Halloween

 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Halloween

Recker was dressed as a Lumber Jack this year-- he is so cute, still holding tight to buzz.  He fell asleep before he had a chance to go trick-or-treating.  I tried to get him to nap all day, but he was not interested.  I love this little guy.

Neuropathy

 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2011

Neuropathy

Just when I thought I was done with neuropathy.... surprise, it's back. My legs feel like the nerves have been exposed to the air again, and the pain is sometimes excruciating. I am learning that a small percentage of people who get neuropathy from the effects of chemo must deal with it off and on for life--yes, I am one of those people--no big deal, I can handle it--
Today when I was at work, one of my friends I had not seen for a while came over to talk to me. She was wearing a pink beanie to cover her bald head--she went through a double mastectomy a year and a half before I did (stage 2). Now, it has metastasized to her lungs--she showed me the X-rays --I cannot stop thinking about her today. Cancer really is this ugly VILLAIN, it invades lives, and just when you think you've turned a corner looking to a bright future, BOOM, it's back to haunt and taunt you. Whether a recurrence or side effects, it never goes away.

I'm Alive

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011

✔ I’m Alive

Eric and I are in Mexico with Blake; it’s been nice to have him back. I have asked him a zillion questions about his mission, the people, spiritual experiences, and how he feels being at home. Tonight, I went for a run on the beach. I was listening to music and trying to concentrate on getting my speed up, but my mind kept wandering off, and I found myself thinking about how much I had been blessed. I had check marks in my head every day for things that needed to be done, or I checked off the things I am grateful for. Just as I was thinking about how much the Lord has blessed me,
 I checked off in my head
*BE ALIVE WHEN BLAKE COMES HOME ✔
*BE HAPPY ✔
I looked up in the sky, and in perfect formation were birds forming a check mark; I smiled big and stared at them until they passed. Still not believing what I had just seen, I turned around, looked up, and saw nothing but blue skies...where were the birds? They were nowhere to be found. Within seconds they were gone; at that very moment, I knew that Heavenly Father was giving me a sign. He confirmed that He lives, hears me, and answers my prayers. My goal and prayer have always been to be alive and be happy when Blake gets home; I can honestly say I can check those 2 off my list. It’s so surreal to have him at home. So much has happened in 2 years, not only in my life but especially in Blake’s. I can see the tenderness in his eyes; he is so compassionate and sincere; having a new missionary home is like bringing home a new baby--so much to learn, and I want to soak it all up while I can.

Elder Williams is Home

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mFITDzyn7s

I want to explain to some of my friends who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints precisely what a mission is so you can understand the emotions around returning with honor.

After two years of service, I was acting like a crazy mother at the sight of my son. When a young man chooses to serve a mission (usually at 19), they have traditionally prepared for this their entire life. While these boys serve the Lord, they are given strict rules to show their obedience and devotion to their work. They are allowed to call their families on Christmas and Mothers Day; other than those days, they do not speak to family or friends while they are gone; they are also given the opportunity once a week to email family. Just like anything in life, when we can devote our time or talents without the distractions of girlfriends or boyfriends. We can accomplish so much more. These young men cannot have physical contact with females while they serve again. That could be another distraction; they are on their mission to do the Lord's work and spread the word of the gospel. 

When Blake left, I felt so lost as a mother, knowing I could not be the one to answer his questions or comfort him when he needed it; I guess we both learned over the past two years to do the best we can and then turn the rest over to the Lord--He will help us find our way. He will reach down and lift us up when we trust in Him I'm looking forward to sharing with each other the spiritual experiences we both have had. 

Having him home and making our family complete again has been so sweet. When he was released from his mission and reported to President Merrill I was so touched by Blake's testimony. He sobbed as he explained the journey he has been on. The sacrifice these boys make is unbelievable. They leave family, friends, school, and life as they know it to go out and serve for two years.  Blake has served and learned so much from these two years of sacrifice; the experiences he has had will bless his life forever, and the people he has touched will be changed forever. I would give anything to somehow be that type of example to people.

 

We haven't had a chance to sit down and talk with him. Tonight we had an open house so his friends could come to the house to visit with him. 

Tomorrow we are taking Blake to Mexico for some much-needed alone time... I want to hear about his wonderful and maybe not so wonderful experiences. Tonight I am overwhelmed knowing the Lord took care of my son, better than I could have.

BY bonbon AT 10:43 AM 

4 COMMENTS:

HOW SWEET IT IS!!!!!!

Can't stop crying!! I feel sure you could of never had a better weekend in your life Bon Bon... as Elder Williams returned home so honorably! The spirit I felt as I spoke to him was so tender!! Full-time missionaries are such selfless, noble, humble people! Blake is truly the one that received the blessings of his service for the last two years and I could feel his humility and his knowledge of this as we spoke!! I do know that he has made a huge difference in many people's lives in the Dominican Republic...and for this, these people and their posterity will be eternally thankful to Elder Williams!!

