This morning I had an email from a friend of mine at church. Her name is Rashel, and two and half years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She was 28 years old at the time.

Today she’s cancer-free.

The work that Rashel has done since her diagnosis is remarkable, really. She has started her own foundation, and through her foundation she ministers every single day to people who are walking through the devastation of cancer but may need some help getting to doctor’s appointments or buying groceries or keeping up with their household chores.

Once every couple of weeks Rashel sends an email to several hundred people and basically just makes needs known. Today she shared about six children whose parents are walking through cancer or some other life crisis and asked for help providing those kids with Christmas presents. She mentioned a family who is in serious need of prayer. She included a link to a new business started by a mother of six who lost her husband to lymphoma last year.

Totally inspirational, that Rashel.

And the end of her email today? It hit me right where I’m living. For the last couple of weeks I have been BOGGED DOWN – that’s the only way I know to say it. And while my husband probably had no idea when he married me that COUNSELING SKILLS would be required, God bless him for listening to me and talking to me and loving on me while I’ve poured out my heart to him for the eleventy-fourth day in a row.

Here’s what Rashel’s email said this morning:

In closing, anyone who knows me well knows that life can be sixteen shades of messed up, and I’ll find something to be positive about. Some may say that’s endearing, others would say annoying.

All of that being said; even still… I struggle…

I have a full heart, a pocket full of dreams and hopes; I’m planted firmly in the foundation of God’s character and word, and daily grasp at hanging on to that. I lose perspective, I have moments I’m ashamed of, and I feel weak, tired, restless and grouchy at times.

My reason for telling you that is this, we’re all in that… Every single one of us… Cancer aside, fill in the blank, we all struggle.

I’m taking Phillip Keller’s words and making them my own:

“In brokenness and contrition I humbly cry out to God for help. I reach out to Christ for restoration and healing. I exercise faith in another because I know I must touch someone greater than myself. Similarly I seek out others I can serve and in my suffering service I find fulfillment and freedom from myself. It is to my soul that God gives himself gladly and freely.”

Translation: I must get over myself, love on others and in that, I can’t and never will miss God.

Be encouraged.

That really spoke to me today.

I hope it speaks to you, too.

And if you’d like to check out Rashel’s blog and read even more of her story, you can do that right here.

We’re taking a blogging break before we start recording the podcast, and I have to tell you that there’s something very liberating about being with two other people who understand the necessity of a blogging break. In fact, it seems quite fitting that we would all finally be in the same place and spend at least a little bit of our time together TYPING LIKE MAD ON OUR COMPUTERS.

Welcome to the 21st century, ladies and gentlemen.

So now, a few pictures:

This was a light post-BBQ snack this afternoon. But we drank water with all the sweets so really, we were just hydrating before we continued with our shopping.

And this was after we had supper at a Mexican restaurant.

Since we were planning to come back to Melanie’s hotel room to record the podcast, we figured we needed a little SUSTENANCE, but unfortunately we failed to remember that the kitchenette does not in fact have an oven.

Which pretty much means that I just ate a spoonful of recently thawed brownie batter.

Because I am a connoisseur of fine food.

And yes, we could run over to my house and stick the brownies in the oven, but SHHHH! there’s a very animated four year-old there, SHHHHH!

Here we are cautiously optimistic before checking the Texas A&M score. Melanie was somewhat less smiley after she saw that the Aggies were down by 21, but she quickly cheered up when she saw this picture and remembered what a TOTALLY AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER I am.

I mean, just look at that framing and composition.

It’s all terribly symbolic and meaningful.

And because we’re good Southern girls, we’re keeping the TV tuned to the Arkansas game for Shannon. While we continue to eat semi-thawed brownie mix with plastic spoons.

Because we are klassy like that.

Here are Melanie’s beloved Sour Patch Kids. I’m sure all that sugar at the bottom of the bag is just loaded with vitamins.

And look!

Shannon is doing a crossword puzzle. OF HER OWN FREE WILL. FOR ENTERTAINMENT. BECAUSE SHE ENJOYS IT.

I cannot wrap my head around such a thing.

Meanwhile, for the last few minutes Melanie and I have been pursuing some terribly intellectual pastimes of our own:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL MESSAGE BOARDS!

Because we love knowledge, y’all.

So now we’re all going to quit with the typing and start with the podcasting. I’m sure we’ll be discussing many current events of pressing international importance.

Like, you know, our hair.

See y’all tomorrow.

That was the message my camera gave me at the beginning of tonight’s concert. Right after I’d accidentally taken a lovely picture of Melanie’s arm as well as a picture of a girl sitting several rows behind us.

Mad. skillz. I got ’em.

But we have had so much fun. SO much fun. Despite the fact that I thought the Casting Crowns concert was at our civic center and almost paid $7 to park at a venue that was actually hosting a large Christmas extravaganza.

I mean, I’ve only lived here SEVEN YEARS, y’all. How can I possibly be expected to, like, KNOW WHERE THINGS ARE?

We did make it to the concert on time, and it was phenomenal. I’ll write more about that later. Because I am somewhat tired. Seeing as how it’s one o’clock in the morning.

But before I forget, let me just say this: Melanie and Shannon are everything I thought they would be and so much more. They are funny and kind and and sassy and beautiful. And they’re also game for going through a Taco Bell drive-thru at 11:15 at night, so, you know, ACES.