BLESSINGS AND BIOPSIES

I love seeing God splashing his blessings over my life, his favor, his love. I am amazed that as I try to live my life in the supernatural as I am supposed to, He is right there with that favor.

By a miraculous turn, Dick and I got an appt with Dr. C in Denver last week. We were told it would be 3 weeks out, and I was making a short list of people who were willing to go with me. But I wanted my rock, my husband. He simply cannot NOT teach for 4 days in the middle of a week. I did not want to go with anyone else. I said to the scheduler,"Can you make a miracle for me?" (I found out she is a devout believer when I met her). And a day later, she called me and said, "Bonjour, Miss Mary, you have your miracle. We can get you in next week."

We would be on our last week of vacation. Dick could go. Praise God. I called around the UCCC campus for motels that might have a shuttle service both to the airport and to the medical campus. Few did. I reluctantly tried Crown Plaza as I know they are very pricey, but they had shuttles to both. The gal then said, "And because you are a UCCC patient, we will give you your room for $89 per night." WHAT? Are you serious, God?

There was a blessing on the way to the airport. We stopped at Tobies in Hinckley (South Dakotans have no clue what I am talking about, and that is ok.) and when we asked for our check, the server said that an anonymous person in the restaurant paid our bill. WHAT? WHY? (We were not even dressed as northwoods ragamuffins that day) Thank you, God!

In Denver we were about to order Taco Bell when the power went out. They shut down and we walked to Qdoba across the street. They had no power either, but the owner quickly came to us and gave us 2 tickets for free dinners that night! WHAT? God was just blessing our sox off.

In bed that first night before the biopsy, I was reading my Scripture verses and John 16:23 just jumped off the page at me. It is such a powerful promise. I TELL YOU THE TRUTH. MY FATHER WILL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU ASK IN MY NAME. Could it be that simple to take away this anxiety? Jesus says nothing He cannot do. He cannot lie. I stuck my faith right there and believed Him.

I claimed that verse 3 times, asking in Jesus' name that the big risk of the biopsy, which was a collapsed lung, would not happen. By the third time (I know. I only needed to say it once) I decided that the truth of that promise was mine and that everything would go without a hitch.

In the biopsy room, a large black nurse anesthetist was there as an angel sent by God I am certain. When she asked me, as I was laying down on the CT scanner, how I was, I told her I was just praying. She said, "Well, Miss Mary, I pray for all my patients and I am praying for you too. I'll be checkin' on you often." And true to her word (I was under conscious sedation so I heard everything), she came close to my face every few minutes and said, "You doin' OK, Miss Mary?" I grunted a "yuh" and she'd return to her monitors. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me abundantly more than I could ask or imagine.

11 hours after we arrived at the medical center, we were back in the motel and wiped out. Our plane left at 6 and we had to take a 4 am shuttle to the airport. It was a tiring trip. But as Dr. C told me, perhaps this biopsy of the growing tumors can tell us what kind they are finally, and tell us if he has something in his repertoire of targeted drugs to combat it.
We should have news by the end of next week.


I TELL YOU THE TRUTH. MY FATHER WILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK IN MY NAME. UNTIL NOW, YOU HAVE NOT ASKED FOR ANYTHING IN MY NAME. ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL.   John 16:23-24

SUMMER WINDING DOWN

My Avera team is now feeling like the growing tumors are a good opportunity to get the biopsy that my Denver doctor suggested in November. They sent him all the scans and reports last week, but there has been no word yet. SO. We may be on a plane to Denver next week instead of enjoying the woods. In Denver they would do genetic sequencing to determine what kind of cancer I have. Lung cancers have many labels, and he doubted whether my diagnosis about the ALK mutation was correct. So we wait.

The fishing is getting better, the blueberries are still nonexistent, and my husband made me a beautiful headboard for our bed out of a vintage oak door. He did an amazing job and now I want him make another one for Sam and Gretchen’s bedroom back home.

