Hate

As a little girl, I remember so well being taught by my daddy not to "hate" people. This (among many other lessons) was very important to him. He doesn't even like the word "hate". As I grew and tested the waters of life, I became aware that it is okay to hate concepts, ideas, actions, etc...... or to at least dislike them strongly. So today, I will say that I hate cancer.

Cancer has entered the lives of two of our close family members this month. Scott's Grandfather, Mr. Chance, was found to have cancer in his stomach when they opened him up during a recent surgery. He spent a little over two weeks in the hospital and came home on Monday. They are not yet sure if there will be any treatment of his cancer, as he already has the same form of muscular dystrophy that Gary Wayne suffers from. His health may not be able to endure treatment. So, please pray for him as he regains strength at home.

My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer last week. This is the same cancer that took the life of his father twelve short years ago. Dad regularly has blood work done. A recent blood test indicated that his PSA level was slightly elevated. Thankfully, he has a wonderful doctor who wanted to go ahead and check things out. After a biopsy, he was found to have cancer in three of the eighteen areas they tested. The positive side of this is that it has been detected early and is not a real large amount. Mom and Dad remain positive as they have been meeting with various doctors to discuss possible treatment plans. He does have several options, so now he just has to choose a course of treatment and endure it. Please pray for him as he makes this choice and begins treatment to get rid of this horrible, hated disease.

I Love Summer

I am so very glad that summer is here. The last few weeks of school are easy but also trying. We don't try to throw as much at the kids, but at the same time they think they shouldn't have to do anything. During the month of May, teachers turn into babysitters. I don't mind this so much though. It allows me the opportunity to loosen up and really enjoy spending time with my students in a much more relaxed atmosphere.
Most people seem to think that once school is out for the summer, that a teacher's work is done. Actually, I spent two full days in meetings just last week. We are required to complete a minimum of 30 professional development hours. Some years I put in closer to 50! With that said, I am glad that I don't have any more days scheduled until the last week in July (unless something else pops up).
We don't have any major plans for the summer. Kaitlin has already made her first trip to Holiday World with Ella Kate and Scott's parents back on the last day of school. They had a blast. We are planning to go there next week, so I guess that's something to look forward to.
It feels like this is my first true week off. I've been passing most of the time around the house. Hopefully, Kaitlin and I will start getting over to the pool soon. I think she'll really enjoy it this year.
There is so much to be done here. I have a few projects I want to tackle, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm still trying to catch up on laundry and other messes we seem to create.
Those are all my ramblings for now. I know it's not much, but keep checking back. I promise it will get more interesting!