- Ever Had A Dream? (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968):

American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. 

His main legacy: to secure progress on civil rights in the USA. 

A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott & his efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech.

There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.

Can you imagine standing there in the crowd that day in 1963 in Washington, listening to that speech, and thinking about the possibility of having a black president?

Wouldn't it have appeared as sheer madness to even suggest that this would be even a remote possibility on American soil, given the racism of that day and the attitude at that time towards people of color?

And yet, Martin Luther King Jr. looked beyond the situation at hand; beyond his cultural surroundings, beyond the mindset of so many whites of his day, and he based his speech on what should be, not on what was.

All I can say is, thank God for visionaries. Thank God there are people who look over the tops of our heads and into the future to tell us what they see coming.

At least every generation has a group of people, whether small or large, who do not and will not march to the beat of their peers, but march to an entirely different drummer . . . march to music perhaps only they themselves can hear.

Do you have a dream? Does it seem foolish? Out-of-context for the generation you're in at present? Does your dream seem impossible? Unimaginable? Ridiculous?

Maybe your dream is the next step towards progress for an entire group of people! Maybe your dream will rescue one person, or rescue an army! Maybe your dream is just a quiet whisper right now, but with faith, patience and persistence, it can grow into a mighty roar.

Maybe your dream will one day turn into a reality, and you won't even be there to witness its final outcome. 

But you will have had the immeasurable joy of knowing that your dream helped bring freedom to others; helped usher in a new way of thinking; helped re-establish what was once considered the norm, and helped break prejudices that were toxic and narrow and in desperate need of change.

Who knows? Maybe your dream needs to find wings, and that dream is waiting for you to let it fly!

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Well, the fatigue I'm feeling with this chemo (Taxol) is pretty pervasive, so I'm doing a lot of couch time, but that's okay. I mean, lying around all day is a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it, right?

My concert is this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it! Looks like it's going to be a full house. Mind you, when I decided to do this concert, I was feeling pretty normal, and now I'm, like, SO not!

But come Saturday night, I'll be going on adrenaline & I'm sure everything will be just fine. The Chronicle, a local newspaper in the West Island area of Montreal, did a really nice article on the show, and you can view it here if you like:

http://westislandchronicle.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

The Film Crew will be there also, filming the entire concert for the documentary. For those of you who are new to my bloggy-blog here, Director Liliana Komorowska has been shooting a documentary film for the past year or more, focusing on Breast Cancer in Quebec.

She & I were introduced in the Fall of 2009 & we've been great buddies ever since. Since October, she & her crew have accompanied me to my breast cancer support group, a couple of my chemo sessions, and so on.

This concert will be the last event they're filming with me - sniff, sniff! I'm gonna miss you guys!!!

Anyways, if you can, please try to make it out to the concert! It's going to be lots of fun!

There'll be songs from my CD, some stories & impersonations by yours truly, a wig fashion show, and even one or two new songs especially for you! (one song I wrote just yesterday when I went for a walk - how cool is that?!)

Well, blessings to each one of you, and see you soon,

Love, Wendy

_________________________________________________

~ In Concert ~ Wendy Farha ~

Saturday evening, March 27, 2010 at 7:30 pm

Christian Reformed Church
52 Joseph Paiement (corner Alie)

Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec

A delightful evening of music and comedy!
$10 at the door ~ Free parking ~ Refreshments available

A portion of the proceeds will be given to the

West Island Cancer Wellness Center

To view Concert poster:  http://wendy.ca/

I'd love to see you there! Email for more details:

- Talking Cats

Well, since I don't have anything profound to say today, I thought I'd give you a bit of "catnip" . . .

Watch this one first . . .

And then this one . . .

Don't forget about my concert this upcoming Saturday! I'd love to see you there!

____________________________________________

~ In Concert ~ Wendy Farha ~

Saturday evening, March 27, 2010 at 7:30 pm

Christian Reformed Church
52 Joseph Paiement (corner Alie)

Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec

A delightful evening of music and comedy!
$10 at the door ~ Free parking ~ 
Refreshments available

A portion of the proceeds will be given to the

West Island Cancer Wellness Center

To view Concert poster:  http://wendy.ca/

I'd love to see you there! Email for more details:

Have a wonderful week,

Love, Wendy   xoxoxox

- Home

Montreal has a very gifted young singer/songwriter whose name is Rex Verzosa. Rex is a sweetie-pie of a guy who is originally from the Philippines.  We sang at the same concert one evening several years ago.

