Finding Peace

I wasn't looking forward to today. Last week we began the process of finding out if my mom has breast cancer. She found a lump a while back and let it go, hoping that it was just a cyst (something she is prone to). It got larger quickly and she mentioned it to me and I encouraged her to get a mammogram. She waited until all the weddings were done to have it checked out. Yesterday was the biopsy and today the 1st meeting with the surgeon. We feel really lucky to have gotten her into a young doctor named Jennifer Titensor. She is the best from what we have heard. She is also treating a friend of mine who goes in for her double mastectomy on October 1st. This doctor actually made time to see her before she left on vacation after viewing her mammogram and sonogram. Seems like I have been crying off and on since last Friday. I know mentally that life isn't fair and that bad things happen to good people - all the cliches have occurred to me as I have wrestled with my thoughts and emotions over the last few days. The cliches are not comforting at all when you get right down to it. I do, however, hope for some good things to come out of this experience. I hope that this brings our family closer together, that we are reminded of the important role my mom has played and is playing in each of our lives. I know that this experience will be further evidence of her great faith and her love for each of us despite our faults.
Back to today, we met with Dr. Titensor for the 1st time. She confirmed out fears that it is indeed breast cancer and that it is also in the lymph nodes in her arm pit. The doctor's proposed course of action is to first for my mom to have an MRI while the doctor is on vacation for a week. Next she will go in for surgery on the 29th of September to have a single mastectomy removal of the lymph nodes on that side. I suppose this could change if the MRI shows the cancer in other areas of her body. Following surgery she will most likely do radiation. Chemo is not currently planned unless absolutely necessary. Her prognosis sounds good if everything goes according to plan. The one cliche that does apply seems to be "taking it one day at a time". In the midst of this the routines of the kids had to go on and Jake and Carolyn have been wonderful about taking care of them whenever I needed to go with Mom. I explained to JJ what was happening and he is taking it really well. I think he really understands most of what we are saying from the questions he is asking. Mom and I did our best to not frighten him as we discussed it. We discussed prayer yesterday in FHE in hopes that as difficult things come into the kids lives that they will be able to talk to Heavenly Father and gain comfort and peace.
For book club this month we are reading The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Keel. It was a perfect read for me this month - it's mood fit mine exactly. I really enjoyed it. I have started traditional scrapbooking again - it takes me a day to do one page. It feels good to use my hands and concentrate on something creative.
I keep thinking at least I don't have to go through another day like today. Waiting and wondering, finding out the worst and then finding a ray of hope too. On a lighter note - Asher decided to spread lotion all over the kitchen floor today! He sure is trouble!