On Monday, September 4, the last day of the Great Stoneboro Fair, the forecast called for a very hot day, but I still had a desire for Donn and me to go to the Fair as we used to do on Mondays.

There were two musical performances in the Centerfield Pavilion that I thought we’d enjoy—an Elvis performer and a Bluegrass, Country and Gospel group. I was never an Elvis fan but I enjoy the music now because it’s “oldies” which I love. 

There was a lovely breeze in the Pavilion and some folks from Sandy Lake– people who had worked at MCSB and my former hairdresser–sitting or standing near us which was a pleasant surprise. Some of them had only seen me on Facebook since my cancer diagnosis, and one friend seated a few rows ahead of us came back to give me a hug.

As always I enjoyed the Elvis music. The performer sang well and put on a great show. I told Donn I’ve always wondered how folks like him get into this type of performing—did someone say, “You sound a lot like Elvis Presley.” or did he just think, “I believe I could sing Elvis Music.”

At the end of the show, I decided to ask “Elvis” how he got started, and he acted like he’d never been asked that question. Thoughtfully he said, “Well, I was an Elvis fan since I was a kid, and my father called me Elvis even though I wasn’t a singer. I was really shy. But then I joined the Marines and got over some of that. I even started doing some Karaoke and the first song on the Karaoke machine was an Elvis song, so that’s what I sang.

“One night someone said, ‘Sarge is giving a party and asked if you’d sing Elvis music for him?’

“Even though I’d been doing Karaoke, I wasn’t sure I was up for a solo performance, so I hemmed and hawed and wouldn’t commit. A little while later the guy came back and said, “Sarge bought an Elvis outfit—he’s counting on you!” So that was that. And that was the beginning!”

I’ve always loved hearing people’s stories and told him how much we enjoyed the show. He hugged me and said, “That’s what makes it all worth while!”    

Between groups, we went to have steak sandwiches which actually tasted pretty good—the chemo has robbed me of some my ability to tell how things taste. Then our friend, Connie Saeler, who was running shuttle, gave us a ride back to the Pavilion for the second show—the Martin Brothers. (I’m not sure why they’re called that because I don’t think any of them have the name!)

I was delighted to see a man, very skilled on the guitar, from the younger generation on the platform. I decided if there was a break, I would tell him. When the opportunity came, Mike was very gracious and thanked me. I said, “I think you’ve been playing the guitar for a very long time!”

The young man said he’d been playing since he was thirteen. “And now” he said, “I’m thirty-nine.”

I was amazed and told him, “You don’t look like you’re thirty-nine!”

He leaned over to show me his gray hairs, and we talked about our genes determining how fast our hair grayed. I said, “My dad died at 67, but his hair was still black.” I pointed at my hair, and said, “This is actually a wig because I’m nearing the end of my chemo, but my real hair is still dark.”

He was astonished and said, “You must be doing very well with your chemo! I’ve only seen one person that looked as good as you while on chemo.”

This opened doors for me to share the choice I’d made early on—too trust God rather than being afraid, and how God had honored that.

Mike shared some times of loss that his Christian family had experienced that left people puzzled by the peace they had displayed because of their decision to trust. We had a wonderful conversation that left me with a greater sense of hope about this younger generation—that there were still young people who were choosing Christ.

My cup was overflowing with the music we’d enjoyed and the people connections God had given me. I was so thankful we hadn’t allowed the forecasted heat to keep us away.

Two days later we headed for the Hillman Cancer Center, again with a sense of expectation of what God had planned for the day. Donn had to go back to Greenville for something we’d forgotten, so I had some time alone with Annie, then with Chris, an older lady I’d met before, who was accompanied by her son, and finally a couple joined us who were somewhat younger than I.

I was delighted to see Chris again and have the opportunity to get to know her son, a very pleasant young man, and then to welcome Amy (the person receiving chemo) and her husband, also named Chris, to our group. From our conversation, I suspect all of them were Christians, and we discovered we were all avid baseball fans!

Amy shared her journey of having been diagnosed with lung cancer, although she’d never smoked, of having gone through chemo before. She had been cancer free for four years and only recently more cancer had been discovered. This was her first chemo treatment of the second round. I said, “And yet you were able to come in smiling.”

Amy responded, “When I first learned that I would need chemo again, I went home and had a good cry.”

We talked about “What would we do without Jesus?” Conversation flowed as we all shared our stories, discovering the similarities and the differences. I told Donn later, these sessions in Annie’s POD have given me more “people time” than I’ve had for a long time. The life of a writer tends to be quite solitary, except for our book events which I also enjoy so much. It helps me to recognize that God is meeting a need through these weekly group times that I didn’t even realize I had. And as a friend of mine titled her book, Isn’t That Just Like God!

Thank you, Father, that you can take even the worst experiences of our lives and turn them into something good! Amen.

Health Update

All my labs met the standards needed to have chemo on Wednesday, September 6, and treatment #11 was completed, with one more to go before targeted treatments will begin. Please pray that God will keep me healthy so that I can finish up chemo on September 12. We’re praying too for good results on the echocardiogram I’m scheduled to have today, Thursday, September 7. I am required to have them every three months during chemo.

 To be honest, I think I’m actually thankful that the targeted treatments will bring me back to the Cancer Center every three weeks until May or June, although the treatment times will be much shorter. I think it would have been almost traumatic if the sessions in the PODS had stopped completely when the twelve treatments were complete.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and loving support.