Be strong and courageous...

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)

Nolan's been memorizing the verse above for AWANA (essentially a bible-based children's club somewhat similar to Boy Scouts / Girl  Guides) and it's one of my favourites.

Nolan's school is encouraging a Family literacy week with no screen time. Funny how eager N is to listen to the teacher - if we were to enforce this on our own he would listen but would be pretty miffed whereas the teacher has somehow made this exciting and a great challenge he's embraced joyfully. I am enjoying all the reading and board games we've been doing to replace the usual screen time :)

Yesterday, I got to meet with this beautiful lady ...

Sarah, from my Regent days. While it's been several years since we last saw each other, it's one of those lovely friendships that are low maintenance; we may not be in touch regularly but can pick up from where we left off when we do see each other. It was a nice time of low key hanging out, catching up and praying together. She and her family have been quite the adventurers, having served in different countries over the last decade. Strong and courageous indeed!

In health-related updates:

Discomfort in my fingers is lasting longer than in previous cycles which makes me very inefficient. I feel like a 2-3 year old - Nolan has to help ME with my zippers, opening and closing containers, and anything that requires strength and fine motor coordination in my hands. Very thankful for my little helper! I am also dealing with the effects of "deconditioning" (as the doctor calls it) - most notably when I walk up the stairs quickly - muscle-wise I can do it, but my chest feels like it will burst and it takes a couple of minutes for me to catch my breath. It is a little frustrating. However things are slowly improving.

I still need to nap a bit each day which reminds me that I am still a ways from fully recovering, but that is to be expected. The nurses were reminding me not to get super frustrated at how slow my body may be to recover.

It's amusing to see what hairs have stubbornly cling to my head. The right side of my head seems to have lost more hair than the left. Hence my eyebrows and eyelashes on the right are sparser. I literally have 10 eyelashes on the right eye. :)