Sam had a couple days off this week and came up north. It was so special having him home. I think every parent wonders how their relationship will change with their child once they are married. The past few days proved that our relationship hasn’t changed one bit. Some of my friends report that their sons rarely communicate with them anymore. No worries there. We have a wonderful daughter-in-law who is very generous in sharing him with us!!!

Today was our first hot day all summer. It got up to 88. We have had a glorious summer of mid 70’s most days. Today we got a taste of what home will be like when we get back!! It is heading into the 90’s tomorrow. We may live in the lake.

My thin, white hair continues to grow back very slowly and continues to come in pointing UP. I have a serious Mohawk that is not changing. God has a sense of humor. I hope that as it gets longer, it might fall down!! Right now it is barely ½ inch.

Thank you for prayers that we have discernment about Denver. Part of us want to forego any medical treatment and just tell God to handle it; part of us know that God aids the medical profession. We will listen to all the pros and cons and make a decision about the biopsy.

SCAN TODAY

We are in the city today for my lung CT scan, scheduled for an hour from now. I don’t relish “starting afresh” with a new doctor, but it is unavoidable, as he will need to go over the radiologist’s findings. We are not expecting any startling news.

Hard to believe July is over. We have had a glorious summer of cool nights and warm days, but rarely over 75. We appreciate the moderation! 

My progress with my muscles continues to be so so slow. Some days I don’t think it is worth continuing to try to improve. Dick reassures me that even if it takes a year to return to normal, it is worth it. Tell that to my sore muscles from lifting leg weights.

On a positive note, my hair has finally begun to grow in. Sam was the one who noticed it on July 1. It is unfortunately coming in mainly white and very thin and wispy. My sister-in-law had the good fortune to have her hair come back in black and curly. I was not that lucky. I had read that many women have the coming-back-in-white issue. I don’t really like myself in white yet. When I am able and have enough hair, I WILL color it!!

I am meeting with my two dear friends Lee and Penny every Wednesday for concentrated prayer and intercession and it has fed my soul. I so love these women.

The deer population is way down and we have not had one deer walk thru our yard this summer. It used to be a near daily occurrence which we have loved. A mass of hummingbirds has taken up residence on Dick’s two hummingbird feeders and their frenzied activity fighting for a straw is comical.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer.

SUMMER HALF OVER

A quick update. Summer is half over. Where did the time go? We've seen the kids 3 times, for only 24 hours each time, but it was nice to connect. We went down to Mpls for a Twins game with them last week. My rehab is progressing very very slowly. People: Beware of steroids. They destroy muscle. Don't know if I will ever regain what I have lost. But I continue to work at it. Here are a few pics from the summer.

REHAB

I am writing this on Father’s Day. The first time I haven’t had my pop to call and tell him what an amazing dad he was. It was always, “Now, no presents, only cards.” We never listened to him. Tears have come several times today. Losing both parents in 8 months will require a lot of grief work I think. It still hurts. I miss them both so much.

Dick has me on a rigorous (as defined by how weak I am) rehab treatment plan to regain muscle strength and mass from the steroids, which totally depleted me. The progress is painfully slow. After 2 weeks, I am only up to 11 pounds on ankle weights and am up to 4 walks up our little hill…trying to add one climb per day.

I thought the reversal of steroid use would be faster. It is very slow. I am nauseous every day which has decreased my appetite to near nothing. I eat less than a 3 year old. My belly is slowly receding and my “disconnected” feelings between my head and body are very slowly starting to wane. The extreme fatigue from radiation lingers. I am a woman who normally naps maybe 6 times a year. I hate napping. I feel groggy and sluggish afterwards. But I have no choice this time. My body needs 1-2 hours of napping every afternoon. It will be a summer of working hard to try to find normal again.

We took a boat ride around the lake tonight…..first one…..and found that our 2 bald eagles are back in their nest in a very high pine with their babies. Such a majestic sight.

