Today is the 1st year anniversary of my surgery that marked the beginning of my battle with endometrial cancer last year. It was a hard fought battle I documented on Journey Thoughts last year. I still have a few nagging chemo and radiation side effects, but for the most part I’m pretty much back to my “old” self and today I celebrate this anniversary praising God for restoring me to full health. God is good!

When I was diagnosed for the second time with cancer, I cried out, “Why me?” I had battled breast cancer in 2001 and I wondered why I was plagued with cancer again. I questioned why God would allow this to happen to me again. What was His purpose in this? I didn’t blame Him for my circumstance but I certainly wondered what He was doing in the midst of it. I knew He was going to use this second bout with cancer to challenge my faith. Could I praise and continue to trust Him, have joy and peace throughout another out-of-control situation? Would I be able to say I had complete trust in Him throughout the experience? Looking back over all my blog postings last year, I can answer with a resounding “YES!”

It was a hard year, to be sure, but God showed Himself to be faithful and trustworthy every step of the way. I am so thankful to have gone through that experience with Him!

A month ago, I received results from genetic testing I had done in December 2019 to see if there was a genetic reason for my two cancer diagnoses. I was surprised to learn, I did not have the breast cancer or uterine cancer genes. It’s good news for my two daughters because they have a lesser risk of developing those two types of cancer since there’s not a genetic link. That said, it’s still not a guarantee they might not be diagnosed in the future. After all, as the doctors kept saying, it was just dumb “luck” I got cancer not once, but twice! We don’t have a clear medical explanation why. I just pray I won’t have any more “luck” like that ever again!

So, now we are in the season of Covid-19. I was looking forward to spending time this summer with family and friends and enjoying activities I missed out on last year when I went through cancer treatments. It was my plan to travel, to camp, to enjoy my kids and grandbabies every chance I got. Unfortunately, for the last nine weeks my plans, as well as everyone else’s in the world have changed. The world may never be the same again, and I’m still working through that, trying to decide if that’s a good thing or not. God is teaching me so much while I am confined to home. I still have what my oncologists say is a compromised immunity. I have to take extra precautions to isolate myself away from others to protect myself from getting Covid-19. My husband does all the shopping, and I don’t venture out much. I miss spending time with family and friends. We interact and stay connected through phone calls and video conferencing. It is not the same as face-to-face conversations, and I crave their hugs!

So many plans have changed due to Covid-19, the major one being my daughter’s upcoming wedding in July. A few months ago, I prayed for my hair to be long enough to be coiffed for her big day. It seems such a minuscule worry compared to what we are facing nowadays. She and her fiancé have been forced to cancel the ceremony and reception, in favour of eloping on what would have been their planned wedding day. Instead of one hundred guests, they are only allowed fifteen according to our province’s Covid protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. We honestly don’t have any clear idea how we will celebrate the day. Covid health protocols prevent or limit how we may gather together to witness their nuptials. Please pray for Carmen and Jack, and our families, as we readjust our plans, modifying as we go, while we still face so much uncertainty about how to do life during this season of Covid-19.

Alberta is scheduled to start re-opening the economy tomorrow after a nine week provincial shutdown due to the global pandemic. So much has changed, it’s hard to fathom this new reality, this new “normal” of life in this ongoing season of Covid. It has been so challenging and yet, one thing I’m absolutely 100% certain about is that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and He will guide us every step of the way through these days, weeks and months ahead. I have grown closer to God in this time. I spend a concerted amount of time praying and being in His Word. I find solace there. I am sure there will be many “God Stories” to be told and re-told post Covid.

Today, however, I’m alone at home, and blogging. I rejoice that I can celebrate my one year anniversary free of cancer, and I give thanks to God! Life is good!