TBT might mean . . .

. . . Think Back Thursday in addition to the original Throw Back Thursday.  As it is tonight, it's not even Thursday anymore; it's early Friday morning or Too Blasted Late to Think, changing it to TBLT.  Network problems required several minutes of attention, plus I got started late. So, in keeping with the last post, my "throw backs" are word pictures, not photos.  The memories keep coming. 

One reason for the lateness of the hour is a project I've been working on the last couple of days with Sarah.  She plays flute in band and is a new member of the Petal High School Marching Band.  One of the band directors asked her to participate in "mallet camp" this week to learn marimba for Indoor Percussion.  She knows and plays scales well on the flute, but learning to play them on a marimba when you have never played a keyboard instrument is very different.  My "throw back" is to a little blue staff book that my high school piano teacher, Miss Eason, had me write all major and minor scales, arpeggios and I, IV, V, V7 chord progressions.  I can still see her neat illustrations in that book, but most of all I remember that basic instruction and how it literally carried me in college freshman theory.  Helping Sarah has made me want to get back to the keyboard myself. 

My morning Bible readings have been in Deuteronomy, one of my favorite books.  It is a book of remembering.  As I am trying to adjust to this "chemo indefinitely" schedule, remembering is vital.  The tendency is to complain, think about what I can't do, how chemo affects my life.  That's not good!  Like the Israelites needed to remember where they were, the fix they were in, where they are currently, all because of God' faithfulness to the promises He made, I need to remember where I was, the nature of the cancer, where I am today, all because of God's faithfulness to the promises He has made to me.  A thankful heart is so much healthier than a grumpy, complaining heart.  Moses didn't merely summarize the Israelite's journey, he reminded them, in detail, of both the good steps and the bad.  Remembering the journey is a "throw back" for every day, not just Thursday. 

A different bedspread on my bed provides a warm memory, no pun intended.  In 1936, pregnant with my older brother, my mother began crocheting a spread out of twine.  It is a beautiful popcorn, diamond pattern that Meredith tells me has 90 knots or popcorns to a pattern. After his birth, she rested from crocheting until pregnant with me four years later.  My birth stopped her work again and it wasn't until the mid 1970s, after her retirement, that she resumed work on the spread.  By that time the twine had yellowed with age, the same or a comparable kind was hard to find and it needed to fit a queen rather than a double bed.  My mother persevered, completed the spread and gave it to me.  It is a real treasure, but not terribly comfortable to lie on its top , too hot to lie under and too heavy on your feet.  You might say beautiful, but not practical.  I have found a way to make it work.  Seeing it on my bed, viewing it up close, I am reminded of my mother's determination to complete what she had started, a trait in her that was obvious in most of what she did.  I am reminded of her giving nature, knowing that the spread was special to her, but she wanted Tom and me to have it.  As I throw it back when I get in bed at night, I remember my mother.  

Yesterday, Thursday of this week, was a doctor day and day #1 of another chemo cycle.  Counts were good, so I was told, though I am always anxious to see for myself, and I made a new friend.  At first I thought it would be quiet in my area:  the man on my right had on headphones and was engrossed in his I-pad; the lady on my left was asleep.  I read, got out my lunch and as I was eating my pound cake, the lady commented on the cake and asked if the chemo affected my taste for food.  That opened the door for conversation.  She has endured an abusive relation, drug addiction, colon cancer and expressed how God has brought her through all the problems in her life.  Her spirit is beautiful; her heart is grateful; her trust in God is complete.  I was glad she awoke and saw my cake!

I have begun to look forward to seeing my friend, Cindy, who I met several months ago in the infusion room.  I had not seen her since April because of scheduling conflicts in May, so I especially looked forward to today when we should be back on the same schedule.  Her attitude and her countenance have been encouraging, not just to me, but to all who sit near her.  Not long before I finished treatment, I saw her come in and one look told me she wasn't feeling well.  She has done well thus far, but the last treatment has not been kind to her.  Please pray for her to be able to keep down food and liquids.  Hydration is vital and it is frustrating not to be able to keep anything down.  Even as she brought me up to date on her status, she was anticipating feeling better and getting us together with other women we have met there. 

It is way past my bedtime, so I will say goodnight.  Remember God; remember what He has done for you and be ready to share.

Blessings,
Pastor Margaret