This year has been quite the adventure! I've learned about faith and miracles.
God is certainly mindful of me and of each of His children and He surely keeps
His promises. So, at the beginning of 2009 I wrote down some goals for myself. Some of these
goals were to get new carpeting, to lose weight, and to read a book monthly. But, then in
March, my life took a different course and I had to reevaluate my New Year's Goals.
I no longer cared about carpeting, losing weight or reading a book monthly.
My goal was to get over cancer and to do my part in this miracle that was unfolding.
Some of the things that I have learned are:
That the Lord has a plan for each of us and knows us personally
That He cares about our desires and wants us to SEEK for our righteous desires
That we need the prayers of others and also their faith and help
Friends and family are such a great support
The scriptures are a great source of strength and comfort
The importance of often and fervent prayer
People are so generous with their money
The Lord sure does love His children!
God truly loves to heal and perform miracles!
So, my cancer adventure has been hard, tiring, adventurous, and a great learning experience.
I know that it is not only blessing my life but it is also blessing the lives of many people,
including my husband, my children,their spouses and my grandchildren.
It won't be long and this cancer adventure will soon be coming to a close.
My health is returning and life goes on...
Blessings never cease and 2010 is going to be a great year for the Manning Family!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Feelings of Christmas
I have mixed emotions this holiday season. Christmas was absolutely wonderful! It was great
to have each of our children and their spouses and our grandchildren over and it felt so warm
and wonderful. All except Thomas, who is serving in Washington as a missionary But, he called
and just warmed our hearts even more! I was totally spoiled by everyone and it felt so good.
I'm used to it. ...it's true. Being sick has it's ups and down. One of the downs is that the food
that I serve usually isn't very good. I try to simplify and it's just not the same. Even with lots of
help in the kitchen somehow the homemade cooking is still missing. We had the huge tortillas
and beans and salsa and all the fixings. Many people helped. But, because the tortillas were a
couple of days old... for some reason we couldn't get them soft and they just weren't the best.
Maria worked hard in the kitchen and insisted on me opening her gift early Christmas morning
so as to use it in serving the meal. She said that I would love it. I did! It was a lazy susan with
ceramic gold containers with a center bowl. It was perfect to serve the food on Christmas day
and the food looked beautiful in it! We received special gifts from each of our children as well.
Each of the married children, which is all of them but Thomas, gave a gift to each couple.
James and Julie had brought a homemade bean salsa which was delicious. It was put into 4
different containers and Julie put it into the kitchen. For some reason, I thought it was for the
meal and so I dumped a couple of them into a container into the lazy susan for everyone to
enjoy. James and Julie have only been married since August and it was her first Christmas with
us. She didn't say anything at first....but later James told me that the bean salsa's were
intended to go to the other 4 couples for their gifts. I felt really bad. There were only two left,
so just two of the couples got to have their gifts. Oh well. I wish I could be perfect and not
make mistakes but somehow I just keep making them. James and Julie were nice about it and
overlooked it.
Then Christmas night, Larry got up with cramps in his legs and when he almost fell I braced
him with my body and helped him back onto the bed. In doing so I hurt my left knee. So, I
have a brace on it and it is injured. So, Larry is at church right now, and I am home alone again
with the same old conjestion and the knee problem. But, wonderful news is that my voice came
back and I was able to talk with Thomas on Christmas Day. That was the best Christmas gift
ever!
Oh, and I mustn't forget the very special Christmas Eve that Larry and I experienced. At first, it
wasn't so wonderful....as we were struggling to finish our homemade gifts for our children. We
were saying to ourselves, "how did we ever do it in the past....why are we so slow this
year....and how are we ever going to get all the pages stuffed into these plastic sheets to put into
the books...." When all of a sudden we heard someone knock on the door or ring the doorbell.
