California Trip from March 2017
I was blessed with the opportunity to visit my grandparents in California a few months ago!
I am so grateful that my mother in law helped out, that my husband supported me going, and that my daughter was able to stay home with them both!
Originally, my dad was going to go to Cali to surprise his mother. I asked if I could join him..., and then I called my Opa and asked him if I could come along. He said yes, of course. ;) All in all, we still managed to keep my dad's visit a surprise to my grandma until our arrival. I took my youngest sidekick and hit the road to Simi! It was such a fun experience to really get to know my newest baby. She was just over 5 months old, so she was able to sit up with support. She traveled SO exceedingly well! The only crying was in the car a few times (sorry to everyone's ears for that), and 3 minutes at the very end of our flying experience. My dad and I met up at LAX, and we hopped on a FlyAway at the pick up spot to meet some family members that night.
Once we arrived, my aunt and uncle picked us up we decided to surprise my Grandmother with my Dad's arrival, so we dropped him off a ways down the road. He surprised her so much by knocking on the window a minute after my arrival. My grandma only has 2 sons, so I can only imagine that having them both together is a very special experience! We grew up going to see my grandparents every other year or so, but I bet it was extremely wonderful to have their family reunited spontaneously.
Now, this trip was for a very specific reason. My grandma survived breast cancer when I was a child. She was breast cancer free for an exceedingly large number of years, but that all changed this year. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer again. The prognosis looked grim, and I wanted to be certain that I saw my grandma again on this earth just in case things took a turn for the worse quickly. Also, I am very much into healthy eating, oils, and other things that could help her beat this cancer, so I went equipped with books and articles and information to teach my grandparents about eating right, taking supplements, getting rid of toxic beauty products, laundry soap, moisturizers, etc.
We spent a lot of our time using an app called Think Dirty. This app assesses the labels of your hand soap, makeup, face wash, etc and gives you a score from 0 -10 (0 being the best and 10 being the worse). Grandma dumped most all of her products and grabbed some new ones from Sprouts. Her cancer is linked to hormones, and we know there are an excessive amount of unnecessary hormones in so many things woman use or touch throughout the day - receipts, shampoo, hand soap, gloves for washing dishes, cleaning products, and more. It's really insane how unnatural our world has become!
Anyways, I was thankful that my Grandma was on board with trying to help herself heal from cancer in natural ways while we waited for the results from more testing as there were dark spots in a couple of other places in her body. She is taking many different supplements, eating organic, and using better shampoos, lotions, and other beauty products. She recently received news that the cancer did spread to her liver, so she is now at Stage 4. I do know of women who have been cured of cancer from switching to organic vegan diets or going to intensive clinics for a few weeks to learn how to care for their bodies naturally in this time. I am not sure of what else my Grandma is planning to do, but I am trusting the Lord for His outcome. The week I spent there was so precious! I even heard Grandma play a song on the piano for us!
While I was in CA with my younger girl, my older daughter was staying with my husband and her grandma. She did many fun things from eating out lunch, to going to the beach, and clothes shopping with Grandma Debbie. I am thankful for the time she had with her Grandma, Great Grandma, and Daddy while I was out of town. They did a great job caring for her!
We had such a sweet visit filled with sightseeing in the city of Burbank and eating lunch at the 2nd Big Boy in Studio City, spending time enjoying the outdoors, attending church at Grace Community, working on a puzzle, shopping at a new favorite store, and just enjoying one another's company. We also had a nighttime dinner at my grandparents with my Uncle, Aunt, and cousin. It was good to all be around the same table again!
On our last day there my dad and I got our usual family hike in! Anytime we all (or any member of our family) visits my grandparents we always hike this little hillside. It just so happened to be that we went at a gorgeous time of year and at sundown! This was a special time that I was able to experience with my youngest girl and my dad. It's a bond that I am grateful for, and we both really enjoyed this hike! It was a wonderful time to enjoy each other's company, enjoy God's creation, and to share things that were on our hearts. The Lord was kind to allow this trip to transpire a few months ago.
I am praying for God's will for my grandma's life each day. If she will better glorify Him in living, then amen, but if she will better glorify Him in her death, then let it be. God's plans are so much greater than our own. I trust Grandma Sally is a born again believer as she has done as
Romans 10: 9-10 has said - "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
I pray that she continues to live her life to glorify the Lord and that she will not rely on herself or her own strength during this time.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
" But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities." For when I am weak, then I am strong."
My grandparents were such great hosts at this trying time in their lives, and I pray they hang on to the truth displayed in God's Word. We are hopeless without the Lord, yet in the Spirit there is liberty. We can trust in the hope of the resurrection for complete and perfect healing for my Grandma should the Lord see fit to take her home, yet for now we will love, pray for, and spend as much time as possible communicating with my sweet Grammy!
Other Resources to look into for people battling cancer:
CancerTutor.com - essential truths about medical vs. natural healing regarding cancer.
ReplyDeleteThese are all precious and eternal thoughts, BEE.... thanks for sharing. What a tribute to Sally... we all love her dearly.