Waiting for Zero

Henry wanted to show you the medicine he has to take. Every day he has about 12 of these syringes to take. He does so well the nurses are always impressed with him.

Just a "hello" from Henry to eveyone! We love you and miss you all. Henry says thank you for all the prayers. We are praying every day that this treatment will clear his bone marrow of all the LCH.

Henry has been doing so well these last few days, the only major problem he's having right now is nausea. This round he hasn't had as many fevers and he hasn't gained a ton or water weight which also means he isn't swelling as much. We have food trays ordered for him and he hasn't really been interested in any of it yet, however, today he was pretty into my roast beef sandwich. He's the sweetest little boy, always wanting to share his food with mommy; he even bites off little pieces of his food for me. It amazes me how much he actually picks up and learns from watching me and others around him, because he doesn't say anything I just assume he isn't learning it. But you can tell by watching him that he knows what's going on and he definately knows what he wants. Yesterday on the webcam he was making bear grows back and forth with Elizabeth it was really cute. He misses Daddy and Elizabeth so much.

Tomorrow at 11am his last dose of chemo will end for this round. YEAH! Then we just wait for his counts to hit zero and come back up. Right now his ANC is 940, his platelets are 20, which means tomorrow he will probably start getting platelet transfusions and blood every other day or every day. Depends on his body, but it seems like this round he's done so much better.

I was reading an article about examples in peoples lives of how applying the scriptures to their own lives helped them with a problem they were facing. So I put the magazine down and started to read in Alma where I left off last night. I'm at chapter 29, the one that starts off with "Oh that I were an angel and could have the wish of mine heart..." After proclaiming this he continues to say in verse 3 "...I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath alloted unto me." and in verse 4 "...I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, ...I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction." I don't think I ever really read this verse before, all I have highlighted in my scriptures is the beginning of the scripture, "...he granteth unto men according to their desire." Which sounds great! If I desire it the Lord will give it to me. :)

What I've learned here is that the decrees are experiences in our lives, unchangeable situations, that the Lord has put before us. He knows exactly what we are going to face, BUT it's our choice, our decisions that decides whether the experience will lead to our salvation or destruction. Some times it seems like so many bad things are thrown our way, or maybe it's just one major trial, but whether that experience is good or bad depends on our attitude and how we respond to it. While Joseph was in Liberty Jail, he cries unto the Lord and the Lord tells him all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good. Every experience in life teaches us and can lead us closer to our Father in Heaven but we have the ultimate choice. Our Father gave us agency to choose for ourselves.

Verse 5 "Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men;...to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience." The Lord does give us what we desire, in that he allows us the agency to choose.

Verse 6 & 9 "...why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?"

"...this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an insturment in the hands of God."

My own experience of applying the scriptures to my own life. We decide whether we will have joy or pain, we decide whether an experience will teach us, or draw us down.