BE THANKFUL by Teresa S. Mathews

For all our followers who may not know, I have had a pretty tough year, of course losing my sweet husband Carlton to cancer in May 2015 and then I had to have surgery this past July. Surgery went well except I had complications and was back in the hospital twice in less than 6 weeks after the surgery. With all that was going on, I had put off having my mammogram done for about 2 years, thankfully I didn't put it off this year. 

I went in October and a couple days later I received a call-back that they had found an area that required a closer look. I went back in and after another mammogram the Radiologist came out to tell me what he saw was going to require a biopsy. On Oct. 13th I had the biopsy and on the 14th I received a call telling me I had DCIS; Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. Some doctors call it a cancer contained in the duct or ducts, others consider it pre-cancerous. Either way it requires a lumpectomy and afterward it requires radiation treatments and an estrogen blocking medicine to be taken for approximately 5 years, perhaps longer.  

On October 21st, when the surgeon took out the DCIS and he also took out a small margin around it to make sure there was no invasion cancer. This was sent to the pathologist and when he looked at it under the microscope he saw a very small (1.3mm) area that was found to be HER2 a very aggressive and fast growing cancer. 

Fast forward to the Oncologist visit, she said I had not one but two very different cancers that needed to be addressed. Since HER2 was the more aggressive type she addressed it first. She told me she had NEVER seen this type cancer found so tiny before.  All I could say was Praise God! She wanted to take a few days to decide if we needed to go the traditional route of aggressive chemo with an added medicine called Herceptin. She held my hands and prayed with me before she left the room for GOD to give us wisdom and if there was anything we couldn't see in my body for GOD to put it under the Blood of Jesus. What a wonderful blessing to have a Christian doctor that first and foremost consults with the Great Physician.

After a couple days she called me back and asked if I would be agreeable to her saying no to the chemo but yes to the radiation. I told her I was at peace with her decision because of how she took the time to consider if the risks outweighed the benefits with the chemo. So I will be starting radiation treatments sometime in the next couple weeks. 

Right in the middle of the cancer scare, I got the call that my mom had passed away.  It was a shock but I am at peace knowing she is now enjoying the splendors of Heaven. All of this has made me think about a lot of things but most of all I have thought of the goodness of GOD and how all of this could have been a lot worse. I try everyday to thank Him for all He has done for me and my family. Below is a poem I wrote as a reminder to myself to always be THANKFUL!!

BE THANKFUL

When there comes a time that life gets hard, 
Or troubles come your way.                                                                                  
When everything seems to close in on you                                                                  
And you don’t know what to say.

BE THANKFUL

When the doctor gives you that dreaded news,                                           
You never want to hear.                                                                                    
No matter that it makes you afraid,                                                               
And you shed many a tear.

BE THANKFUL
                                                                                                                        
When life gets hard and things go wrong                                                                 
And you don’t know what to say.                                                                               
Hold your head up high, take a breath,                                                                     
And tell Him “Lord, I thank you for this day.”
                                                             
BE THANKFUL

Thankful His love, Thankful for His Son,                                                          
Thankful for His kindness to each and every one.

Thankful for His Blessings that come every day.                                                 
Thankful for the things that come to brighten up our way.

Even be thankful for the things that you don’t understand,                                   
Those are the things that make you hold more tightly to His Hand.

©Teresa S. Mathews 2016

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE
OVERCOMING WITH GOD
BLOGGERS!

Thankful for our Bloggers!

Thanksgiving will soon arrive! I have so much to be thankful for. I've been blessed with a good husband and two amazing kids (not to mention my sweet Grand Dog!) I am walking again, Praise the Lord!!! We have had safe travels on the road trips we've taken. This past year I've had an abundance of book contracts with one of my favorite publishers -- Barbour Publishing and with some of my favorite authors!!! One of my upcoming releases is a novel, that is a book of my heart, set in one of my favorite places on earth -- Mackinac Island! And for many years now I've been so blessed to have Diana Flowers and Noela Nancarrow blogging with me here on Overcoming With God blog! 

We're about to start our "Barbour-Palooza" month on Overcoming With God blog, where I will have Barbour backlist books, and some new ones, as giveaways over the next six weeks. Vickie McDonough and Erica Vetsch will be sharing with us and we were blessed to have Susan Page Davis also visit us recently on the blog!

Noela Nancarrow, International Contributor 

Sadly, we'll be saying goodby to our Aussie Angel, Noela Nancarrow, and in the new year to our Senior Reviewer, Diana Flowers.  But I have been very thankful and grateful to both of these amazing reviewers! 

We'll be celebrating with them, before they leave the blog. We're praying for the very best for both of them both in physical and spiritual health!

What are you grateful for this year? What changes do you have ahead in your life?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - 2015

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

 Gratitude helps us to be thankful!

 Lord, thank you for our forefathers and their sacrifices!

A Thanksgiving prayer! 

 We are truly thankful for the gift of your friendship!

Happy Thanksgiving from Carrie, Diana, Teresa, Noela, and Bonnie!

Share in the comments some things you're especially thankful for and let us all give thanks together! God bless you!

In Everything Give Thanks

Lord, thank you for everything that has come my way; 

some of it's not so good but thank you anyway.

Thank you for the troubles that I have gone through day to day; 

without them I might have forgotten to take the time to stop and pray.

Thank you for the sickness my loved ones have gone through;

Thank you that you've used it to build my faith in You. 

                            

Thank you for the many times I felt so all alone;

it was in those dreary times I've knelt before your throne.

Thank Lord for keeping me through the trials along the way;

Thank you for holding me in your hand every single night and day;

Thank you for the times when I felt I couldn't go one step further on;    

'cause it was in those darkest times that you gave me a beautiful song.

Thank you Lord for all the things that have brought me pain and tears;      

For it's in my brokenness of spirit, that I find You so very near. 

There's not a thing that comes my way that you can't see me through;    

So I will lift my hands unto your Name and give eternal praise to you.  

© Teresa S. Mathews 11-24-2014

We are truly thankful for the gift of your friendship!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Carrie, Diana, Bonnie, Noela and Teresa

THANKS, a Thanksgiving Poem by Teresa S. Mathews

                                        THANKS

                       Come ye thankful people come,

                       Praise Him, God's only son.

                       Thank Him for His wonderful deeds,

                       Thank Him for meeting all our needs.

                       Thank Him for His loving ways,

                       Thank Him each and every day.

                       Thank Him with your hands held high,

                       Thank Him until the day you die.

                       Thank Him for family and friends,

                       Thank Him for love that never ends.

                       Thank you Lord for blessings one and all,

                       Thank you for each one, big or small.

                       Help me Lord each and every day

                       To tell you thank you no matter what comes my way.

                                                    Teresa S. Mathews 11/19/11(c)

Happy Thanksgiving from Carrie,

Diana, Marian, Noela and Teresa

My Characters' Thanksgiving Dinner

My Story World characters, who live on the frontier of Virginia in the 18th century might have a pretty good Thanksgiving feast.

Sarah and Suzanne would likely serve up:


-Root vegetables, possibly roasted, seasoned with salt and rosemary
and
-Squash/pumpkin with molasses, ginger and cloves, baked like a casserole with some milk and eggs beat into it

-Roasted venison, smoked and baked ham with honey

-Journey cake baked with cornmeal

-Suzanne, who is French, would make an apple pastry with a flaky crust

-Johan, German, would ask for sausages

-William, Indian/French/English wants succotash

Sarah, who has very poor vision and has mostly lived on the frontier, just wants her ten brothers to do all the carrying and cleaning up and could care less what will be served as long as she can sit down and enjoy it! Hmm, I guess I relate most to her!