Home again, home again, jiggity jig!

So happy to report I'm Home!

I cannot even begin to tell you what it is like being home with my family after all was said and done the last 7 weeks. I could literally do a jig. However there was no time to jig because I came home on Friday late and Mark had to be out of town the following Monday on business. This past Thursday the 3 boys had to be 3 different places all at 5:30. I picked out the nicest looking person I could find and told them "Lehman is mine, I'll be back to get him!" I then took another child across town to Flag Football practice. The thought occurred to me that by the time Mary Claire is his age, I will be telling her to just walk home--you'll be fine.

I knew I had to blog and let you know how I was doing. Which I'm happy to report I'm feeling great. I have not felt this well in a long time. Praise the Lord! I do not have to go back to Houston until October 24. They will do some blood work and they say from this blood work they will be able to recognize if something is going on in my body that should not be. I'm claiming complete healing.

While in Houston I kept thinking this would be the last blog. I would tell you how God had healed me and that would be the end of it. I figured what more would there be to say.

Well, as we all know, Our God is an awesome God, and I can't wait to tell you how he ushered me out of Houston.

One night before I even knew I would have to be in Houston for radiation, I had a dream. It was a dream of a beautiful sunrise or sunset--at the time I did not know which. All I knew was it was so beautiful with the most vibrant and rich colors of orange, blue and black. Right before I woke up, it was like I was looking at a picture of me and my family with the sunrise or sunset in the background. My family looked exactly as we look now. While in Houston, I had to do some physical therapy. On the last day of therapy I noticed a postcard of the most beautiful sunrise in the background. I kept thinking that looks like the sunrise in my dream. As I was leaving I walked over to look closer and written underneath was written: 'My God turns my darkness into light.' Psalm 18. I didn't think much about it at first, but on the walk home I thought "God, is this what you're telling me? Have you once again spoken and I'm not realizing it?" When I got home and read Psalm 18, I could not believe how it spoke to me. I clung to this for the following few weeks. (It's a long one, so you'll need to read it.)

Well, the big day finally came. I get to go home. In seven weeks I had collected so much stuff I could not get it all on an airplane. Needless to say my sweet parents drove to Houston to pick me up. (After Mark drove the trip with the kids he said he would never do that again, and so far, has stayed true to his word!) As we were driving away with Houston in the rearview mirror, my dad's devotional books were in the seat back pocket in front of me. I sat there for a minute thinking "I wonder what today's devotional is?" Almost afraid to read something--afraid of what it might say. As I picked up The Upper Room, a daily devotional guide, there it was, September 15, 2006, Friday. Not only was the daily scripture for the day Psalm 18:28 "You O Lord keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." The daily scripture is always accompanied with a suggested reading. The reading was Isaiah 43:1-7. Which you will recall was the verse he gave me in the very beginning of my blog adventure-- "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze."

I nearly fell out of the car and I think I scared my dad to death with my Praising the Lord in the back seat of his Mazda. I will say it again and again, our God is so good.

I am not smart enough to make this up. He knows what we need so much more than we do. So back to the thought this will be my last blog--probably not. I will not post everyday and I'm not going to say every week. I want the life God has for me, not one I create for myself. With that being said, what I do know about our God is this--if I'm living the one he is giving me, it will not be boring. So, as my friend Blair always says "if God has given me something, it is not mine to keep, but God's to give away."

I'm claiming my dream as a sunrise. A beginning to a new day and a new beginning to a life full of blessing that only he can give away.