks screaming through the neighborhood, getting louder and louder. I was seriously scared, wondering what I had done to trigger their approach. I was absolutely sure it was me again, pushing some wrong button. Fortunately, the trucks ended up somewhere else. (Huge sigh of relief.)

The same people who lent me the house lent me a van! I am driving all around, enjoying the city!

America is freaking me out a little though. I mean, where else in the world can you find bottles of MOUTHWASH that are the same size as bottles of liquid LAUNDRY DETERGENT? I thought I was in the wrong aisle at the store. And I was really looking forward to finding some vanilla Listerine mouthwash, which apparently is no longer for sale. Bummer.

Someday when I have time to kill, I might go to Wal-Mart or Target and count the number of different fragrances of deodorant/anti-perspirant that you can choose from in America. Good grief! A person could have a reverse culture shock meltdown just by viewing the deodorant choices!

I was at the grocery store yesterday and the bagger asked me if I wanted paper or plastic. I am in jet lag people! Don't make me have to think! In the Middle Kingdom, we take our own reusable bags as an environmental measure. Decision-making is not required.

I must say though, that I have appreciated that no one in America has even once rammed their grocery cart into my backside. I mean, you get within ten feet of someone else's cart and they say "excuse me." What? I stare at them like they are nuts. Have I invaded their cart's personal space by being within 10 feet? I'm not sure. 

And then there's the whole "buss your own trays" thing that makes me look like a loser. At fast-food restaurants in the Middle Kingdom, clearing tables provides a livelihood for some worker, and it would be rude to take your own tray and deprive that person of his/her livelihood (seriously). But in America, if you leave your tray on the table, you are are a lazy arrogant sloth. I keep forgetting where I am. Am I paranoid or are my fellow Americans looking at me like I just came from another planet?

I'll be okay. I just have to figure this place out again.

I'm going on a weeklong trip tomorrow. I may or may not have time to blog during the coming week. But I'll be back soon with more, so please keep checking back!

Anniversary No. 57

My parents got married 57 years ago today, on July 1, 1955. I took their picture in their backyard this morning before church. Happy anniversary to them!