Adirondack vacation

We took a vacation to celebrate my completion of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. From August 8th to August 12th, my husband and I tent camped in the Adirondacks. What a relaxing joy that was! 

My Chicago sister, Betty, and my Indiana sister, Donna, were there with their husbands. Each family had a different campsite. Canoes were rented for trips out on the lake. Cameras snapped photos. Campfires were built. We ate suppers together, and of course, we talked non-stop.

Where did we camp? At the 8th Lake Campground above Old Forge and Inlet. The 8th Lake  campground gave us access to 7th Lake where for years - as kids growing up - our family tent camped for an entire month, transporting all our camping gear across the lake in a small motorboat. I will never forget how hard my dad worked, getting camp set up for all of us. 

It was where we learned to swim, canoe, kayak, hike, manage a small motorboat, and survive the curves that nature threw at us. We chopped wood to cook our meals. Dad dug a latrine, surrounding it with tarps to make it as comfortable as possible in all kinds of weather. We read together, played board games and card games, made family memories to last a lifetime. On Sundays, we planned worship services overlooking the lake and learned about God as our supportive, loving Father.

Our soul was filled by 7th Lake camping, and to this day, it captures our hearts. That's hard to explain to husbands, and you. Those early years like a rite of passage helped us girls be resourceful, discover independence, and find ways to entertain ourselves. We developed an internal strength in the wild that has followed us through life, helping us realize that we can handle anything.

It is one of the reasons I knew I could tackle this cancer and survive. My family has been behind me every step of the way, and so were you, my friends. At the same time, God lives within me, holding my hand when I need his strength and guiding me to caring doctors and nurses who are experts in their field. As I have said all along, "I am so blessed".

I am not finished yet. Four more infusions await me. However, I will complete treatment at the end of October, and then I will pray everyday for the rest of my life that cancer never fills me again, and that cures and treatments improve even beyond what they are today. So many 'out there' await miracles. I pray those miracles become reality. Look how far we have come already. God is in the process. Amen.

Signed within total relaxation, the quilting cancer girl