Family and more family

While I was in the hospital last week in a more or less semi-conscious state (not unconscious but sleeping a LOT), I kind of dreamed and remembered tales of family history. I remember how my grandmother (the one next door) told of growing up, one of 11 children, and how they took care of each other. Each younger one was taken on by the next oldest. My great grandparents married when she was 14 and he was 20. She was so short, she stood under his arm when he stretched it out, and he was very tall. My mother was, and my granddaughter is, the same statue as she was, barely 5' tall. She had a baby every two years and died at age 44. When she was on her death bed, an owl came in the window and sat on the bed headboard (a sure sign of death--old timey). As she died, great grandmother said "I see light". The children, some still very young were taken by aunts and uncles and raised, the older ones went to work. My grandmother was in the middle, so she was nearly old enough to work and was soon the first telephone operator in Franklin,KY. As they were growing up, to entertain the young ones, the older kids would set a baby on her shoulders and walk into the pond (cow pond, I am sure) feeling for the bottom, because no one knew how to swim. Miraculously, no one ever drowned! They would set the little ones on the bank and once sat one beside a "cow pile" which was not that! It was a large black snake coiled up! Some how they survived and grew, living on a farm, they always had food, just not many luxuries. Grandma said her father would go to town and buy a bunch of shoes and bring them home and whoever could wear them, got them. Oh, my we take so much for granted, don't we!
This week we have had the luxury of being with lots of family, in fact from Thanksgiving to now, we have been with each family member...which is unusual for such a short time period. The shame of it is I have felt so bad, I could not enjoy it like I wanted to but did enjoy it all I was able to! I am so blessed at this Christmas season to be abundantly covered with love by friends and family. Tomorrow is probably the most important day of the rest of my life---the CT will show if the chemo has, and is, working this time. I have cried and prayed and silently known the Holy Spirit is interceding for me. As Romans 8:26 promises, "..the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
I don't guess the rambling about great grandmother has much to do with now, except, she always sounded so young and so brave. She is part of who I am and I hope I share that same bravery and courage.
HER mother was the one who fed the Union officers ( I think I told of that earlier) so strong women run in our family. Please pray for me and the scan tomorrow. Please pray I accept God's will whatever it is.