Larry went to the door and there was a heavy basket with a pink and white checkered cloth
over it. He brought it in and we looked inside. There was fresh citrus fruit and a big jar filled
with quarters and other coins in it which was labeled "Christmas Jar". Then we opened a gift
that was in the basket and it was a book entitled "Christmas Jars". We had never heard of this
book and thought this was pretty special for someone to think of us. We sat on the couch
together and our hearts melted. Here we were having a hard time and someone was out doing
something so wonderful for us. We wanted to read it Christmas night but were too busy...so we
decided to read it together after Christmas. (We are now about 3/4 through it and are enjoying
it so much together...it's our night time story!) It wasn't but 10 minutes later when there was
another knock at the door. I went to the door and didn't see anyone. Then I looked down and
saw a large container of cashews and 2 bank envelopes stuffed with money. I brought them in
and we sat on the couch together to count the money. We started crying together as we
counted out the 100-crisp dollar bills that someone had so carefully put into the envelopes for
us. People are so kind and thoughtful. It surely made our Christmas so special. Larry and I
worked faster and had renewed energy. By about 2 am we had finished our gifts and crashed!
Late Christmas morning, we were just getting up when the phone rang. Larry saw it was
Washington. He answered the phone and said, "Thomas?" I jumped up and grabbed the other
phone. What a wonderful Christmas morning. He couldn't talk long but wanted to tell us that
he was going to call a couple of hours earlier than expected. Our hearts felt so good and it was
certainly Christmas!
to have each of our children and their spouses and our grandchildren over and it felt so warm
and wonderful. All except Thomas, who is serving in Washington as a missionary But, he called
and just warmed our hearts even more! I was totally spoiled by everyone and it felt so good.
I'm used to it. ...it's true. Being sick has it's ups and down. One of the downs is that the food
that I serve usually isn't very good. I try to simplify and it's just not the same. Even with lots of
help in the kitchen somehow the homemade cooking is still missing. We had the huge tortillas
and beans and salsa and all the fixings. Many people helped. But, because the tortillas were a
couple of days old... for some reason we couldn't get them soft and they just weren't the best.
Maria worked hard in the kitchen and insisted on me opening her gift early Christmas morning
so as to use it in serving the meal. She said that I would love it. I did! It was a lazy susan with
ceramic gold containers with a center bowl. It was perfect to serve the food on Christmas day
and the food looked beautiful in it! We received special gifts from each of our children as well.
Each of the married children, which is all of them but Thomas, gave a gift to each couple.
James and Julie had brought a homemade bean salsa which was delicious. It was put into 4
different containers and Julie put it into the kitchen. For some reason, I thought it was for the
meal and so I dumped a couple of them into a container into the lazy susan for everyone to
enjoy. James and Julie have only been married since August and it was her first Christmas with
us. She didn't say anything at first....but later James told me that the bean salsa's were
intended to go to the other 4 couples for their gifts. I felt really bad. There were only two left,
so just two of the couples got to have their gifts. Oh well. I wish I could be perfect and not
make mistakes but somehow I just keep making them. James and Julie were nice about it and
overlooked it.
Then Christmas night, Larry got up with cramps in his legs and when he almost fell I braced
him with my body and helped him back onto the bed. In doing so I hurt my left knee. So, I
have a brace on it and it is injured. So, Larry is at church right now, and I am home alone again
with the same old conjestion and the knee problem. But, wonderful news is that my voice came
back and I was able to talk with Thomas on Christmas Day. That was the best Christmas gift
ever!
Oh, and I mustn't forget the very special Christmas Eve that Larry and I experienced. At first, it
wasn't so wonderful....as we were struggling to finish our homemade gifts for our children. We
were saying to ourselves, "how did we ever do it in the past....why are we so slow this
year....and how are we ever going to get all the pages stuffed into these plastic sheets to put into
the books...." When all of a sudden we heard someone knock on the door or ring the doorbell.
Larry went to the door and there was a heavy basket with a pink and white checkered cloth
over it. He brought it in and we looked inside. There was fresh citrus fruit and a big jar filled
with quarters and other coins in it which was labeled "Christmas Jar". Then we opened a gift
that was in the basket and it was a book entitled "Christmas Jars". We had never heard of this
book and thought this was pretty special for someone to think of us. We sat on the couch
together and our hearts melted. Here we were having a hard time and someone was out doing
something so wonderful for us. We wanted to read it Christmas night but were too busy...so we
decided to read it together after Christmas. (We are now about 3/4 through it and are enjoying
it so much together...it's our night time story!) It wasn't but 10 minutes later when there was
another knock at the door. I went to the door and didn't see anyone. Then I looked down and
saw a large container of cashews and 2 bank envelopes stuffed with money. I brought them in
and we sat on the couch together to count the money. We started crying together as we
counted out the 100-crisp dollar bills that someone had so carefully put into the envelopes for
us. People are so kind and thoughtful. It surely made our Christmas so special. Larry and I
worked faster and had renewed energy. By about 2 am we had finished our gifts and crashed!
