Journey with Jan: haircuts

Yesterday I had my first hair salon appointment in 10 months! My little tiny bit of hair seemed enough to justify a shape up and color before Pink Impact. I went dark ... still deciding if I like it better than my gun metal grey and silver that came in naturally! Either way - it's beautiful to me! I so enjoyed everything about my time from the consultation, to the shampoo and finally the trim.

alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455865777154066514" />

As she was shampooing my hair I was taken back to two experiences. The day after Mark shaved my head, we made a trip to the Survivor Gals salon for them to take a look at what was left. The sweet ladies there comforted me as I was still so weepy. One of the things they did was put me in the shampoo chair and wash and massage my very tender bald scalp. I remember the lady rubbing my head with some pureology products that smelled good and big tears sliding down the slides of my faces. She just said "It will grow back." That was a hard day.

Second memory - It was my honor to take my sweet friend - Lee Ann - for her first hair cut - post chemo recovery. She waited to trim until hers was about an inch long all over. I picked her up and drove her to another awesome friends home who was a stylists. We laughed and talked and enjoyed the celebration as she had her hair shaped and colored and styled! That was an easy day.

Some days are easy and some days are hard!

You just keep going.

I am so grateful for the will to live that seems to be planted deeply in each of us. There is a sort of persevering, pioneering spirit in us! Press through. Hold on. Try again!

There are rewards for perseverance. You get to places you would have never been and see things you would have never seen. And sometimes you experience pain you wish you could have avoided.

I have decided I would rather have experienced the pain of this season, than not have persevered! Pain is a small price to pay for understanding great joy! It's a small price to pay for knowing the comfort of the Holy Spirit or the victory in Christ Jesus. It's small in comparison to knowing that death has lost it's sting. It is small in comparison to the sacrifice of Jesus.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”- Hebrews 12:2

Let's fix our eyes on Jesus on this Resurrection Day! He arose! So shall we.

Love,
Jan

Hi everybody,

So much has happened in the last couple of days that I don't know if I can really get my thoughts together. Mark took me out on Saturday afternoon in my wig and we hit a few stores. He says that people won't really notice it's a wig - but when we were walking in the store I just kept pulling and tugging on it. After awhile I realized that people will probably know my hair is not my own if I keep sliding it around on my head. I felt like a child who can't control their hands. I told Mark to swat my hands if he sees me touching it in public. It's like trying to get used to a retainer or something - you think about it all the time. Here's a picture I took of the two of us on that day. He's handsome in blue!

We stayed out so long that we just decided to go onto the 5:45 service at church. My head was so tender that I had to take the wig off and put on a scarf and hat. I didn't plan to show up at church the first time with a scarf and hat - but I did - and it was fine. Everybody is so kind to us!

On Sunday we attended the evening Encounter service - and indeed we had an Encounter with the great I am. I met with God - like had a "counsel" with Him. I asked Him some very specific questions and got some answers. I'm still processing this amazing exchange - so I'm going to wait to share what happened. Let me just say that I believe the word of the Lord. Then a lot of friends surrounded the two of us and prayed. It was powerful and while they were praying for us I felt heat in my hip bone - it felt exactly the same way it did on the day I received radiation to this bone - hot and deep inside my body. It was such a strange sensation. I believe He touched me and I'm on my way to restoration!

Today was such a great day! It started with an early visit to the doctor - all numbers still great - and then to the office. When I arrived I slipped in the back door and made my way down the hall. When I walked into the women's suite it was so quiet. No movement, no noise, no laughter! I stepped into the suite, greeted my friends Elisa dnd Elizabeth and set down at my desk. It wasn't quiet after that. I realized that I'm a little like Matthew - noise and stuff follow me everywhere. Elisa, Katy and I stopped at 11:30 to attend healing prayer for Gateway staff. Katy's been battling some significant health challenges of her own so we decided to take advantage of this "perk." No surprise - another sweet visit with Jesus! Truly, I can hear Him right now - and the Word is so rich to me. Several prophetic words over all of us and a stirred up faith that God heals and He's in the midst of all of our circumstances. Thanks again Pastor Mary Jo for being an amazing leader, warrior and intersessor. The rest of the day was pretty much a blur - I made it til 5 - but I am so tired tonight. Glad I can lay in my bed and talk to you!

When I got home John and his friend Josh were at our home. The boys came downstairs to help me with something and I saw that they both had new haircuts. (John has been wearing a bleached blonde mohawk for a couple of weeks - something that he and his baseball team had done for the triple crown tournament. Yes - it was crazy looking!) Now their head's were buzzed short and clean. John told me that he and his friends buzzed their heads and cut my initials into their hair today to show their support for me and for John. They used the initials MG for Mrs. Greenwood! Apparently several of them are now bearing letters in my name! I called John's friend Chase - who came up with this game plan - to tell him how much that meant to me. He said that all the mom's were doing something nice for me and this was what they could do to show they cared. Chase's mom is sending photos from today's mass cutting - and I'll post as soon as I have them. I love these boys! They are really good kids and I'm so impressed with their creativity and honored by their sacrifice! Made me smile from ear to ear!

Then Matthew came home. Here's a couple of photos from camp that my friend Beth sent me! As you can see he had a great time. His dad picked him up and helped prepare him for the great "reveal". As soon as he got home he wanted to see. He said he might cry but he wanted to see! So I showed him. He just looked shocked for a second, but no tears! Then he brought me a gift he bought for me at camp. It's a little duck who is bald on top except for one little tuft of hair. He said it reminded him of me! LOL! Isn't that great?

He had a sweet encounter with Jesus where he was able to lay his fears at His feet. He's quoting the word like a preacher and spent a few minutes with me tonight reading to me from Revelation! His favorite new verse is John 14:6 - Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life. When He says it - he says it with authority! He's glad to be home but says he doesn't want to go again. He missed home too much.