A WEEK OF MIRACLES

I’m sorry I haven’t given an update before now.  Life has been so full and busy.  I usually have my chemo on Wednesday, but this week I had it today – Friday.  The reason was that my whole family came into town for several special events that took place this week.

You know it’s so interesting how our perspective can change when serious things happen to us.  This week our oldest son Byron was sealed to his wife Tracy Hatfield and their sweet 6 month old baby Carston.  My biggest desire was to be present at these special events.  The last two weeks I have been very sick and missed church.  So this week I have asked for 4 miracles.

The first was to be well enough to go to Church on Sunday (Christmas Day) and to be able to have the energy to open presents and enjoy a wonderful Christmas day with my family.  The Lord answered that blessing and it was so wonderful to attend church and then come home and spend the rest of the day with our children and grandchildren.  Our oldest daughter Charlene and Paul Johnson and family live in Las Vegas.  They were not going to be here for Christmas, but at 6:30 p.m. we heard a knock at the door and opened it to see their sweet faces and hear their voices singing our traditional family Christmas Song, “Wish you Merry Christmas.”  We were so delighted that they were there to exchange gifts with us that night.

The second miracle was that I could go to Tracy’s Endowment in the Draper Temple on Tuesday, December 27^th.  I got really sick on Monday, probably because of overdoing on Sunday.  But we all continued to pray for me to be well enough to attend this sacred event.  The Lord was so kind to me to make me well enough that I not only made it to the endowment, I had enough energy to stand in the prayer circle and visit in the Celestial room until the Bride and Groom came in! 



Garvin Siblings at Draper Temple for Tracy's Endowment - Dec. 27, 2011

The third miracle I asked for was to be able to go to their Sealing on Thursday – Dec. 29^th.  I was not feeling good at all that morning, having a lot of stomach cramps and gas.  But I prayed hard and left for the temple – asking the Lord to make me strong enough to witness this sacred event.  As I walked into the temple feeling very frail, Byron approached me and asked me if I would come and change into white so I could bring the baby to them at the altar.  I was honored to get to do this, yet didn’t know if I had strength enough to do it.  That’s when I remembered that FAITH was an action word and I needed to do my part.  I prayed the whole time I got dressed that I could make it through the sealing.  What a miracle it was.  During the whole sealing I had no gas or stomach pains.  I was able to enjoy the wonderful feeling there in the temple and witness this sacred covenant they made with each other.  Then to top it off, being able to hand this worthy couple their adorable baby was more than I could dream of!  It was such a marvelous experience, one I will never forget.  The minute I got to the dressing room, my gas pains started again.  I testify that if we will ask in faith, and then do everything in our power, if it is right the Lord will bless us to accomplish the thing we ask. 

                                            Byron and Tracy Garvin - Sealed in Draper Temple

(Here are some Family Websites that have more pictures and videos of this special event)

Garvin Family Website - http://garvinstyle.shutterfly.com/ Temple Sealing of our son Byron to his wife and son - http://garvinstyle.shutterfly.com/1352 
Short Video Clips of Byron and Tracy Garvin at the Draper Temple -
http://www.youtube.com/user/michelegarvin?blend=1&ob=video-mustangbase

So the fourth Miracle I asked for hasn’t happened yet.  This Sunday – January 1^st and Byron is blessing little Carston Bradley Garvin at church.  Then he and Tracy are the speakers in Sacrament.  I want so much to be a part of this wonderful event.  So my prayers will continue towards heaven.

Today was my third round of the heavy duty chemo-therapy (my 7^th time of chemo).  During this week, I get 3 drugs and this is the time that I get really sick.  The drug Carboplatin has a delayed reaction and it takes about 2-3 days to kick in with its negative effects.  So it should start sometime Sunday.  I feel pretty good right now, because they give me steroids when I get chemo.  So I’m kind of on a high for a day and a half and then reality and sickness set in.  So this is a really big miracle I am asking for.

Like I said before, this whole cancer experience has given me a whole different perspective on life.  In my previous life (BC-before cancer) I would not even have thought a thing about going to Tracy’s endowment and their sealing.  Of course I would be there and I wouldn’t even have prayed about it.  But now, that has been my every thought and prayer.  It has made these ordinances mean so much more to be, because I have had to exercise faith to be able to be there.

I found a quote in a book by Emily Watts that really made me stop and think.

“What if we understood that the very things that drive us to our knees are putting us in the exact position to find our Heavenly Father and our Savior?  What if, in turning us to heaven because we have nowhere else to go, our difficulties actually point the path to the salvation and exaltation we came to earth seeking in the first place?  It’s a different perspective, isn’t it?”