It is a 3 week period of time now since Mom died, Sam got married, and we had a funeral for Mom. It seems like we couldn’t possibly have walked through all of that emotion and come out the other side, but I guess we did. God wraps us in His grace and mercy when we need it. I am so grateful that we had a weekend of such pure joy at the wedding between two very hard weekends.

We have no internet this summer, so we are tech-free. If any of you have facebook-messaged us, or emailed us, and we have not responded, that is why. Most of our texts get through. It feels very freeing, actually.

We continue to have faith in healing. You may wonder why we still believe after all these years. We do, because God’s Word cannot lie and we stand on it. I don’t understand His methods or His timing. But we understand His faithfulness in what He says. 

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

To the strains of Amazing Grace, Unforgettable, and Be Thou My Vision, my family----Dick, my brothers and their wives, and 6 of the 7 grandchildren and their spouses----tucked our sweet mom/Nanny in, and committed her earthly body on Saturday to the dust she shall return to. After losing Dad only 8 months ago, the pain of grief leapt up into all our hearts once again. Like we did for him, we walked her home together for the past 5 months, with love and sadness and honor, and now, this weekend, we were able to celebrate her great life.

The feeling of being an orphan is daunting. My brother Chris expressed wondering what he should do with his son-role. I can echo that. The daughter-role was such a vital component of my life, especially as the 3 of us have done caregiving for both Mom and Dad. I have always worn the badge of daughter with pride. I would have done anything for my parents. How do you give that up?

There were lots of tears last weekend, both at the wake, where we all got up to talk about what she has meant to us, and at the funeral and the burial. We are Hiebs. We cry. A lot. Another piece of DNA from our mom. She was Irish. She laughed hard, played hard, and cried hard. Happy tears. Sad tears. All 10 of us got the gene, 3 kids and 7 grands. So this weekend, we did the domino dance many different times, involuntarily falling one after another into our tears. When one Hieb cries, we all cry. That’s what Hiebs do. In the months to come, I hope my private tears will be cleansing and somewhat healing.

I need some healing. Because I don’t know how to do this……to be motherless. I can’t express how that feels. Mom was the keeper of my past. She knew the secret moments that formed me, and the deepest part of my being as I grew up. She loved me like nobody else could ever love me……she was, after all, my mom. That’s what moms do. I was so blessed to be loved like that for over 60 years.

My niece Rachel and my friend Julie essentially said the exact thing to me at two different times one day. “You will be able to walk forward without her because she taught you how.” I will cling to that.

The last time I was with her, her words were mere whispers and not clear, but when I said to her, “Mom, you will live in my heart forever,” she said back to me, tapping her heart, “We’ll live in each other’s hearts forever.” And so we will. That kind of love never ends.

It says in Psalm 139 that the number of our days were determined before any of them came to be. God could have ordained her days to be over when she was 30 or 50 or 75. But He was gracious enough to give her 94 years. God gave her 65 years with the man she deeply loved. He allowed her to see the happy marriages of her 3 children and her grandkids.

I got to have my mom at my wedding. She watched me graduate from her alma mater. I got to watch her big tears fall as I laid my long-awaited newborn son in her arms. From that moment on, for 23 years, she called Sam “my boy.”

“How was my boy’s game today?”

“When is my boy gonna come and visit us?”

“I want to come down for my boy’s piano recital.”

I guess she had the right to partial ownership. God gave HER the dream that he was to be. After 6 years of our infertility, Mom had a very poignant and real dream that Sam was going to be conceived, and that he would have big blue eyes and curly blond hair. God let her see him first. I did conceive and he looked exactly like the baby in her dream. Exactly. That bonded the two of them in many special ways.

Mom was always on the other end of a telephone when I needed to cry, when I needed affirmation or encouragement. Anytime I had a “Samism” to share, she’d be the one I would call. She never stopped teaching me, whether it was coping with a trial, cooking, or taking risks. She always knew what I should do. And I almost always took her advice. She was one of my best friends.

