Getting more energy, charities, and a bonus song

This week was mostly nice. I continue to feel a bit more energy, do more chores, stay off the couch longer, walk further distances, slow run more, get a bit more hair on my head, do more art, and I’m starting to feel hungry again, so mostly great news. 

I made an appointment to get Covid tested before my surgery, and scheduled some appointments for after my surgery that I’ve had to delay due to being on chemo.

One odd thing that happened this week is one of my big toenails fell off. I had been warned that nails sometimes fall off after chemo is done, so it wasn’t a complete surprise, but my fingernails are looking so much healthier already that I didn’t expect it. It doesn’t hurt at all, and it will grow back.

A thing that wasn't nice is that Frank had a sore throat Monday, so he has been spending several days in the guest room. He has tested negative for Covid, but doesn't want me getting sick with anything.

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that I made a donation to a charity each week I got a chemotherapy treatment. My thought was that I wanted to be focused on positive things, and imagining each treatment helping people in the area would be like I'm killing cancer cells by spreading goodness around and asking others to help. I asked friends for suggestions of local charities, and each week I posted on a local facebook group (the Hollis Brookline Cucumbers, which is a Hollis Brookline women's group of over 1500 members who are very good at supporting one another and helping people) telling people which charity I'd chosen that week, and how to find out more or donate if they were interested. 

I've given to the following 19 charities (note that HB stands for Hollis Brookline): HB Dollars for Scholars, Beaver Brook Association (local nature & environmental education center that is next to our house), Pink Revolution of NH (chemo care packages), Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, HB Rotary (service group), Military Holiday Card Challenge (sends greeting cards to troops), Hollis Town Band, Hollis Women's Club, International Rescue Committee and Save the Children (the only non-local area charity I picked - these are for Ukraine charities), Brookline Food Pantry, Grow Nashua (community gardens), Girls At Work (power tools and leadership for girls), CASA NH (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children), HB End 68 Hours of Hunger (food backpacks for the weekend for hungry kids), Stepping Stones (help homeless teens), Nature Conservancy NH (Environmental preservation), Pass Along Project (help provide a bundle of a week's worth of clothes and a pair of shoes for foster kids), and Donors Choose (help support school teachers' special projects). 

I learned a lot about the local charities, including some I'd never heard of before this. There are so many people doing good things, and I still had plenty I could have given to!

Hard to see, but there is some patchy hair growing on my head!

One more firing to slump (heat so it conforms to the shape of the ceramic mold).

The final shallow bowl!

A few weeks ago, I recorded a video of one of my favorite lullabies: "May You Grow in Your Own Sweet Way" by Tom Chapin. Frank did the filming and much of the editing, our church music director Jed Holland did the final editing and the piano accompaniment, and many congregation parents provided photos of their sleeping children. During the service, the live choir also sang along as a round with recorded me for the choruses at the end. You'll have to imagine that, but the rest is HERE. My wish for you and your family is that you all have time to grow in your own sweet way.