Of Snakes and Art

M.D. Anderson

Yesterday, I had my "release" visit with Dr. Swisher.  We went over the pathology report--tumor (low-grade chondrosarcoma) is out and margins are clear.  The report sounded great to me.  Ron took a few pictures to commemorate the occasion. 

Now I am off to spend time drawing snakes with my nephews.  I will let you know what we come up with.

I'm Back!

It is good to be back on line.  A little less than nine days have elapsed since the surgery.  I feel good--very little pain and full range of motion.  Friends are bringing me great food.  My husband is serving me my tea on a silver try in bed every morning.  Flowers, cards, and good wishes pour in.  I can sit on the bed and draw whenever I want.  Just before the surgery, I had ordered a new set of 72 Coloursoft pencils and a nifty case for them.  What great toys. 

Yesterday evening, I put on street clothes, and Ron and I walked up and down in front of the house enough to equal four blocks.

Thank you for all your snakes, good wishes, e-mails, notes, cards, cookies, and above all, your prayers.  For weeks now, I have been living inside the mystical, healing space created when thousands of people are praying for you. I feel each prayer. Please keep me in your prayers. 

And I will pray for each of you. 

Be a Healer Snake!!!!

This morning I opened my email and found two lovely, long missives from dear friends I do not see very often.  The letters were almost essays, so carefully crafted were they--no quickly dashed off TXTMSGS with LOL's and OMG's liberally lacing the lines.

The friends took time to write vivid descriptions, complex sentences, and even neat paragraphs.  Not a word was misspelled and punctuation was perfect.

Yes, they are older (60+ and 90+) and hale from an era when it was just good manners to write carefully.  Nonetheless, they did it.  They took valuable time to think of me and write to me.

So, where does being a Healer Snake come in?  Healer Snakes slide quietly through the brush or silently glide through the air to deliver thier healing and then they are gone with no fanfare.  They expect nothing in return but a a smile at the flash of color from the sun striking their skin. 

The words my friends wrote gladdened my heart and was in a way a prayer for my quick recovery.  They used their art to heal me. 

Be a Healer Snake.  Share your art, whatever it might be, with someone who needs it. 

The "C" Word

Do you think snakes are scary?  I did too, but have recently decided that they are not nearly as scary as these critters:  words like "biopsy," "metastatic bone lesion," "primary bone lesion," "chondrosarcoma," "M.D. Anderson Cancer Center," "chest wall resection."  Now those are some frightening words, and I have been hearing them for the past two months with some regularity.   With reference to me. 

But, I am a fortunate person with thousands of people praying for me and my healing.  And I am not afraid any more.  I just wrote this bit to a friend who emailed to say she was still praying for me.

Thank you so much, Friend.

You know, this is turning into a time of enormous blessing for me.  I can actually feel all the prayers being prayed on my behalf.  I know of some, but I have come to discover that those are only a small number compared to the the ones I do not know about.  People write or tell me that I am on the prayer list at their church, or someone calls who only heard in a roundabout way to pray for me.  My heart is always glad.  The fear that I felt at the beginning is at bay.  I do not merely hope for the best; in a deep place in my being I know the best is happening and that I am experiencing a profound healing of body, mind and spirit.

It is all pretty amazing. 

Continue to pray for me, please.

I will do the same for you.

Love,

Gay

Originally, I had thought I might call my blog "Of Snakes and Healing." Then decided on "Of Snakes and Art."  I will still keep the same title, but I simply must include posts about healing, my own and those of others.  The snakes I paint are usually ones that bring about a healing. 

Draw me a snake and say me a prayer.

Let me hear from you.