Dear Kids,

I’m gearing up for Thanksgiving at the cabin.  It looks like we’ll have Tom’s family, Donna’s, Paul’s, and Allen later on.  Hopefully he’ll bring his kids and/or Jenn and/or her kids.  The more the merrier.   If you can’t make it to our dinner (1:00 or so) we’ll be having pie around 5.  I’m going to be making pumpkin and chocolate pie, and anybody who wants more variety can bring another kind.  I’m bringing ice cream and whipping cream, too.  I think I have almost everything assigned.  It isn’t Vanessa’s year to have dinner with us, but she and some of her family will be at the cabin Monday and Tuesday night, along with Nora and some of her family.  Donna’s family will be there Wednesday night, and I think she’ll be cooking the turkey there.  So if you want a whiff of what makes Thanksgiving great (besides being grateful for all our blessings,) the cabin will be the place to be. 

Dad and I went to the Jordan River temple with Addie (and Nora and James) yesterday, and it was a wonderful session.  Addie was really limited in who she could invite, since there were six young people being endowed, and there are still covid restrictions.  So I was very happy Dad and I could be there.  Addie is going to be a wonderful missionary.  Jacob’s endowment is coming up, too, probably with the same restrictions.  Dad and I feel like these wonderful experiences are our “payday” for working hard to raise you kids.  You’re our greatest blessings.

I saw Dr. Lewis, my oncologist, on Thursday, and together we decided that I’ll start chemo on November 30.   That way, the timing will be really good: besides having the first infusion just after Thanksgiving, I’ll be having one just after the Messiah and another one just after Christmas.  There will be one more in January, and then I’ll expect to feel good for two or three more months.  I’m actually looking forward to the chemo, since I figure it will help me breathe better, like it did last time.

I got John to take out the stitches from my toe surgery, but I still have stitches in my ear,  from a biopsy I had on Monday.  There’s some weird kind of scratchiness in there.  Luckily, the biopsy was negative, meaning there’s no malignancy, so I can just wait it out.  The stitches are really bugging me though.  They’re supposed to dissolve, but I keep tugging at them.

Sorry I’ve written so much about my health.  My difficulties seem to take over my life, sometimes.  But there are so many good things happening, I can’t complain.  

Lots of love, Mom