Overwhelming Joy

Just two more days until the Elk Grove American Cancer Society’s ‘Relay for Life’! I am getting excited and looking forward to camping out and being a part of this 24-hour event. So far, with your help, I have been able to raise $2,001 in donations for the American Cancer Society. Thank you to all that have donated. This really is huge! Last week I got a tickle out of watching my name be #1 out of nearly 600 participants in fundraising – kinda felt famous. Over the weekend, 2 jerks (just kidding) stepped up and took 1^st and 2^nd place… but it’s not over till it’s over. Just $20 more and I kick some clueless dude into 3rd place! (Yeah… I’m a tad bit competitive.) Please join me in this fight and consider donating to the American Cancer Society through my Relay Page: Kelly Joppa Relay Page.

Due to currently going through radiation therapy, and the need to avoid direct sunlight, I will be doing most of my shifts during the evening and throughout the night. If you happen to look at your clock at 2:30am, think of me… I will be out on the track strutting along taking on cancer in the still of the night.

As an added incentive to donate, a gift basket from Ammin Nut was given to me for a little drawing I will hold Saturday morning. If you donate $5 or more, your name will go in the drawing and you could win an assortment of products made with the highest quality Nonpareil almonds right here in California. This gift was donated by my cousin’s cousin (got that) and is a wonderfully healthy food choice – especially if you are into the paleo-diet or looking to increase the ‘natural’ products you consume. Anyways, I thought this was an awesome prize and grateful to Ammin Nut for the donation!

Thanks to you all for your support!

I will share about radiation therapy and how that is going in my next post, but today I wanted to share about something cool that I have experienced over the past week. I’m sure that some of you will know what I am talking about and you will know how rare it is that you get one of these “God” moments. If you cannot relate to me that is okay… but I hope you can understand that what I experienced was more than just a feeling. It was something special.

Lately I have really been trying to make a conscience effort to have the TV off for the majority of the day. My goal is to have it off by 10am and instead fill the house with music. Sometimes we listen to one of the kids Disney CD’s, sometimes 80’s music, sometimes we listen to Christian praise, but if my little boy Nathan gets a vote, we listen to the Coffee House station. Yes, my son loves the variety, coolness and the acoustic sound of coffeehouse music. This is awesome, because I do too.

My littlest dancing partner.
(Note the trains track that have taken over the living room.)

Anyway, I was making lunch and the kids were playing in the living room. Jack Johnson’s ‘Bubble Toes’ came on. I dropped what I was doing and went over to sing and dance with the kids. Picking up Leah and spinning in circles. She giggled and clung to me as we twirled. Then I put her down and grabbed my big boy. As I sang “La da da da da da” along with the drumbeat, we spun in circles as I avoided falling on his train tracks. Nathan’s smile was beaming and Leah squealed “Me mama, me.” It was the perfect mom moment. Then it happened, a rush of God’s peace and overwhelming joy seemed to cover me from the inside out. I broke into tears; tears of gratitude for life itself. I felt a peace that spoke to my heart. Inside I heard myself think, “if this is as good as it gets, then it is well.” In that moment, I remembered that under 2 months ago I could barely lift my kids up, much less dance, sing and give them 110% of my energy. It was a perfect moment… but not one I had created, if was a gift from my God.

Tuesday night we had a big party at my house with all of my immediate family and children to celebrate my cousin and her 3-month-old son visiting. 9 adults and 8 kids under 7 laughed, played and enjoyed the beautiful spring evening in our backyard. Eric was on the BBQ perfecting the tri-tip and I was running around doing one of the things I love to do most – host. I had run into the house to grab something for one of the kids and for some reason looked out my kitchen window and just broke down. Again tears of gratitude flowed. I am so thankful for my family, my home, the many joys in my life and foremost my health. Again, I thought about how just months ago I would have to sit and ask for help and how a gathering like this would have wiped me out.

Despite cancer, God has been so good to me. I know it is crazy, but in some ways, I feel like I have been the lucky one to have gone through this awful experience. I have been blessed beyond measure by the kindness and generosity of friends. My family has been loved on in more ways than I can list. I have found that enduring and seeking joy in all circumstance is worth it. And more than anything, I have again tasted the goodness and peace offered only by Christ. It does not mean that cancer has been fun or easy or pain free. Actually, quiet the contrary. I am just saying, this experience has taught me so much about myself, God and others… that I win.

Remember that glowing man at target that said, “Good things are to come.”

He was right.