Bruce is still doing quite well and has only a week left of treatments! Yay!  Anna goes to first grade on Monday. She seems very excited and ready.  Sam enters 12th grade. Sarah is in 9th at spring Vale Academy in Michigan and Daniel and Kelsi leave for Texas tomorrow,  a lot of change all at once!
I visited the spine surgeon today, he plans to take two discs out and fuse them with bone graft and plate.  It appears to be a common procedure and they expect you to have a short recovery.  I must admit I am a little worried and am considering a second opinion. I show cyst on the nerves and bone spurs.  Also a thickening ligament shows on the MRI.. The large 12-14mm  tumour is another concern, at least it is not compressing the spinal cord but can be pinching nerve root sheaths. This type of tumor con make the vertebrate weak and vulnerable to fractures.
My lower back has greatly increased in pain.  Often this happens to the spine if there is a problem at one end it tries to correct it at the other end causing an s shaped spine.  But instead it is causing me more trouble. I have become so stiff at times I find it hard to get up from a sitting or lying position.  Walking is somewhat painful as is sittling or standing from any length of time.
Holding Josiah is such a joy but he is 17 lbs.  and I get painful muscle spasms and cramps when I hold the little bundle of joy for only short periods of time.  I have also gained about 10lbs. since the last cortisone shot and that has also caused more trouble.
I must admit I really need God's healing hand there is just to much of life to really live and much more work to be done for the kingdom, so sitting around just won't do.