I appreciate our regular practice of pausing at least once a week to remember the blessings of the week with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. The University of TN vs. Alabama game. Neither my husband and I are much into sports. But when we moved to Knoxville, it was hard not to get caught up into Vols fandom. The last few years, however, we haven’t been able to see the games on our particular cable plan. Last Saturday’s game was on CBS, so we turned it on mid-way through the second quarter. Man, what a nail-biter. Each side had some great plays, and each side made mistakes (they’re only human, after all). I hadn’t realized that there was a particular rivalry between these two teams, with AL winning the last 15 or so of their matches with UT. But UT won with a field goal in the last minutes. I’m thankful the game we got to see was such a good one.

2. Dinner with the family. We usually see Jason, Mittu, and Timothy at least once a week, but hadn’t seen Jesse since my out-of-town family was here a couple of weeks ago. Mittu made dinner for us all Sunday night–tilapia, garlic mashed potatoes, and broccoli in cheese sauce. Then we played a couple of games.

3. Newish clothing. I had ordered some long-sleeved items last year near the end of winter, but didn’t have a chance to wear them much before the weather turned warm. It’s been fun to rediscover those this year and to find that my clothing is pretty well set for the season.

4. A favorite old sweater. I have newer, better looking sweaters, but they’re a little heavier and thicker. The one I wear most is old, stretched out, frayed, and even has some holes—but it’s just the right weight for around the house. One bonus: since it’s already so well-worn, I don’t care if I spill on it or snag it on something. But I’d be embarrassed to wear it out or even have anyone but family see me in it at home. I’d love to find something the same weight to replace it with.

5. Our beautiful fall weather and color continue, though we’ve had early morning freezes a couple of times.

Some of you who have participated in FFF for a long time may remember Debbie in Canada (Edmonton) who used to blog as Purple Grandma, though her blog doesn’t appear to be online any more. Her family and ours attended the same church for a decade or more after we were first married. She and her husband planted Foundation Baptist Church in Calgary, and I believe they began Foundation Baptist College, or were, at least, instrumental in starting it. Debbie has been battling cancer recently. It started in her pancreas but has metastasized to other parts of her body. She keeps having bad reactions to different combinations of chemo—fever, severe digestive issues, low white blood count. I think she has ended up in the hospital after almost every treatment. Her doctor discontinued chemo, saying it was killing her. Their only other option appears to be various herbal treatments and supplements. Debbie is ready to go to heaven, but she’d love to stay around for a while longer with her family. If you’re a praying person, I’m sure she would appreciate your prayers. If you’d like to follow her journey, you can find updates at Mama Talbert’s Cancer Fight on Facebook.