Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad in It

Mom has had a really great month, topped off with good results from a scan this week. The scan showed that the tumor is still less than an inch and has not grown. The scan also showed that there were not any new tumors. Mom and the rest of us were very happy with the news. The previous week she had a blood test that showed that the tumor marker has continued to decrease, and to now under 300.

Before these recent tests, Mom and the rest of us had taken a vacation from cancer when we all went to Cape Cod for the week. We had a wonderful trip. Almost every day we go to a great bay beach close to the house - the kids love how the changing of the tides create a whole new beach experience every time we go. It's a good place for Dad, with a pretty manageable walk from the car to the beach. It was so much fun to be all together - lots of great memories in the making.

Mom continues to do things that make her happy and keep her going. She preached at her church Labor Day weekend . . .  and she bought two dozen pink flamingos for her yard.  As she says, "they make me smile."  We will have to get a photo of Mom with her flamingos, but here's a picture of the whole family at the Cape. For the past few years, we have made some tie-dye shirts during the vacation. This year, because Mom loves stars, we each created and painted a star shirt.  Mom's shirt featured the star on a sand dollar.  This weekend Mom and Dad are looking forward to a mini-reunion we are hosting for their dear friends from the College of New Rochelle - where Mom and Dad met almost 50 years ago.

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