Welcome to Crocker Pages! Join us as we venture through life's journey. Here you will find our descriptions of and reactions to the assignments of life -- from the mundane to the significant.
What? Toni has been talking recently about “one hand to go!” She lifts up her hand triumphantly and says just five more treatments of herceptin. Every three weeks she has an infusion and a doctor’s appointment. Besides there have been numerous other appointments for MRIs, mammograms, blood draws, and heart function tests. Today she learned that she will not have to have another mammogram until next year and that she only has one more heart function test. So things are wrapping up quite nicely, “one hand to go!”
I have never been a great detail person and remembering Toni’s correct birth date has been an embarrassing situation at times. But December 7th, is “a day that will live in memory!” Maybe Toni is right I could remember something “if I really wanted to.” December 7th is Toni’s cancer free anniversary. The surgery was performed, the cancer removed and all the tests have confirmed that result a year later!
Everything this past week has been constantly filtered through the deep joy of God’s wonderful, amazing, mysterious, unfailing grace and mercy. Today we affirm with the psalmist, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Ps 126:3)
What a wonderful sight to wake up to this morning!
This is a medical weekend for Toni. Tests Thursday, an herceptin infusion today, more tests on Monday. So far her test results have been excellent! Only three more months of treatments!
I ask that question a lot, usually framed something like this - If I were to stumble and fall would you pick me up and say, “we can make it to the finish line, we can do this together”? I have never had an individual say no, they usually say of course, or at least ponder the moment. But my experience in life has left me thinking the answer for most people is no.
I saw this commercial this morning and cried and rewound it and watched it again and then looked it up on youtube. My boys think I have lost it or at the very least I am a sentimental sap. The reality is I see myself in that little boy, only I see the racers running over me and trampling me. Those months were so painful, I know we’ve all been there, laid flat out on the ground, wondering if the trampling will end, so that we can pull ourselves up. About a month ago, I was still flat on the ground, I’m fairly sure my face had worn an imprint into the race track, and my Father ran a rescue mission for my heart, he reached down and picked me up and set me steady again through his love for me. And not only is he faithful to stand me up but to give me a passion to continue to run the race.
This brings me back to the commercial, are we supposed to pick each other up, are we supposed to “do life together’. I think we are, God is my ultimate rescuer and when the people around me fail, he is so faithful to fill in the gap. BUT I believe his plan is for us to pick each other up, to encourage each other. In the Old Testament, we do not see alot of God asking individuals encouraging others, but rather God being the source of encouragement. In the New Testament, we see a switch, we are to “encourage each other daily” and we are to “encourage and build each other up”. Through this new thing God created, the church, we are asked to encourage each other, love each other, build each other up, walk along side each other, meet the needs of each other, and we are even encouraged to share everything we have with others. Living with my Father, I see that I can’t be out to beat his other children in the race, but rather, I need to be running the race with them. I need to be encouraging them, sharing with them, and loving them. I need to throw American individualism out the door! Watch this commercial, I know you can relate with kid who has stumbled, but can you relate to the kids that run the race together?
Toni went to a quilting retreat at Maranatha this weekend. I was left to my lonesome and thought I could handle it until I missed an elder meeting by one hour. I woke my usual time and got up and started doing some things and totally spaced the meeting. Only when I got a text message did I realize I was in for a humilty lesson! My daughter's response was, “Aren’t you glad you have grace filled elders!” This afternoon I went with my son and his three sons to watch Wyoming lose to Bowling Green.
On the way back from Fort Collins, after visiting a friend from CBC who had surgery today, we found out what it feels like to be driving the interstate with only three tires and three wheels attached to the car! There was a shimmy, I thought a weigh had come off and the right front tire was out of balance, and then next thing we know we see a black object roll past us … a few sparks, a little braking and little steering and we are waiting for a tow truck.
This morning I was walking to a meeting and met this curious cow. I was reminded that Cheyenne was once what they called a "cow town" and still is in some ways, and that is one of the reasons Toni and I like it so much here in Wyoming! This is directly across from Cheyenne Berean Church.
What? Toni has been talking recently about “one hand to go!” She lifts up her hand triumphantly and says just five more treatments of herceptin. Every three weeks she has an infusion and a doctor’s appointment. Besides there have been numerous other appointments for MRIs, mammograms, blood draws, and heart function tests. Today she learned that she will not have to have another mammogram until next year and that she only has one more heart function test. So things are wrapping up quite nicely, “one hand to go!”
