Three Months Out – Abundance

A little over three months have passed since my final chemo treatment. I had my first follow-up appointment last week, and it felt surreal walking back into the oncology clinic. There are days when I almost forget that the last eight months were anything other than normal – and then I remember and am instantly thankful to be at this point in recovery!

Since the last time we were together, school and all the activities have ended, we’ve beached, and summer has fully descended (and throw my birthday, our anniversary, and Reese’s birthday into the mix as well). I’m actually looking at my calendar to remember what has happened because all of the tasks, days, and activities swirl together seemingly into a run-on sentence! Baseball, ballet, and musical theater all decided to peak and finish on the same week, so I’m not even sure the last week of school actually happened (it did, my children did complete the third and fifth grades with all the respective functions, gifts, signatures or whatever else was required, it just makes me tired to go into any of that). The week after school ended, we headed to Fort Morgan, AL for some beach rejuvenation. Other than being a little cool for the end of May, it was a just right trip for our family. Once we got home, the usual juggle of work and kids and summer began. Ashley has declared that we should have a slower summer this year, so we are all gladly falling in line – pretty much from the middle of June until the end of July, my children are home and playing with each other and neighborhood kids and possibly (gasp) getting bored and having to figure out something to occupy their time – I love it!

I feel sooooo good these days. My energy levels are back to my normal or better. I’m being intentional to be as active as I can be without being consumed by the need to go to the gym (so, basically I take lots of walks by myself or with the kids while they ride bikes and sometimes I’m able to sneak away to use the elliptical at the gym). I’m drinking lots of water (that became habit after chemo and trying to counteract steroid side effects). I’m aiming to make good nutritional choices about what I eat while not depriving myself of delicious food – God bless a southern summer and all the abundance that comes with it! So, basically, I’m building back good and sustainable habits.

I. Have. Hair. It seems to be as thick as before chemo, and the red is starting to come through at the roots. Post-chemo hair is unpredictable for sure, but so far, mine is behaving pretty well. Apparently, the chemo takes away the cuticle, and it takes a minute for that to grow back fully – which is why the first hair growth seems so fluffy, and then it progresses to kinky curly. I’m using a shampoo and serum called Anagen that I bought locally from Kirkland Hair Studio.  I’m not saying that it’s a miracle product, but it seems to be helping my hair, and better yet, it makes me FEEL like I’m doing something to help my hair, so I love it! I need to start keeping a tally of the compliments I get on my “haircut” when I’m out and about – it’s comical because people think I’m much edgier or cool than I actually am – about half the time I let them know that it’s growing out from chemo. I would have never cut my hair this short, but I really do enjoy it like this (for now!), you can’t beat a towel dry and no styling 😉

I started taking Tamoxifen a couple of months ago. I was very anxious about the side effects, but so far, it really hasn’t been bad. If you are about to start taking Tamoxifen, are already on it, or are just curious and want to know more specifics, send me a message or comment, and we can chat. This is one of those topics that is a bit more “girl talk” than I’m comfortable sharing with the world – ha!

For over a year (since Mom’s diagnosis really), so many things have felt on-hold or in the air. In this season now, the Lord is blessing us with sunshine peaking through the clouds. His Light just seems to shine on the mundane and help me see beauty over all of it – and with that comes continued peace and contentment as well as vigor to tackle projects and maintenance that haven’t been able to be a priority. Part of this “slow summer” is the desire that our children see us taking care of what we have and having time to enjoy the people who are dear to us.

The act of cooking and preparing has always brought me joy – but now, it’s joy coupled with appreciation in the ability to do it. Bliss. Books have been a source of pleasure all my life – over the years I’ve been cyclical about carving out time to read. All of the sitting and reading during chemo recovery weeks when I didn’t feel like doing much else trained me to have less guilt about taking the time to read for myself now. Friendships have always been important, but now I am renewed with interest in my tribe, and being open to growing and expanding that tribe. A beautiful example is a Bible Study that the ladies in my Sunday School class (plus some others) are doing on Monday nights – it’s a treasure to me, and the time invested doesn’t feel at all like a sacrifice because it is such a blessing.

So, maybe you’ve noticed a theme? I did, but not until I started typing. ABUNDANCE. Living life with abundance is coming so naturally in a time after feeling like I was just hanging on. I challenge you to look at your life, and note where you are just going through the motions. Strive to replace that monotony with intention and live in abundance.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10

Love to you all,
Devin