Scary Things Happen, Go Forward Without Fear

"Oh! Spooky, spooky, spoooooky spooky!"

---Scooby Doo

Happy Halloween! As much as I love summertime with all the heat and fun; as much as I love wintertime with all the snow and snuggly moments; and as much as I love spring with all the awakenings and surprises each day; I love fall! There just seems to be an energy in the air. The leaves are an hourly changing canvas to the anticipation of the holidays approaching. Hearing my friends talking about all the canning they are doing, stocking up their pantries with goodies energizes me. (Seriously, my jaw drops when I think of how much they accomplish in the hours between 5:00 pm and 6:00 am.) The added fun of decorations and celebration just helps me realize that life is full of joyful moments.

I try not to get too philosophical in these blogs, but with all the focus on the election and economic, medical, and educational problems our country faces, my mind and recent correspondences have seemed to dwell on the scary situations that we are facing. However, as I enjoy the good times with loved ones day to day, I feel blessed to have reminders to ease the burdens of this thing called life. Here are a few of my ponderings...

1) Just like our gardens have been nurtured and cared for, we need to nurture and care for our well being. We need to do all we can to be healthy (spiritually, physically, emotionally), educated, and financially sound. Then, just as we preserve our labors to sustain us for latter days, we can rely on our preparation to sustain us through any bleak times we will encounter in our future.

See the benefits of lunch with friends? I think if the school board knew how profound we could get at lunch, they might give us a longer break. I'll work on that... p.s. I was really sad to put my garden in the recycle bin...good times and good flavors...

2) The colorful mountains show that change is not always bad. It can be renewing, and have beauty of its own. Change is also part of life. All things have cycles and patterns which they follow. If you know these cycles and patterns, you can watch with peaceful understanding, enjoying the view.
Walks outside and time with the dogs; much better than a sweaty gym; better smelling, too; most of the time. Sorry, Jes!

3) Just the opposite of KC and Amy, I hate scary things. That thrill of having something startle you...yeah, not for me. Recently we were at Lagoon's frightmares. My parents and I were reminiscing about what a whimp I was as a kid (still am), and how much they needed to reassure me through the haunted houses, slides, and such. I then watched my nieces who saw the scary decorations around the park. They laughed or shrugged at them, and then qued for the exciting rides they wanted to enjoy.
It reminded me of a time that Ben and I were watching Scooby Doo as kids, and Shaggy and Scooby were scared of an area they had to enter. Scooby commented it was scary, and Shaggy said, "Ooh, don't say that.." Then Scooby said it in a spooky voice. That scared Shaggy even more. So then Scooby said it over and over, in a funny, questioning way, which sent Ben and me into a FIT of laughter. To this day, I can still hear Scooby and see the two of us tearing from the laugh.
We can do that, too. Find reassurance and knowledge from people you trust, including God. See the scary things for what they are, laugh or shrug, and move on to what we really came here to experience.

Huh. Deep thoughts at Lagoon, who would have thought?

So, I'm definitely not a shining example of these ponderings, but I'm working on the lessons.

Well, now that I've used a lot of words....I'll try to do my updates in quick fashion.

(Hey, does this count as publishing a novel?)

*At the end of September, we checked my blood numbers again. They are slowly coming up, but my platelets still need to be higher for the next round of treatment. My next update will be the end of October. The great news I received, is that I only need to take the ATRA every 3 months, not every month like we previously thought. Hooray!!! This really helped during parent/teacher conferences a few weeks ago. I thought I would be at a peak of a cycle, experiencing many side effects, during conferences due to the ATRA; but I didn't have to take it that month! Amazing blessing. So, in a few weeks we'll check the blood again (just in time for Halloween!). If the numbers aren't high enough, we'll do another bone marrow biopsy to see what's going on.

*We had a great visit with Mom and Dad Scott in early October. So fun to be with them! Yea, you should all be jealous.

*People have gotten older and fatter, and we are celebrating it ALL!

*Twilight movie MUST come to theatres soon...the obsession has returned. My cure? Healthy doses of other books. Seriously, I think my friends and family are coordinating an intervention with all the piles of great stories that are appearing in my life; and I want to read them all; right now!

*I got to play in snow. Welcome to Utah.

I'm signing off. Things to do, places to go, people to tackle. Until next time; live well, be happy, and don't let the scary things distract you!