Climb aboard...

...my emotional roller coaster.

What an emotionally turbulent month it has been. The news about my mom is frustrating, but still hopeful. Because of her progress on the first round of chemotherapy, the doctors are not willing to call her "primary refractory" yet. That means there's still a chance that they can get and maintain a remission. Of course, now we're back to the waiting game. She still has a few of days of chemotherapy left, then another week before they do the next bone marrow biopsy. At that time, we should have a much clearer idea of how well she's going to fare. Throughout all of this she has been amazingly positive and upbeat. I know that can't be an easy attitude to maintain, but she doesn't allow herself to slip into resentment or fear very often. I still haven't had time to sort through my feelings about everything. Between work, trips to the hospital, and helping my sister by watching her son, there hasn't been much free time to sit and digest things.

Not all has been doom and gloom, though. In one of those twists of fate usually reserved for bad romance novels and sappy chick flicks, I managed to have someone come into my life at the perfect time. I'm not sure how I would have made it through the past month without him there to help me carry all of the extra emotional weight. Our situation isn't ideal...yet. But in spite of all of the saddness in my life recently, I have so much hope for the future. You only have to read back a few months to know that I had pretty much given up hope of ever having a meaningful relationship. I had myself convinced that I could be perfectly happy on my own for the rest of my life. I couldn't have been more wrong, and I can't be more overjoyed to admit my mistake. We'll be spending a long weekend together in Niagara Falls starting on Thursday, and I'm positive that I haven't looked forward to anything with more excitement since I was a kid.

I know a few people are coming here for updates on my mom. I'll try to keep things as current as possible, but we really won't know anything new for a little over a week. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.