Autumn had to have a hemoglobin transfusion yesterday.  Her hemoglobin had been dropping, not typical of this time in her chemo cycle, but we are nearing the end and there are cumulative effects to the insane amount of poison that has filtered through her body. There is only one kidney left, a huge step in the filtration system; I just hope it can hang in there a bit longer!! Her bone marrow is working overtime in an attempt to replace the blood that is being destroyed, and it just hasn’t caught up to where she needs to be. Therefore, we will put off that intense week long chemo for at least another week. I know it will feel like we are close when we are on the other side of that week.

She is sitting with me at my desk exploring all of my “junk” spread everywhere. She found a drawing of a horse named “Chief White Cloud” that a woman drew for her while we were eating dinner in a restaurant a few months ago. This lady owns this horse and offered to bring Autumn, Lindsey and Sage out to her ranch for a ride! Perhaps that will be something fun to look forward to in the next month!

I love this time of the year, the changing of the season as well as the holiday spirit that permeates the air everywhere you go. I realize that it’s nothing like Chicago or New York, but the night are becoming a bit more crisp and chilly and I do love it!

Next year will be a whole new beginning in so many ways. As much as I am trying to live in the present, I do think about the future to a time when this could all be nothing but a memory.