Hello! Good Morning to all of you! I am sure that most of you are rushing about as you are working on Christmas plans. First of all, I would like to thank you for all of the nice comments. They mean so much to me. I am so happy to know this blog is a help to so many. It has been my constant prayer for a couple of years, now, to encourage others and to make a positive difference in as many lives that I could touch. If even one person benefits from it, it is all worthwhile.

Today I want to talk to you about my life before cancer. It’s cold outside so pour that cup of coffee and let’s chat for awhile. This blog is going to be about many different topics. I don’t want to limit it to only about being sick, because life is all about many varied things that can change from time to time. When you combine all the good with the difficult times, they can be bittersweet, but when enjoyed to the fullest, day by day, it is an incredible journey!

I am a very family oriented person. I love my family dearly. I have a husband, Mark, and three grown children, Sarah, Bethany, and Travis, and three adorable grandchildren that I thoroughly enjoy! Mark and I have been married for 31 years now. How could that be?! I have a wonderful mom and brother also. My dad passed away several years ago with Lung Cancer. I was also very close to my grandparents. They were a very special part of my life when I was growing up. My most cherished memory of Grandma was her warm smile and that loving sparkle in her eyes. Hers was another precious life lost to cancer as she died of Melanoma, a form of skin cancer. As you can see, cancer has touched the life of my family more than once.

I enjoyed my childhood and teen years. We lived in a house in the country. I had great fun riding my pony. As I went into my teen years, I took baton and dancing lessons. I loved every minute of it. They were a major part of my life while I was growing up. I was picked as a semi-finalist in the Miss Teenage America Pageant when I was in high school.

As I got older and married, I really enjoyed the role of wife and mother. My kids and I were quite a group. You may have heard of the movie, Three Men and A Baby; Well, we were Three Kids and A Mom!
Grocery shopping with all three of them was quite a challenge. You know you are a mother when you are pushing a grocery cart the size of a minivan. I guess that’s a sure sign you have a lot of kids. I have always said I played the game of Life too much as a child because my car was always full of kids and that has never changed. Now, it’s my grandchildren that I am enjoying and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

This is my story before cancer and who I still am today. Life can be a frightening journey, even without cancer, when you go it all alone. I compare it to being blindfolded and sent on a long trip without a map or a destination. Sometimes when I stop for just a moment and listen to that still small voice, I hear Jesus say, ever so gently, “Just trust me. Put your hand in mine. I’ll show you great and mighty things You’re in for the time of your life!”

By now, you might be wondering what any of this has to do with cancer. I’m glad you asked. There are times my book and this blog may pull at your heartstrings. There will be times when you will laugh, and other times, you might cry, especially when you think of your own life and special memories. I believe there is healing in our laughter as well as our tears.

What memories do you recall? If you have good memories, that is wonderful. Hold onto them with all your heart, but don’t stop there. Keep on making new ones. If you have some bad ones, give them all to God. He can help erase them, while giving you the strength to get up another day and start afresh. In his time, he makes all things new.

As for me, there are never enough hours in a day. Life is a wonderful journey to celebrate, from every bird that sings in the morning to every sun that sets in the evening. I just love life!

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord. thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Psalm 16:11
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore!

Just because you have been diagnosed with cancer, doesn’t mean that you should be labeled as a cancer patient. Who were you before your diagnosis? You are still that same person. You may have changed since your diagnosis because cancer does change all of us, and hopefully for the better! It’s who you are deep down inside that really counts.

Before my diagnosis, I was an ordinary person like everyone else. I had a job and a family. My husband and I were planning our daughter’s wedding, buying a car, and planning a vacation. I was in the prime of my life. I had no idea that I was even sick, not to mention, that I was now someone with cancer. I was busy and loving every minute of it!

Too often, when you hear that someone has cancer, it seems to define who they are and their destiny. We get so caught up in the disease that it’s easy to forget they are real people like everyone else. They still have the same hopes and dreams as they did before the initial diagnosis. And yes; They have dreams for their future.

We are all on this same journey called life. No one knows what may lie ahead for them from one day to the next. It’s easy to shrink back from being that person you have always been after the diagnosis. You may fear you will never feel good again, or that you might never get back to who you were before the diagnosis. That’s not true.
The best advice I can give anyone is to keep on going. Reach out for God’s hand and he will bring you safely through into the place he has for you. He will order your steps even when you’re unsure of that next step. Hold tightly to his hand, take a deep breath and learn to enjoy the ride.

If you have been diagnosed with cancer or even if you are troubled in any way, don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t live out your life like you are in an empty shell with no feelings. You are still that same person you were before the trial you are going through, on the inside. Get your hope back. Let God breathe life back into your spirit.

PSALM 46: 1-2
God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas.

