A goat and two chickens

Can you think of anything better to buy with your first "paycheck?" I sat staring at the check I received from On The Minds of Moms. I know, they PAID me, as if being published weren't a big enough gift already. Crazy.

What was I going to do with the money I earned? My doorstep, my mailbox, my inbox- all the boxes are brimming, overflowing with such goodness I can barely stand it. I'm so overwhelmed and filled with gratitude, but how do I give back? Pay it forward? Give, as much as I receive?

I knew if I looked at the check long enough it would speak to me. And one day last week amongst all the mail I saw the pamphlet. Compassion International.  It was a gift list of sorts.  It had chickens, goats, fish, etc., all kinds of ways for an international family to raise their own food source.  You could even buy an entire "farm."  If you've been following Ann's blog you know about her travels to Ecuador with Compassion.   If you need a bit of an other-world view and a shift in perspective, I dare you to visit her blog once and not come away moved and changed.  You'll see why a goat and two chickens was an obvious choice and its heavy on my mind and heart to do more if I can swing it.

I found this nestled on my doorstep after chemo last week...

Not only was there coffee nestled in this basket, but the plaque down below...

Its perfectly, perfect.  Gratitude in Everything...  please let my heart know this every day.

Thank you Angie!

Sweet Jo Ann sent these to me and I was expecting a card from her.  The devotional and the music- look its Kate Miner and Rita Springer!  I'm so touched and honored sweet friend!  Jo Ann is in the midst of a bout with pleurisy and I know she would welcome any prayers if you wanted to visit her blog and leave them with her.

And this... I knew was coming!!  For two weeks we watched the mail!  It was a package of "goodies" from Germany and my kind and talented friend Mimi!  

She made this guardian pillow with a secret pocket in the back... can you guess whose picture she might have placed there?  

Its my Dad with the boys and it has a lovely verse on the back.

And as if that weren't a gift all on its own, she included a beautiful wrap loop scarf with a flower- its so soft and the color is so vibrant, I know it will help keep me warm this winter! 

And she didn't forget the boys, all THREE of them who got fairly excited with the large assortment of candy and sweets she sent! 

Bussal Mimi!  My cup overflows...

Quick medical update:  I saw Dr. Panwalkar on Tuesday.  He showed me the mystery blob in my brain on my MRI. He said the radiologist didn't even have a name for it.  But it doesn't have any of the characteristics of a cancer at this time.  So we watch and wait.  Everything else about my visit was normal... oh how I love to be normal every once in awhile.  

My incision however, is going to be an ongoing saga.  It continues to open, the hole going deeper and wider each day.  It is now considered a "hypertrophic granulation wound."  Or, "proud" flesh.  Which is too much tissue being made.  Dr. Bouton says its like goldilocks and the three bears- we need the kind of granulation that is "just right."  And that may take awhile.  So he referred me to the wound clinic and the nurses did a wonderful job of cleaning the wound and repacking it.  But then Dr. Bouton came into the room and informed us he'd like to still see me each week before I see them... just for extra measure.  It makes me feel "extra" in all kinds of the best ways.