August 2010, Lawrence, Kansas~

Jerrilyn Kay Lotz here.  Hope this finds you well.

I'm sorry for not writing; the last few years have been rough, but I am happy to say that they are finally getting better.

Doug lost his job at the GM plant and he is now looking for another job.  Meanwhile, I have just about completed my cancer treatment; had breast cancer and had one breast removed, but thank the Lord they got it all, and I have two more chemo treatments before I am through.  I cannot wait; it's really taken a toll on me!

My friend, Eudora, has been babysitting the boys while I have my treatments; I don't want them to see me having to go through this.  I do call them every day, and I pray that they know that I am doing better and that I am not going to die on them.

I lost my beautiful red hair; I'm now bald as a rock.  I wear scarves or hats to hide my baldness; sometimes I get embarrassed when people have to see me looking like this.  I also have to wear a prosthetic "breast", which is rather mortifying, especially if it pops out of place or ends up on the ground (this has happened before!).

My boys are no longer so little.  Daniel is now thirteen and a teenager; he will be starting eighth grade in the fall.  Miles Chance is 11, and he will be in the sixth grade.  Peter is going to be in the third grade (he's nine), and as for Nigel Matthew (six), he will be entering kindergarten.  (Daniel is mainstreamed; he is mentally disabled, but has been doing very well for the past few years.)

Nigel is also going to be mainstreamed:  he has ADHD, developmental delays, and learning disabilities; he will be in the Special Needs class.  That way, teachers can work one-on-one with him and help him reach his fullest potential.

In addition to the boys, we have a daughter:  her name is Rose Michelle, and she is two.  We adopted her a year ago from India, and she is a beautiful little girl.  It is fun buying clothes or toys made for little girls, and the boys, they just adore her!

So now we have five children, and even though money is tight a lot of the time, people still go out of their way to help us, and we are now going to church every Sunday.  I have since accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, and it's already made a world of difference in my life, and in the lives of my family!

I don't know how I could have made it when I got so sick with the cancer!  God brought me through, and even though I will have to see the doctor every month for tests (to make sure it hasn't come back), I believe that the worst is over.  I know He will continue to bring me through whatever the future holds!

I will be so happy to have the children back home; it's been nice and quiet, but I miss my babies, and I want them home with daddy and myself!

The weather has been brutally hot here -- in between storms, that is.  We have been rocked this summer with round after round of severe storms, and even though there have not been any tornadoes here in Lawrence, where we live, there have been some pretty close calls!  I am more than ready for the bad weather to stop, so we can have some rest from the storms!!

When it hasn't been storming, it's been hot, with temperatures soaring to the upper nineties to lower 100s.  It seems we've been going through one extreme to the other; there's no even keel in the pattern!

Well, the phone is ringing; hopefully it's my kids wanting to talk to me!  I will write in here again soon; I also have to get ready for my monthly tratment.  It really leaves me zapped and feeling weak! I will be sooo glad when this is overwith!!  Just continue to keep me in your prayers; they are very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

~Sincerely, your friend in Kansas, Jerrilyn Lotz.  :)