Team Watson: School Work and Romeo...

Our weeks are settling into a pattern, and you know how I love my routines. Mondays we go out to ROCK to feed. The past two Mondays Amanda has been able to ride for volunteer classes and she has loved that. Wednesdays she has a lesson at ROCK, Thursdays she has a lesson at ROCK followed by piano. Add her weekly trips to Dell for her appointments along with school work, and it feels like we stay very busy. On our ROCK days, when we are able, we like to go and do her school work there. It seems to make a big difference for her to have a separate location to do work. That, or she just loves being out at ROCK.....

We have hit week three in her cycle and that traditionally is when her platelets start to drop and her energy level is impacted. I don't know about you, but when I am tired, my brain just does not function well. Since lately I seem to be tired all the time, you can imagine what my poor family puts up with! So with Amanda's normal symptoms of low platelets starting to show, I will watch her carefully for signs of fatigue. No matter how tired she is, she still manages to gather her energy to make it to ROCK, and for that, I am amazed at her determination.

Today we went to ROCK and tackled school work first, then she had her lesson. Tomorrow we head back to ROCK for her lesson with Freedom, then off to piano and our final stop for the day will be our Fall Festival at Crestview. Friday we go to Dell for her weekly labs and she will receive her antibiotic infusion. I am anticipating that her platelets will be low, but we are still looking to start chemo next week. Four weeks goes by so quickly.

This Monday at Grace Academy, they had a special "Team Watson" all-school Chapel to praise God for what he has already done in Amanda's life and also to pray for her and our family as she continues her treatment plan. Team Watson bracelets were handed out to all the students and staff. What a blessing to be a part of that phenomenal family. I was in the school office one afternoon this week helping out, and while I was there, two new teachers came up to specifically tell me that they daily pray for Amanda.

I came across this amazing blog on Desiring God, and while I won't post the entire blog, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read it yourself at Don't Give Up. At times I feel so weary in spirit, mind and body. These words ministered to me at the exact time I needed it. I know that I can't be the only one out there that feels weary and exhausted from life. Be encouraged.

From Don't Give Up:
"And wars are exhausting — especially long ones. That’s why you are often tired. Most soldiers who experience the fierceness of combat want to get out of it. That’s why you feel urges to escape or surrender. That’s why there are times you’re tempted to give up.
But don’t give up. No, rather “take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

Don’t give up when you feel that deep soul weariness from long battles with persistent weaknesses.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:8–9).

Don’t give up when your long prayed-for prayers have not yet been answered.

And he told them [the parable of the persistent widow] to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).

Don’t give up when the devil’s fiery darts of doubt land and make you reel.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day…in all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:13,16).

Do not give up when the fragmenting effect of multiple pressures seems relentless.

But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger . . . (2 Corinthians 6:4–5)."

Do not give up when waiting on God seems endless.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30–31)

While I do often face weariness, looking back over the last seven months of Amanda's story takes my breath away at God's goodness. We are blessed.

School at ROCK in the Family Room on Monday

Rafy was used in the volunteer training class. He pulled Cinderella's carriage!

Amanda rode Romeo for class, and she liked him so much, she rode him again for today's lesson.

Shurely Grammar in the Therapy Room at ROCK

Amanda got to tack Romeo by herself, with helping hands close by the entire time. As you can see, some of the instructors have dressed up this week. :)