then there was one

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:10

This has been a long winter.
Ups and downs in temperatures, snow and ice, and six weeks of radiation treatments and its side effects have taken a toll on me.  Last week as the weeks turned into only days (and now only hours) remaining until the final treatment, this verse from 1 Peter kept coming to mind over and over again.
As I saw things I wanted to do and longed to do pass me by because I just did not feel well enough to even attempt them, it hurt as much as my body did with physical pain. Thankfully, my sister and niece came into town to spend last week with us...and do things that needed to be done.  It was wonderful to have them with us!  I needed the newness of their visit.  We even were blessed with nice weather two of the days.
Spring brings life to the world that winter has dulled with its cold and bitterness.  It is very fitting that the end of my radiation, a very long and trying experience for me, will end with winter on its way out the door.
Who I was before October 16th, 2013, is no longer.
I have not been myself since then; dulled by procedures, panic attacks, and pain.
Who I am now is yet to be discovered, reawakened with the spring flowers and budding trees.
My canvas is clean, awaiting my Creator's strokes of genius to paint life on it again.
In new ways.
In bold colors.
Just as He does each spring with the rest of His creation, I will be restored.
He is God and He is good...no matter what!