Pat was a life force. She was a hurricane of love and passion and opinions and selflessness. She was a gourmet cook, even published in the New York Times Cookbook. She was involved in community, school, and medical auxiliary events, and belonged to many clubs. She was a highly trained medical technologist. Mom was smart, sentimental, loyal, and always up for a party (remember she was Irish). She was a devoted caregiver to two elderly aunts and both of my grandmothers.

Her gifts and interests were so varied. I wish I had inherited her skills at all of them. Sewing and quilting (exquisite hand quilting), antique refinishing, gardening, bridge, cooking and baking, entertaining, crafts of all kinds, and knitting (she could knit an intricate wool sweater better than any Norwegiaknitter!!

Nanny was adored by each of her 7 grandchildren and the adoration flowed back to her in return. They each forged a unique relationship with her that was exclusive only to the two of them.

My mom was the hub of our family. Sam texted on the day she died, “Without Nanny our family is like a boat without a rudder.” Indeed.

She made every occasion special with traditions and memories and incredible food. We were all spoiled by her devotion to making every family event one to be remembered. I will never forget the surprise party she planned for my 13^th birthday. Never had I been more surprised! She anchored our lives with wit and joy.

I’ve had friends send me remembrances. My dear friend Peg remembers Mom’s pies and her grace. My best friend from grade school, Patty, remembers being made to feel as if Mom were a second mom to her. More than a few friends recalled the PDA between my folks. There used to be a lot of necking while she was cooking dinner!

Mom wore butterflies her entire life. They were her "signature." She had butterfly everything. Clothes, pins, dishes, etc. She gave away so many butterfly pins. And it had nothing to do with the insect. She always told people it was a sign of the resurrection. She knew eternal life awaited her and she loved a symbol of that transition.

Did we have enough time with her? No, it was not enough. My son will never be able to lay his newborn someday in his Nanny’s arms. She won’t be here to advise me through retirement. I will never be called “Precious” again.

But I would not ask God for more. It was an amount of time that few children do not get with their parents. We were the lucky ones.

We cannot imagine a life without our mom and Nanny. She is woven through us from birth to death. She stood at our mileposts and celebrated with us.

How do we say goodbye to her without saying goodbye to a piece of ourselves? There is a large chunk of Patty in each of us. In the 3 of us kids and even in the 7 grandkids. Traits, idiosyncrasies, habits and looks….the most enduring parts of her are in the 10 of us.

Whenever we need her zest for life, her compassion, her problem solving, her strength, or humor….all we need to do is look to each other. She is there. Whenever we laugh about our “worry gene” we will think of Mom. Whenever we give each other the “I’m not happy with you” look, we will chuckle and remember that it is her face. Most of us can imitate nearly every facial expression and mannerism she had!

Patricia Mary Bolger Hieb

What do we do with all that she gave us? We absorb it all and then pay it forward. We love our own children lavishly and try to be as generous with them as she and dad were with us. We carve out precious relationships with our grandchildren. Like Mom, we make family the most important thing. We take her lessons and try to recreate the wonder of our childhood with our own kids.

No doubt we will cry along the way as we remember the love and the memories and as we yearn to have her hold us one more time. We will honor her with our tears. Because that is what Hiebs do.

I love you past the moon, Mama. And because you can’t one-up me, I get to say it all this time:

I love you.

I love you more.

I love you most.

Until we meet again…..

THE WEDDING

My Sam is now a husband!! The wedding was this past weekend in Minneapolis. The groom's dinner, wedding and reception were absolutely perfect. God's favor rested on every element of the weekend celebration. I don't have pictures to share yet (I copied and pasted these from someone who posted it on FB) but I will when I officially get some. Am so blessed to have shared this day with Sam and Gretchen.