WELCOME HOME ELDER WILLIAMS, The Scheurns LOVE YOU!!!

OCTOBER 03, 2011

Tracey said...

That is the sweetest video! Love it.

OCTOBER 04, 2011

Jill said...

That made me cry, seeing your love and excitement for him. So glad he served the Lord and is home! You made it!!!!

OCTOBER 05, 201i    Robin said...

I just watched Blake's homecoming video. I thought about all the tears we shed for our children (If they only knew!) sad, worried, mad, and best of all happy. It warmed my heart to see your "happy" tears.

Timing Is Everything

 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Timing is Everything

I'll never forget the day we got home from taking Blake to the MTC (Mission Training Center) on September 23, 2009. I went into his room, sat on the bed, and cried. I have a lot of faith, but to be quite honest, I wasn't sure what my future would be or if I would have the opportunity to hold and hug my son ever again. I know for him, it must have been so difficult to leave. I worried night and day about him, wanting him to have a successful mission without worry or stress about me. Now I understand why the Lord has order and precision in all we do. Things are more apparent than ever before-

TIMING IS EVERYTHING-  

Most boys leave on their mission when they turn 19; my Blake was not ready. It broke my heart at the time. I now know the Lord is in complete control of all we endure, and HE understands more than we realize. Blake decided to leave when he was 21. All his friends who left at age 19 were just getting home from their missions. Only 6 weeks before he went, I found out I had breast cancer. During that time, I remember thinking, "This is the worst timing ever." Reflecting on that time, I realized how much I needed to learn. TIMING truly is EVERYTHING... 

I know I am alive with all my heart and soul because my son chose to serve the Lord. If it weren't for his service and Recker's Love, I think I would have checked out a long time ago. When I look back at the last 2 years of our lives, I can see the blessings, oh so many benefits of unselfishly serving the Lord. Tears run down my face as I think about what the Lord has blessed us. My son, my hero, I love him so much. He endured the last 2 years with strength and reliance on the Lord to help him through some tough days and nights.

Tonight I am sitting on his bed writing this blog- so many emotions are running through my head--he will sleep here tomorrow night. He will kneel and pray here in this room where I have knelt and prayed so many times for him to be safe and not worry about me or what is going on at home. So many pleas to the Lord on his behalf have been in this very room. Looking around, I see scriptures sitting on his nightstand--my scriptures, the ones I have studied. The Preach My Gospel book is right next to my scriptures. The pages are tattered a bit from me turning pages, trying my hardest to learn Christlike Attributes. I read every scripture I could get my hands on about faith, hope, charity, love, virtue, knowledge, patience, humility, diligence, and obedience. Boy, I have a long way to go before I can say I have mastered even one of those attributes. 

Yes, I believe TIMING IS EVERYTHING .... it's now time for Blake to come home, be with his family and start his life--I know he must have some mixed emotions too. I have been dreaming of the hug I will get from him, praying that my health would be good enough to greet him at the airport without him being disappointed or discouraged. He made it through, I made it through, and we all got through 2 years that I would not trade for anything in the world. My knowledge of our Savior's love for my family and me has been strengthened tenfold; I have said it many times, and I KNOW HE LIVES.   

I am so thankful to my friends, family, and the Lord for lifting me up on the days when I thought tomorrow would never come.... now as I pick up my scriptures to walk out his bedroom door, I am closing it like a chapter in my life is over, but opening it to walk towards a bright and beautiful future.

P.S. another reminder of Timing--precisely 2 years ago tomorrow, I was in Mayo Hospital having a radical mastectomy and being told my cancer had spread--and now we celebrate.

LDS Missionaries Coming Home Mix

 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

LDS Missionaries Coming Home Mix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQcSGVmXKNQ&t=179s

Next week I will be getting a huge hug from our Missionary Son. Thank you, Norm Watkins, for sharing this video with me; I cried like a baby.

Careful what you wish for

 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Careful what you wish for

I dream about running in a marathon--sounds crazy, I know, but I do, and I have for years. I have always been an athlete. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was training for my 1st marathon--it was so hard not only to get the diagnosis but to give up running, cycling, kickboxing, and lifting weights. Tonight I went to a kickboxing class--and it kicked my butt. At one point, I seriously thought I was going to throw up. 

The funny thing about this story is as we were cooling down, I listened to the words to the song that was playing--it said, "Be careful what you wish for; it just might come true." I got the biggest smile on my face--my body was allowing me to do what I never thought I would be able to do again. I'm not sure I will ever be able to do push-ups like I used to with the lymph nodes being gone; it was excruciating. I did what I could (not much). Tonight, I'm grateful.

