"You Blew Bubbles for Us!"

The week has ended well for Rianne and she certainly deserved it to be that way. After her blood transfusion on Monday, the disastrous ride home that followed and fighting her way to sleep that night, her only direction to go was up. Tuesday was a better day, as was Wednesday. On Thursday morning she awoke when I did at 6:00 and said she wanted to go in to work. I was concerned that she may be pushing herself too hard and was able to talk her out of it - for now. She is still in a critical period for her latest blood transfusion and cannot risk illness at any level. Friday was another good day and today has been very restful for her also. On Friday Katie Hensley and Becky Howlett, Rianne's co-workers at Curry County Title, brought lunch to her and built her spirit up through their generosity. It was good for Rianne to briefly visit with them and hear about their lives. "I don't want to talk about me" Rianne said, "I want to hear about how your lives are going."
This morning I awoke at 5:30 to find Rianne’s face lit by the glare of the laptop. Some nights she wakes at 3:00am and can’t return to sleep. She fights it by reading, letting the dogs out and, as she did today, heading to her Facebook Page or reading her email. It’s senseless for her to lay in bed and stress about her cancer, which she has done recently, so she tries to keep her mind on the other things in life that mean the most to her – like you, her supporters.
She received an inspiring email from her Aunt Annajean which reminds us of the importance of living a full and peaceful life, living each moment as it comes. We must also remember to value each person we know and embrace them for who they are, and never judge them. When Rianne showed the clip to me I was inspired by it and it reminded me that we all have the choice to live our lives as we please, yet we should always try to live as best we can and value all of those around us. The email from her aunt provided some encouraging quotes:
"Aspire to inspire before you expire." "Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And leave the rest to God." "Happiness keeps you Sweet. Trials keep you strong. Sorrows keep you human. Failures keep you humble. But only God keeps you going!" Thank you for being a very important part of the seasons of my life.
The Power Point slideshow can be found at www.openmyeyeslord.net When you get to the site, scroll down a little to Featured Videos and it’s the last video in that section titled, "The Seasons in Life." It’s a great slideshow and there are many more on the website.
Rianne sometimes feels SO ALONE with this battle she is engaged in. She has had some tearful moments. I sometimes fire out of bed when she wakes at 3:00am because I don’t want her to be alone…thinking about the cancer…feeling like it’s her against the world. I often worry about leaving her alone at home when I drive to work in the morning, yet I know that someone will contact her to brighten her day. This is why I want to thank all of you for your love, friendship and support. The visits you’ve made, dinners you’ve prepared, phone calls you’ve dialed, text messages you’ve sent and cards we’ve received all have a huge place in our hearts. Every single thing that you do helps her gain strength and live her life to the fullest – laughing and smiling even during this difficult "Season of her Life."
Today we rested until the phone rang. We knew that it would be someone who cares about her, as that is what all calls have been like for the past two months. She answered the phone and, to our excitement, it was our nephew, Kyle Owen, calling from Iraq. He was deployed in October of last year and is working on the front line with his fellow troops searching for and detecting bombs, land mines and many other threats to American Soldiers. It was absolutely wonderful talking to him. He was told about this Blog by his Grandmother, Luane, who was told about it by her son, Devan, Kyle’s father, who was told about it by his son, Duncan, Kyle’s little brother. We talked about Rianne’s cancer and Kyle expressed his concern and admiration for his Aunt Rianne. I was awestruck that he was contacting us because there he is in Iraq, in one of the most dangerous situations possible for a person his age to be in, and HE was reaching out to express HIS love for HER. We laughed and shared stories with him, even teased him a little. Then he thanked her for visiting Boise well over a decade ago when he was a youngster. “I remember when you blew bubbles for us on the deck and how big they were. And you read that book to us – it’s still one of the only books I’ve ever read through all the way!”
It goes to show how deep of an impact Rianne has had on people over the years. She is loved by many although she sometimes doubts it. I often remind her that she inspires people in ways she will never really and truly know. Be it her beautiful smile, her infectious laugh, her committed friendship, her pleasant conversation or her enormously warm and friendly heart – it all has a place in the lives of others!
She truly has touched so many lives and continues to do so today!