Extra gratitude

I just have to write down how grateful I am feeling right this very minute. Chris' Mom had surgery today to remove a "mass" from her kidney. They went on a cruise a couple of weeks ago. She fell and broke her hip just after getting on the ship. She ended up having surgery in Alaska and some major drama instead of a relaxing vacation. Well, when they did the CT scan on her hip there, they noticed a mass on her kidney and told her to have it checked as soon as she got home. She did just that. Today she had surgery on that mass and it went extremely well. We went out of town for a week and missed a lot of updates in the process, so we didn't know many details about it. It turns out they were worried about having to take out her kidney and possibly her spleen in the process, making it even more dramatic. They didn't have to touch either one. Instead they were able to remove the entire tumor without any problems. Lucky for her, breaking her hip may have saved her life. She will be in the hospital for a few days to make sure everything is ok and we won't know any results for a few days or even a week. They are pretty sure it's cancer, not sure what kind or how bad it is. She also has a tumor on her pituitary gland and has been putting off having that taken care of as well. She has surgery scheduled for that next month (I believe) and hopefully that will go well also. It will be interesting to see how everything unfolds, but I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and that it will all work out. I also firmly believe in the power of prayer and the power of the Priesthood. I witnessed a great family prayer and blessing last night that had a calming influence on everyone. Although, it was hard to see Chris' Mom cry. She never cries.