Late Christmas morning, we were just getting up when the phone rang. Larry saw it was
Washington. He answered the phone and said, "Thomas?" I jumped up and grabbed the other
phone. What a wonderful Christmas morning. He couldn't talk long but wanted to tell us that
he was going to call a couple of hours earlier than expected. Our hearts felt so good and it was
certainly Christmas!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
No voice
Today is Sunday, and I had to stay home from church. I've had a bad sore throat and laryngitis.
Not fun! I whisper and ring a bell when I need Larry to help with something. It's so funny!
It's wonderful to have the Priesthood in my home and that Larry could give me a blessing.
I just have to get better so that I can talk to our missionary son, Thomas, when he calls on
Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day...we don't know when he will be calling yet.
Our oldest daughter, Maria, made lunch for us today and it was so delicious.
She made whole wheat spaghetti and a fruit drink with spinach blended up in it.
It doesn't sound very good, but it was the best!
We enjoyed the two family Christmas parties last night. One was for Larry's side of the family
and was held at the church building. We enjoyed a lovely dinner, a great story, message from
Grandpa, and a hayride. The other was for my side of the family and was held at my sisters,
Martha's home. We arrived after dinner, as both parties were on the same evening. But,
we so much enjoyed visiting and hearing the musical performances. It was wonderful!!
Having two parties on one night was a little too much for me and by the end of the evening,
I had lost my voice. But, it was great to see family and just be together.
...Well, Larry is in bed and it is super late... so, I will hurry off to join him soon. He set up a
humidifier next to our bed to add a little moisture to the air and to help with my throat.
That was so nice of him. Larry is really good to me and is constantly serving and helping me
out. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband!
I just want to add, what a blessing it is to be alive and to get to enjoy this wonderful Christmas
season with family and friends!
Not fun! I whisper and ring a bell when I need Larry to help with something. It's so funny!
It's wonderful to have the Priesthood in my home and that Larry could give me a blessing.
I just have to get better so that I can talk to our missionary son, Thomas, when he calls on
Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day...we don't know when he will be calling yet.
Our oldest daughter, Maria, made lunch for us today and it was so delicious.
She made whole wheat spaghetti and a fruit drink with spinach blended up in it.
It doesn't sound very good, but it was the best!
We enjoyed the two family Christmas parties last night. One was for Larry's side of the family
and was held at the church building. We enjoyed a lovely dinner, a great story, message from
Grandpa, and a hayride. The other was for my side of the family and was held at my sisters,
Martha's home. We arrived after dinner, as both parties were on the same evening. But,
we so much enjoyed visiting and hearing the musical performances. It was wonderful!!
Having two parties on one night was a little too much for me and by the end of the evening,
I had lost my voice. But, it was great to see family and just be together.
...Well, Larry is in bed and it is super late... so, I will hurry off to join him soon. He set up a
humidifier next to our bed to add a little moisture to the air and to help with my throat.
That was so nice of him. Larry is really good to me and is constantly serving and helping me
out. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband!
I just want to add, what a blessing it is to be alive and to get to enjoy this wonderful Christmas
season with family and friends!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Our Family Party
I'm so excited for our Larry and Margaret Family Party tomorrow. We have a wonderful
tradition every year of going to a nursing home and performing for the elderly people.
Then, afterwards, we all come to our house for pizza and make ginger bread houses! So fun!
We started performing when Aaron and Jonathan were little and have kept it up through the
years. Some people give gifts and money to those in need at Christmas, and that is a great
thing to do, but as we really never had much money to give away, we decided years ago to share
something that we did have....music! It's very rewarding and humbling to go into the nursing
homes and find it a privilege to get to share some of the Christmas Spirit with them.
Although when we leave, we find that they blessed our lives far more than we did theirs.
We visit and hand out candy canes afterwards. It really makes my Christmas
special because, not only do I get to hear my children and grandchildren perform, but get
to see the smiles on the faces of the elderly as well. It's a great tradition and we plan on keeping
this throughout the years. Larry and I are singing a song together and are enjoying practicing
practicing it every morning. Along with the hustle and bustle of Christmas, music
brings that special glow inside. We are going to miss Thomas this year as he is in Washington
serving a mission for our church. Maybe he will find an opportunity to sing for others as well.
tradition every year of going to a nursing home and performing for the elderly people.
