Hello all you wonderful people 😁. I hope you are doing well and having peace and joy in your lives.
These past six weeks have gone by quickly! I think is has been accelerated by different events that have happened over the past few weeks. One thing is the kids have started school - HUGE THANKS to all those that have taken care of (and continue to take care of) the kids and our house. Many people are helping and working together to make sure the kids' needs are being met. We could not make this work without you.
Another thing that happened is a hurricane hitting the eat coast, on the east part of Long Island. Fortunately it didn't do anything serious where we are at. It did keep us occupied as we checked it each day.
This past week, my dear grandmother Annabea Anderson passed away. She was 99 years young. She always had a smile and always made you feel special when you visited her. We are so thankful for her life and all she taught us. We are grateful she can be free from the burdens of mortality and is with her sweetheart and children that passed on before her. We were able to watch the funeral services over Zoom. It was such a blessing to be able to feel a part of celebrating her life.
New York continues to be loud and dirty, with moments of peace and beauty. We have been able to go to the Manhattan Temple a few times. When you are in the temple, you do not hear any of the noise of the city - no sirens or honking or yelling. It is a sacred, quiet place that is truly a cover from the storm.
On a side note, US Open has an office for athletes just up the sidewalk on the corner. We think it is part of a gym and must have some tennis courts or something the tennis players can user for training or practice. We have been seeing great athletes in the hotel and on the sidewalk, having no idea who they are, but knowing they must be good to be a part of the tournament. We heard a few different languages being spoken (which is actually normal for New York, so it may not have meant anything). We tried to be friendly so they had a good impression of American hospitality.
Now it is time for the medical update. I had a scan last week and talked the result over with the doctor. It was a mixed bag overall. One scan showed disease regression in certain places (HOORAY!), but the other scan showed an increase in metabolic activity and slight growth in some tumors. Yes, I do have two scans each time they do scans. They measure the tumor growth and activity using different mechanisms, so together they give a more complete picture of what is happening. We are really happy about the disease reduction and are going to focus on that aspect of the scans. We will continue the study and I start the next cycle tomorrow.
We have been truly blessed by all of your love, faith, support, prayers, and donations. We could not have made this work without your help. We pray for you and know that you will be blessed for your kindness. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real. They are watching over us. They are guiding us and we are trying to follow them. I know that we will be blessed as we follow our Savior and do as he would do, especially in how we treat others.
With Love and Gratitude, - Doug -
