My hair is beginning to grow in again. I look like a really hairy peach right now, and I think I look even weirder than I did when I was completely bald. But I had a tender mercy a few days ago that has helped me see my head from a different perspective.

I was at my son and daughter-in-law’s house and took my cap off because I was getting too warm. Miriam, who is 4, saw me without my head covered for the first time. To my complete surprise, she exclaimed, “Grammy, you’re so beautiful!”

A little while later, I was hugging her good-bye and she asked, “Do you feel my love through my hug. “Yes, I do.”, I replied. Then she said, “I feel your love when you hug me, too.”

“Out of the mouth of children…you have established strength…to still the enemy and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2 ESV)

My update is pretty positive. I have felt fairly healthy for the past few weeks. I’m having very few side effects from the chemotherapy this time around and I’m getting my strength and stamina back enough to be really active most days.

I had a series of tests to see how well the stem cell transplant did at eliminating the cancer cells in my bone marrow, and from what the doctor said this morning, it did what they expected it to. I am still staying away from crowds because of my weak immune system, but that should get better in time, too.

I have “Minimal Residual Disease”, which means there are few myeloma cells (the enemy and avenger) still present in the bone marrow. That’s as close to remission as I can expect to get, and they think they’ll be able to keep the growth of the cancer cells under control for a period of time through “maintenance therapy”, which just means some level of continuing chemotherapy treatments. I still get them each week this month, but am scheduled for just once a month beginning in December. That is really great news and should lead to a more “normal” near future.

I’m looking forward to the holidays with my family. I hope you have a wonderful fall and get lots of hugs and feel and give all the love two arms can hold.