Poem to my Son-Blake

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Poem to my Son-Blake

Today is Blake's 23rd birthday--I just sent through email this poem I wrote for him--I've never written a poem and don't know that I ever will again-but. This is how I really feel. I don't like to use the word PROUD, but I am. This boy is now a man; knowing he was out serving helped me get through some really tough days and months--


When you turned nineteen and decided not to go
my heart ached for what you didn't know.


Times were rough, and thoughts weren't clear
deep inside, I was glad you were still here.


Dad and I raised you in the Church, saying,
"where will you go?"
your answer to us was "NO."


I prayed morning and night, wanting
everything to be just right.


I'll never forget the day of your call
it was such a shock to us all,
seems you, too, had been praying and preparing.


Tears of joy filled my eyes, for now, I knew
and could empathize-


You would go out and tell
of Heavenly Father's Plan
and how Adam fell.


When my diagnosis returned positive for cancer
I cried, "no, this can't be."
I wanted a different answer.


You were given a blessing saying,

If you are obedient, 
"Your mom will be here."
then I begged the Lord to take away your fear.


The day I hugged you goodbye,
I wasn't quite sure how I'd get by.


As I felt my heart explode in my chest,
I knew it was time to let the Lord do the rest.


Every letter, Christmas and Mother's day
there was so much to say,
you were serving the Lord, and it made me glad

to hear you so happy for good days and bad


Now those two years have gone so fast,
soon you will be home with us at last.


Our family has been so blessed; you have
served with honor and done your best.


When people ask me, "How did you survive your fight?"
I look at them and say, "because I have a son who chose
to share HIS light."


I love you, Elder Blake Williams-Happy Birthday.

XOXO Mama

Heaven - 9/11 Tribute - 10 years

From Boy To Man

 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

From Boy to Man

Blake wrote this letter to us recently. Eric and I were really touched by how much he has sacrificed. It's hard as a mother to know some of the conditions Blake has lived in; however, hearing him speak about how much he loves the Dominican people and how much he will miss them makes me happy. Before he left, Blake was rough around the edges, but after reading his letters and seeing the refining, he has done is a blessing.

Mom & Dad

I've been thinking about the time I have left here in this country. It has really come to be part of me. I mean, I really consider myself a Dominican. I love these people, and I will miss them so much, even those who don't want to listen to us, the dogs that always chase and bark at us, or the random drunk man that's is always interesting to talk to. Even the things I don't like, I will miss so much. Like when there is no light in the whole town for 24 hours, having to go to sleep drowning in your own sweat being eaten by mosquitoes when there's no water to shower in before you leave the house, or no light to iron your shirt before church or when, no one is in their homes the whole day not even the members to give you some water or juice, and then it starts to pour down rain, these are the things I really am going to miss, I love this country. I will always say it is MY country...

I am so grateful to be in the best mission in the world, with the best mission president in the world.

Things have been a little different this week after the hurricane; it took out a hotel right on the beach here and ruined this street. The place got flooded here, which is crazy because it never rains. It's like a desert here; it's the first area I have been in. It reminds me of home because there are cacti here, haha.

This week has been pretty good. I think I gave my last talk in the mission this last week, so it was 830 in the morning on Sunday, and we were preparing ourselves to leave and go pick up this investigator, and the branch president called and told me to prepare a talk for church, and I said that its fine ill do it cuz I thought at. First, it was for the next week but then like 15 minutes later, it got to me, so I called him and asked if it was for this Sunday or the next, and he said this Sunday, and said to make sure it was long cuz my mission president was going to be there, so he tells me 30 minutes before church when I'm already in the street to church that I have to talk, but its OK that's just another thing that I really am going to miss it went really well they told us that the chapel is going to be remodeled and that we will be moving into a little house for 5 or 6 months. We are going to baptize this guy named Avelino in a few weeks. He has 8 years with the missionaries, and his wife is a member that has her endowments. She tried and tried, and so have the missionaries, so we have been working hard with him, and we put a date for him, so we will be baptizing him a week or so before I get home. I cant wait to see the look on his face. His wife's face when he gets baptized. This is one of the things I am going to miss the most is seeing the lives of people change.

con mucho amor
ELDERblakeWILLIAMS

Elder Williams Itinerary

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

Elder Williams Itinerary

Saying Goodbye was so hard Sept 23rd 2009

I wish I could bottle up this feeling I have right now---I'm in Mexico I opened up my email and had gotten a little itinerary from Salt Lake City saying--Elder Blake Williams will be home in the US of A sky harbor airport on September 28th at 5:25 pm--not only did I do a little dance by myself in my kitchen--I smiled from ear to ear and even let out a few "oh yeah's he's finally coming home" with my hands in he air...I know this is bitter sweet for him, but it's ALL SWEET to me.... I miss him so much and I literally dream of that first hug, nothing I can write will even come close to explaining the feelings in my heart---I think it's time for some SUGAR--