Heeding wise advice




Photographer: Ok, take your mask off.

Mason: My mom said to keep it on all the time unless I'm eating and far away from everybody.

Photographer: I'm sure it's ok to take it off for your pictures.

Mason: No, my mom seriously told me to make sure to keep it on.

Photographer: Are you sure you don't want to take it off for 2 seconds?

Mason: No Thank you, I always listen to my mom!

Photographer: Ok, say cheese!


Many of you may have heard about this adorable 6 y/o boy, Mason, who took his school picture with his mask donned. The photographer told him that it was ok to remove his mask for the picture. But the boy insisted that his mom told him to keep his mask on at all times (though she didn’t mean that literally!!) So anyway, this obedient child could not be persuaded by the photographer even though all the other kids took their masks off. And so he ends up with a memorable school photo and a story that will always remind him and others of this unprecedented time we’re living in! 😷


Like Mason with his mom, I continue to trust and heed the wise instructions of my doc and other experts by wearing masks and taking other precautions to help prevent the spread of covid and protect myself and others from getting sick. But how I long for the day when things will return to “normal” and we’ll be able to see each other’s faces and greet each other with handshakes and hugs... instead of fist and elbow bumps! 👊💪


Last week, my NP said that I could return to indoor gatherings as long as I continue to take proper precautions. It was so nice to be able to go back to church with my family after a three months hiatus. Thankfully, I recently got my 3rd covid shot so I’m now “fully vaccinated” and I’ve resumed my baby revaccinations as well. The latter will take a few years to complete but it’s a baby step forward (no pun intended!) Also I finally finished my steroid taper... after 9 months!! I have been more tired recently and needing to sleep more... my NP said the increased fatigue is due to the prolonged duration I was on the steroids as well as my recent covid vaccines. Trying to know my boundaries and balance rest with activity. 


Please pray for my GVHD to be held at bay and for strength in the midst of the steroid withdrawal. Also, please pray for a positive antibody response to the covid vaccines I received. I’ll be checking my antibodies in December to see if they were effective. So thankful for the Pfizer vaccine which was recently approved by the CDC for younger kids as well and see it as one step closer to returning to normal... our new normal. May God give us grace and wisdom as we all learn to live in this new reality. 😷


My dear friend who I’ve been meeting with regularly for counsel has wisely encouraged me to be patient as I reintegrate back into things. He said this will be the hardest form of patience... “the discipline of waiting”. Many times, I just want to get back to normal, but having endured leukemia and a transplant himself, he advised to have wide margins when returning back to life. He said making those hard decisions to refrain from stuff will often feel unnatural. But my mind and body need this time to recover and heal. I’m thankful for this dear brother who has gone before me in this journey and redeems his suffering by helping folks like me... I hope I could do likewise for others who are fighting this battle. 




Grace said yes... again!! 😅


Grace and I recently celebrated a couple of milestone anniversaries in Banff. We were able to enjoy some beautiful hikes... with plenty of rest breaks! It was awesome to see the beauty and grandeur of God’s handiwork. We were able to recommit our vows to one another on the shore of Lake Louise. So thankful for such an amazing wife in Grace. It’s been a crazy journey together but we both agreed that if we could do it all over again, we would. 


Christian and I got to enjoy an Eagles game this past Sunday thanks to a generous neighbor 🦅

Joy turned 18... we got another adult in the house!!

And we celebrated Mochi’s 1st birthday! 🎂

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