Taking Things Slow

So I'm taking some time away from doing boutiques, craft shows & having shows in my home for a while....I'm taking things slow...my sweet Mother-in-Law, the amazing Sheila Ishmael, moved here from Trinidad on October 2nd and is the newest member of our family! Bless this woman's heart...Trinidad in more recent years has become a rough place to live. Sheila has lived quite a life and has seen some things in her day. She worked as a psych nurse in England for many years. She has a funny sense of humor about her experiences as a nurse. She is the epitome of endurance & perseverance as she's gone from one doctor to another in the short time she's been here. She is the reason my husband is the man he is today, and if you know my husband, he is a good man. When grandma got off of the airplane we were immediately shocked at her condition. It had been a very long flight with two connections, a detainment in Miami where she was questioned, fingerprinted & photographed and detained so long that she missed her connecting flight. She had not eaten all day, she was exhausted and her breathing labored when she arrived in Salt Lake hours behind schedule and very late at night. We were extremely worried about her so we took her to our family Dr. & after a full physical, lab tests & a chest x-ray they found a huge mass in her throat & chest. This prompted a CAT-scan which then told us that the mass is wrapped around her thyroid & has grown so large that it's pressing & slowly closing off her trachea & pressing on the lung. We then met with the amazing Dr. Porter, an IHC ear/nose/throat surgeon. He has been so good to Sheila and he will join Dr. Mitchell, a thoracic heart surgeon in removing this mass on December 2nd. Sheila will be in the hospital for about a week after surgery. After she recuperates from this surgery, we hope to get her in for eye surgery to have her cataracts removed and new lenses put in so she can see again! She's been such a trooper! Her one request was that the surgery be after Thanksgiving & before Christmas. She is very excited to experience her first Thanksgiving & Christmas in America! Being born in a country where Thanksgiving is not celebrated, she has looked forward to this holiday! We hope to make it extra special for her! So... to wrap things up, boutiquing and all the craziness that comes with it is on the back burner. I must admit, my home is a calmer, more peaceful & organized place....my Christmas shopping already started (which is a blasted miracle!) I'm used to going 100 miles per hour at all times, so "taking things slow" has been an adjustment. And so I've been thinking about things that really matter and what new focus I'd like to take in life. I began thinking and I've come up with a plan....more service, more charitable acts and more Christ like living....I love my savior and my Father in Heaven and feel so blessed to be having this earthly experience....so please keep reading because I have a service project in mind, one that helps survivors of domestic violence. If you didn't know, I too am a survivor of domestic violence and this is a cause that is dear to my heart....so check in later this week and I'll post more information on an upcoming event that I need help with! Happy Thanksgiving!