Friends and family,

This was my day!  I admit to a complete and total chocolate mess meltdown.  Something came up that hit me so hard it shook me to the core and made me so angry I cried.  I mean I really really cried - for an extended period of minutes with breaks in between conversations with several individuals.

This is only the second time I've really cry cried since this whole thing started.  I've gotten weepy a number of times but never totally uncontrolled crying - today was the worst.  Problem is, I was crying because I was MAD.  I was mad and felt undermined.  I felt as if I was being treated like a child.  I felt as if my years of dedication and hard work and love for my Department were worth nothing.  I felt as if I had no value at all.  As if a stupid "procedure" that had never been discussed before in my entire career there was more important than I am.

I ended up meeting with the HR Director who is probably the best hire my employer ever made!  He is extremely well educated and knowledgeable when it comes to labor law and human resource management.  He is also extremely talented at coming up with alternatives and thinking outside of the box but within very reasonable limits. 

So, dear family and friends, prayer request du jour is that the proposal our HR Director suggested I submit will be "respectfully considered" and approved.

My wonderful baby brother, Paul, was amazed and maybe a bit appalled (not "a Pauled") at my description of my behavior as I was telling him about the experience.  His theory is that I was possibly dealing with some "roid rage" from the steroids in the chemo.  I don't know, but I must say, I haven't been that mad in a very long time.

Now, I should probably go downstairs and grab a couple of dips of Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Panic ice cream before I retire for the evening.  Justification: protein in the peanuts and dairy, calories galore (I'm still losing weight) and I just plain want some!

Please add a dear friend of Paul's to your prayers.  Rick is struggling with cancer and in crisis at the moment.  Both Paul and Rick are believers in the incredible power of intercessory prayer and so I'm asking that you lift up Rick as well.

Here is to a better day tomorrow!