He's written a beautiful song called "Home", interpreted here by Gary Valenciano, also from the Philippines. Take a listen . . .

 

Rex's song is based on that famous parable of The Prodigal Son, found in the New Testament. This is the story Jesus told of a good Jewish family badly fractured, first by greed and selfishness of the younger son, then by envy & resentment of the older.  

The younger son tells his father he wants his share of the inheritance - not when the father dies, but immediately. Here's what one Bible commentator says about this:

"Considering that this property would have only been given to the son upon his father’s death, it is clear that this son may as well just say to his father, “you are dead to me.”  It would have been a stinging slap to the face for this father, yet he complies with the request. 

"The younger son then predictably squanders the whole inheritance in dissolute living, descending into such poverty that he desires the food being eaten by the pigs.  To those listening to Jesus, the point would have been clear: This young man is even lower than the pig, an undeniably unclean animal in Jewish culture.  He is beyond unclean."

Here's the parable in full. I've chosen "The Message", a version of the Bible that is so fresh to read because it's not a translation, per se, but more of an interpretation from the original languages into very modern English:

"Then (Jesus) said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.' So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. 

"There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.

"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'

"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. 

"We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.

"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. 

He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.'

"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. 

The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'

"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. 

This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"  - Luke 15:11-32

And the point of this parable? I believe Jesus told it to illustrate the marvelous grace of God that welcomes us "Home" with open arms, even when we've ignored Him, cursed or insulted Him, deserted Him . . . or even returned to Him with questionable motives, like an empty stomach, so to speak, or a desire to be rescued from our foolish mistakes, or any number of reasons other than simply for the joy of a relationship with Him.

He welcomes us back and He welcomes us enthusiastically, because of His mercy and because of His great love for us.

And it's the one reason I'm here today, feeling safe & secure despite all my circumstances; content to face whatever comes my way. Because like the prodigal in the story, I, too, am truly "Home".

- Chemo Land

Yep, now that my bad reactions to the first phase of chemo are a thing of the past, I am into the regular chemo schedule and am finally experiencing what it's like when it's not intermittent.

Translation: I am in la-la land half my life, now. Sleeping. Waking up. Eating. Going back to bed. Waking up. Eating. Watching TV. Going back to bed.

It's a fascinating life, but someone has to do it. 

Listen, I'm not complaining all that loudly. After hearing so many stories about people on chemo who spend most of their days throwing up & getting painfully thin, sleeping is a welcome alternative to all that.

Of course, there was a small part of me that was *hoping* I would get thin through all this . . . but if throwing up is the price I have to pay to be thin, then thanks, but I guess I'll settle for pleasantly plump.

Well, something very cool happened this past week! As many of you know, a local newspaper The Suburban did an article on me in their February 3rd issue, and I got lots of feedback on that. You can see the article on the front page of my website: click here and scroll down the Home page.

Anyways, one of the people who read that article was Anne Marie Laurin, a volunteer with the West Island Relay For Life, run by the Canadian Cancer Society. She emailed me this week, and here's what she said:

"Last month, I read an article regarding your story in The Suburban, and recently read your blog. Your uplifting attitude is an inspiration, and helps to put everyday life into a clearer perspective.

It would be an honour and a great pleasure if you would agree to be our Honorary Guest Speaker at our Survivors'  Reception on June 18th, an event  that honours those who have fought cancer, or are still battling the disease. We are expecting approximately 70 people at our reception this year. 

I realise that you are still undergoing chemotherapy and this is not an easy time for you, but if you are up to it, I believe your message would inspire others to set the tone for a healthy recovery."

Cool, huh? I actually should be finished chemo by then, so it shouldn't be any problem to do this. I love public speaking! And maybe I'll even sing the Menopause song for them! That'll go well with dinner . . .