Let’s face it. There are just some days that don’t go the way that we would like them to. Those are the days that I would like to omit from my calendar and pretend they never happened. On those occasions, I’ve often thought how nice it would be to have the option of disappearing from the human race and life’s daily struggles, even for a day. It would be so much easier to regain my strength and find a new perspective on life. Unfortunately, life just doesn’t work that way. We have to trudge on through…..whether we feel like it or not. I had a day like that this past week. There was no direct reason. I think it was a combination of too many things I had to do in a short amount of time, on top of several days straight, of nothing but rain! That particular morning, in my prayer time, I was especially specific with my request before the Lord. I said, “Lord, I really need you to make yourself known to me today, because I am especially tired. I’m a little under the weather today, Lord. Could you send someone along today to encourage me? Lord, today, I need a hug.” I walked into work that day, and the first person I met said, “Brenda, give me a hug. I’ve been reading your book. It has helped me so much. It is great!” I was in amazement at how quickly God answered that simple prayer. Those few words encouraged me so much and made my day. As I started my work that day, I had renewed strength, and smiled to myself, afterwards, because I know that hug was directly from God. He is so much closer to our everyday struggles than we sometimes realize. It just reaffirms my faith and belief, that THROUGH THE TEARS AND THROUGH THE RAIN, God is waiting with open arms to give us the biggest hug of all!

Colossians 1:11
That you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory, every kind of endurance and patience with joy.

When I was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer four years ago, It was as if my entire world had come crashing down. For quite awhile, I was in complete shock. I had so many unanswered questions; Questions like, Why me? What did I do to deserve this? The days turned into weeks, months, and eventually years. It was a process of coming to grips with the reality of a cancer diagnosis. No one ever believes it will happen to them. As time went on, I learned many things. At first, I felt completely alone. Through my weakness, I felt God’s strength being manifested to me. His presence was so real and he was closer to me than I had ever experienced before. He can comfort our weary souls in a way that no one else can. I learned to take one day at a time and to release all of my worries and cares into God’s hands. I also tried to change my attitude. I believe that a healthy positive attitude is the first step in recovering from any illness. After reading Rejoicing Through The Tears, you will know that no matter what happens, you can still rejoice with heartfelt joy from deep within. It isn’t on the surface, but from deep within, you will find a hidden strength that you didn’t know was there. I want to encourage you today to fight this dreaded disease and never give up hope. Let God embrace you in his awesome love. Commit each day to him and rest in him completely!

Psalm 104: 33-34

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. May my meditation be sweet to him; as for me, I will rejoice in the Lord.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I would like to take a little time out to just stop and reflect on all of my many blessings and all of the things in this life that I have to be thankful for. We take so much for granted. It’s easy to be so busy climbing the ladder of success and doing all we can to get ahead and reach our goals, when there are countless blessings all around us that are already ours to enjoy. When I really think about it, everything that I hold most dear to my heart, I already have. The people and things that I value the most, no amount of money could buy. They are priceless; Things like our health, our families, our faith, beautiful nature, a sunset, a cool breeze, or that first snowflake that lands on our cheek, or the touch of our favorite furry pet, or the smell of our newborn grandbaby. God lavishes us with so many beautiful gifts each day. His faithfulness is new every morning.
I read something that touched my heart just the other day. It read like this: I once complained about not having a new pair of shoes that I wanted, until I saw a girl who had no feet. Let us count no day as ordinary, but instead, let us learn to enjoy the moment at hand, and find the miracle in each new day.
I am so thankful for my family and friends and the wonderful doctors who have helped and supported me through my cancer diagnosis. I am also thankful for a God who is full of compassion and mercy. He will never fail me or forsake me.
Go ahead. Throw another log on the fire, toast the eggnog, and enjoy that savory aroma of your Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey and all of the trimmings, including the mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and don’t forget the pumpkin pie; But before taking that first bite, don’t forget to bow your head and whisper a humble prayer of thanksgiving for a God who makes all things new, and blesses us with love and fullness of joy. Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless you.
Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Hello, My name is Brenda George. I am the author of the book, Rejoicing Through The Tears-Embracing God’s Hand In Cancer. I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer nine years ago. Since then, I have had a total Thyroidectomy, where my entire thyroid gland was removed. I also had to go on the low-iodine diet to be prepared for radioactive iodine therapy to remove the cancer. The treatment was successful, and I am now enjoying good health and am cancer free. I have to take thyroid medication every day since I no longer have a thyroid gland. When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I was devastated. What a shock! If you have just been given a cancer diagnosis of any kind, my heart goes out to you; or maybe you know and love someone else who is going through it. I understand how you feel. You are not alone. There are many people who have received such a diagnosis and many more to follow. That’s what my book and this blog is all about. If I can ease your burden just a bit, and give you a shoulder to cry on, or say a prayer for you, it will all have been worth it. It is a frightening time, and you may feel completely alone. I sure did, but you are not. Never lose hope. I am here to encourage you to take one day at a time. I am eager to share with you some of the things I have learned from my own experience. If I could see you in person, I would give you a big hug, but since I can’t, there is someone who is able to comfort you in this trial that you are embarking on. Slip your hand in the hand of God. He will carry you until you are able to stand on your own. He cares so much about you, and he is well aware of every tear that you have shed. I know it may seem impossible at the moment, but he can restore your strength and joy once again. I look forward to hearing from all of you, and talking to you about what we have all learned from our wilderness journey through cancer.