"...sweetest in the crushing places..."

"Joy is like wine — it can run sweetest in the crushing places. " Ann Voskamp

I've been concerned about how this week would transpire.  Its another arena of new for me.  With the stable nature of my disease throughout last year, we worked within some well developed boundaries, knowing what to expect.  Coming off of the trial, has shuffled me back into the regular system and I am trying to re-learn how to navigate.  

This is the radiation suite where the Novalis radiosurgery machine sits.  I had the targeted 1 time treatment to my brain in this suite last Wednesday.  On Monday I started treatment to the spot in my spine, in the same room. The first day took about 15 minutes or so.  But by yesterday I was out in under 10 minutes.  The photos are fuzzy, but I didn't want to tie up the machine too long so I snapped three quick shots before I had to have my treatment.

My counts were good enough for chemo this week!  So I had chemo first and then finished exactly at the time I needed to go for radiation.  I sat down and they took me right back.  So easy.

The machine moves around me and the table adjusts me when necessary.  I stare up at the ceiling and immerse myself in the nature photo. 

My legs go over the blue cushion, and my head rests up in the mold at the top of the table.  Then I just lay there as the machine moves around me shooting radiation to the targeted spot in my spine.  

3 treatments down, 7 to go.  

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She has been my best friend since high school.  Its just over 30 years now that we've sustained a friendship that has seen us through everything from boys, to cars, to college, then law school for her, grad school for me, to weddings, and then the birth of our kids.  We've ridden the high times together and forged through the tough times together.  We haven't lived in close proximity for years, but we've always stayed in touch.  

As I've battled through breast cancer, my friend, Kristi, has suffered through pneumonia on 3 different occasions this past year, including one lengthy hospitalization.  I haven't seen her in almost a year.  But we chat often and know the time will come when we will get to hang out together again soon.

So I was so surprised to have this arrive on my doorstep Sunday night.  There are so many details in it, its hard to capture them all.  But this beautiful quilt was hand made by my talented friend, Kristi!   

She even stitched "hope" into the top-stitching all around the quilt.

She personalized this square for me on the back.  

I even found us in the "best friend" phrase scattered throughout the quilt.

She wrote to tell me she hoped I felt  "hope and hugs."  But what I felt most of all, is all the love coming through.  I know this took hours upon hours of her precious time, and tons of talent and knowledge in piecing and quilting and stitching it all together. 

Its gorgeous!

Its left me feeling like the luckiest "best friend"out there.