Then, afterwards, we all come to our house for pizza and make ginger bread houses! So fun!
We started performing when Aaron and Jonathan were little and have kept it up through the
years. Some people give gifts and money to those in need at Christmas, and that is a great
thing to do, but as we really never had much money to give away, we decided years ago to share
something that we did have....music! It's very rewarding and humbling to go into the nursing
homes and find it a privilege to get to share some of the Christmas Spirit with them.
Although when we leave, we find that they blessed our lives far more than we did theirs.
We visit and hand out candy canes afterwards. It really makes my Christmas
special because, not only do I get to hear my children and grandchildren perform, but get
to see the smiles on the faces of the elderly as well. It's a great tradition and we plan on keeping
this throughout the years. Larry and I are singing a song together and are enjoying practicing
practicing it every morning. Along with the hustle and bustle of Christmas, music
brings that special glow inside. We are going to miss Thomas this year as he is in Washington
serving a mission for our church. Maybe he will find an opportunity to sing for others as well.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Peggy Sue Golf Tournament
Although I missed going the the tournament, I was there in spirit. I so much appreciate all who
gave up their Saturday (and the wife's who gave up their husbands) to golf the 18 holes in my
behalf. The hat's turned out so nice...thanks to Ellen Rogers and her son Jeff. Bryan Stradling
deserves a big hand for all that he did in my behalf. (and Maria as well!) So many people
donated money and time and I don't how to begin to thank everyone.
But, I just couldn't go to bed with out attempting to express my deep appreciation to all that
were involved. It comes down to love. There are so many Christ-like people out there. One
person donated $5. Some $75... others more. Another donated $1,000. All the money
combined sure adds up. Thank you...thank you...thank you....to all of you that helped in any
way. I love you all!
gave up their Saturday (and the wife's who gave up their husbands) to golf the 18 holes in my
behalf. The hat's turned out so nice...thanks to Ellen Rogers and her son Jeff. Bryan Stradling
deserves a big hand for all that he did in my behalf. (and Maria as well!) So many people
donated money and time and I don't how to begin to thank everyone.
But, I just couldn't go to bed with out attempting to express my deep appreciation to all that
were involved. It comes down to love. There are so many Christ-like people out there. One
person donated $5. Some $75... others more. Another donated $1,000. All the money
combined sure adds up. Thank you...thank you...thank you....to all of you that helped in any
way. I love you all!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Peace
Throughout this whole cancer experience, I have felt such deep peace. It has sustained me and
given me great comfort. I know what it is like to be held in the Lord's hand and to be blessed
while experiencing a deep trial. He has truly been with me every step of the way and is
continuing to bless my life and to give me strength. This Christmas season I want to testify that
God lives and that He loves each of His children. I know that miracles have not ceased and that
healing continues even in our day. I have such a wonderful husband that is very supportive and
helpful to me. He loves me and that means everything to me. I am blessed with such great
children that have strong faith and are there for me constantly. They, along with so
many others have sacrificed much in order to help me. Thank you to all that pray for me and
give so generously to help me get my pills. May God bless each of you with your needs this
Christmas season. Good news! I made the Easter Pageant along with my granddaughter
Rebecca. So, we will be having a very special experience this spring. It will be wonderful to
participate in testifying of Jesus Christ through music and acting!
given me great comfort. I know what it is like to be held in the Lord's hand and to be blessed
while experiencing a deep trial. He has truly been with me every step of the way and is
continuing to bless my life and to give me strength. This Christmas season I want to testify that
God lives and that He loves each of His children. I know that miracles have not ceased and that
healing continues even in our day. I have such a wonderful husband that is very supportive and
helpful to me. He loves me and that means everything to me. I am blessed with such great
children that have strong faith and are there for me constantly. They, along with so
many others have sacrificed much in order to help me. Thank you to all that pray for me and
give so generously to help me get my pills. May God bless each of you with your needs this
Christmas season. Good news! I made the Easter Pageant along with my granddaughter
Rebecca. So, we will be having a very special experience this spring. It will be wonderful to
participate in testifying of Jesus Christ through music and acting!
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