Ah, you see? There are perks to just about everything in life . . .

_________________________________________________

Well, I don't mean to be repetitive, but . . . well, I have to go sleepies, now. My bed is calling me. 

- Tomorrow is Chemo #4. Well, it's actually Chemo #6 in the grand scheme of things, but it's Chemo #4 of Phase 2 - the Taxol / Herceptin Phase.

- After tomorrow, only 8 Mondays to go.

- Then a month off, when I may have some corrective surgery done on my scars (but I'm not getting reconstruction - too much bother & there can be complications.)

- Then, in July or so, 28 sessions of radiation, 15 mins. a day, every weekday.

- Then 3 months or so of Herceptin, once every 3 weeks.

Then, Lord willing, by November 2010 - FREEDOM! Back to "normal"!! 

Whatever that is. Will I remember? 

Blessings to you, and have a great week.

Love, Wendy  xoxox

I Will Change Your Name

I will change your name
You shall no longer be called
Wounded, outcast, lonely or afraid
 

I will change your name
Your new name shall be
Confidence, joyfulness, overcoming one
Faithfulness, friend of God
One who seeks My face

© 1987 D.J. Butler / Mercy/Vineyard Publishing

- Taking Care of Mom, Part 2, by Timmy

Okay, so here are more ways I help Mom every day. There wasn't enough room in Part 1 to show all the ways I help her. If I didn't help her, she would probably just lie in bed all day. She's pretty lucky she has ME !

If you missed Part I, you can see it here:

http://wwwadventureswendy.blogspot.com/2010/03/taking-care-of-mom-by-timmy.html

Anyways, she's doing a concert soon. A concert is where people get up and sing and stuff. She's gonna sing. I'm not. But I'm helping her make her posters.


Here, I'm supervising the printing of the posters:

And I test the ink quality to see if it smudges . . .

Next, I try to get her to do some exercises. These are called "Leg Stretches". I do 'em first, and I try to get her to copy. It usually doesn't work. She just lies there.

I try to figure out what she's feeling.

Bathroom break. Ya, she doesn't like it when I peek.

But sometimes I do (why doesn't she just use a litterbox?)

She likes to reward me with stuff. I've told her a hundred times:
I DON'T LIKE FRUIT!!! But she thinks it's good for me or something. Yeccchhhh.

Some of her friends said I look Italian here. Not sure why? Whatever.

Sometimes, she just needs a hug.

When she gets the sniffles, I remind her where to find the Kleenex.

But mostly, I just give her love. And that's a good thing, right?

Good night!

By Timmy.

(Photos by Mom). 

_________________________________________________________

~ In Concert ~ Wendy Farha ~

Saturday evening, March 27, 2010 at 7:30 pm

Christian Reformed Church
52 Joseph Paiement (corner Alie)

Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec

A delightful evening of music and comedy!
$10 at the door ~ Free parking ~ Refreshments available

A portion of the proceeds will be given to the

West Island Cancer Wellness Center

To view Concert poster:  http://wendy.ca/

I'd love to see you there! Email for more details:

- Taking Care of Mom, by Timmy

Somebody has to take care of Mom. My days are very, very busy. I will show you some pictures here so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

So it all starts at sunup - I look outside and see it's morning, which is a cue to jump on top of her and wake her up (she thinks it's because I'm hungry, but it's really for her own good - I don't like lazy humans.)

I warm up the seat for her . . . 

She goes to the bathroom but she doesn't like it if I watch, so I try to keep an eye on her from outside . . .

I put the thingy in the shower so her hair doesn't clog the drain (but her hair has mostly fallen out, now . . . )

I make sure the water is the right temperature so she can brush her teeth when she gets outta the shower.

I help her take her glasses off. People shouldn't brush their teeth with their glasses on.

Breakfast time. I watch what she eats.

After breakfast . . . a scalp massage. She likes this a lot.

Here I am, helping her read.

  

If there's something important she's missed, I point it out.

I help her do this blog . . .

. . . we have a nap . . .

I put on my nightcap . . .

And it's time for bed.

The End.

By Timmy.


(Thank you, Timmy. Love, Mom)