“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble and tottering knees. Say to those who are of a fearful and hasty heart, Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come . . . He will come and save you.” ~ Isaiah 35:3,4
This week I would like to share the following excerpts from some of the inspiring notes and words of encouragement I have received over the past couple of weeks:
Dear Eileen:
I remember your mother (my dear Aunt Peg) far more than I should. I have no idea why. But I can't help but think that she would she would be telling you today "get off your rear-end young lady and get this over with, your family needs you strong and healthy. They love YOU, not your breasts."
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If you are not an inspiration for all of us, I don't know who is. My heart goes out to you with so much going on and so many decisions needing to be made. I so agree with your decision about the mastectomy; with your family history, it would probably have to be done anyway at some point in the future, so why not now when it can be a preventive measure? I know it's such a heartrending decision to make, but it seems your medical team and especially your son and brother all agree it's the most effective option. I know so many people who, like you, dread losing a breast, but breasts are not who we are at all. I think you've made the right decision, and you do have such a warm and caring family to stand by you.
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That statement is so true. "You are not your breasts." You will be a different person without them but it will be because of the experience and growing you will be going through. Just the realization and deeper meaning about who you really are will be growth and change. Every day we are different than the day before because we have added a day's experiences. Dramatic experiences sometimes change us at a faster rate, but it is growth in the Lord for one of His children.
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Eileen, my dear:
Adulthood brings one precious right:
The right to make your own decisions.
You're exercising that right. Fear not...
Remember: you already have enjoyed many blessings in this life, and the close and loving support of your family in this crisis is in itself a boon denied millions in this world. I've told you before that in my opinion the Lord never gives us a load heavier than we can carry, with His help and that of our loved ones. . . .One further thought: Trust in the power of love, which transcends death and the grave, and in the care of your guardian angel, for 'tis sure you have one.
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Eileen,
You are so not just your breasts! You were a great person before you breasts developed, I am sure! You will be a great person without your breasts. You are your heart and soul! That will never changed no matter what the surgery entails.
I will love you just as you are and so will your other friends. Our bodies are like our houses, if people come to see our bodies or our houses instead of us, poor souls are they!
As for your little granddaughter, she will be the love of your life . . . she will adore you with or without breasts, and you will adore her regardless of her mental ability.
Remember, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger – and you see the world through much different eyes.
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We don't always (sometimes rarely) understand God's plan but we just have to trust and rely on Him for our strength. And, we are so blessed with loving families and hosts of friends from whom we can also gain strength. It often seems when we think our plates are full, we realize our most important lessons.
May God continue to hold you and your family up as you continue with your treatment and care and may He also continue to hold Josh, Lisa and Katelyn in His loving care.
“Trials are not enemies of faith but are opportunities to prove God's faithfulness.” ~ Author Unknown
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.’” ~ Lamentations 3:21-24
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You have been in my prayers and somehow I knew you would make a wise decision. Your faith has carried you this far and it will in the future. Hold on to the rope.
Remember what is most important.
It’s not having everything go right, it’s facing whatever goes wrong.
It's not being without fear; it's having the determination to go on in spite of it.
Remember that every day ends and brings a new tomorrow full of exciting new things.
Love what you do; do the best you can,
and always remember how much you are loved. ~ Vicki Worsham
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I Know Not
Author Unknown
I know not what the future holds,
Of good or ill for me and mine;
I only know that God enfolds
Me in His loving arms divine.
So I shall walk the earth in trust
That He who notes the sparrow's fall
Will help me bear whate'er I must
And lend an ear whene'er I call.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”~ Isaiah 55:8,9
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Eileen – Your husband is right—and remarkably astute—when he said the procedure was a bridge, not a plank. And your doctor is right when she said you are not your breasts. You are much more than that, and you have shown us that column by column. More than that, you’ve shown that to me by the encouragement and love you’ve shown me even when I was a stranger. Believe me when I say that I am with you every minute of your journey. I am there holding your hand. You will come through this thing completely intact with all that matters. You will still be Eileen Umbehr, and we will still love you.
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Eileen....Our feeling is how blessed you are that with your FAITH you can turn this whole situation over to the LORD for direction. I feel sure I have mentioned to you before that part of my nightly devotions includes the reading of the following:
“Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. . .”
"When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things will happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly." Edward Teller
Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace, which transcends all understanding, shall...mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6,7
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'Leen....
I got this story [“God’s Cake”]
again today so there's some message for me (obviously)
and I'm sharing it with you :")
I will pray about and for your health.
Know that everyone is....
WE LOVE YOU.
Each of us are given so many blessings as well as
the 'balance' of those positives, too.
Strange to think that way, but it is the combination of both
that make us wiser and more compassionate if we choose to believe that God's hands are holding ours through it all...
I am taken back in time....
My son's face contorts with fear as he readies for the 'stick' of the needle.
His plaintiff cries cause me to break out in a cold sweat because I am anticipating his pain, yet I know it is for his own good.....so I smile and reassure him.
'Steady, now.....there....all done!'
Beads of freshly squeezed tears begin to dry on his smooth, rosy cheeks.
There...you did it!! See? It wasn't too bad was it?
“But who are you, a man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me thus?’” ~ Romans 9:20
God’s Cake
(Author Unknown)
Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful illustration.
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong: she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack. The daughter replies, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?"
"Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” ~Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
Eileen by campfire
