Welcome 3rd week: And the hits just keep on coming. Joke at the end...

There are a few friends I'm losing touch with since my diagnosis. This upsets me very much. The reasons vary from their own struggle with personal loss so deep that that say they nothing left to offer their own children, let alone me; to family and friends who must get back to life/business therefore, have no time to even pick up a phone. I'm feeling alone and I'm angry at cancer this week! Angry for the beautiful lives it's taken from us, and just as angry for the perfectly good time it's stealing away daily. I've been able to lift up, encourage, and console many friends and strangers in this cancer battle over the years. It has blessed me and taught me a lot. I've dealt with my own cancer denial head on. Surgery helped me face that quickly. Now I'm angry. Just angry. The loss of relationships pains me. Why now when I not only need encouraging relationships for myself, but I want to bless them in their journey as well? How can I help my friend be thankful for health and blessings today? If I could do that, the sore mouth wouldn't matter, and the headaches would fade away.
More side affects have reared their ugly heads too. The roof of my mouth and entire interior gum line, ie. everything my tongue easily touches, is now sunburned from radiation. Shredded. Raw. Of course, that means I'm irritating it without meaning to because I can't keep my tongue from checking on it constantly. At least it's not Thrush or yeast yet. Gotta pray against that. Thankfully, my saliva glands are still producing well, that's VERY important. My previous post reference to the bite/clenching guard is an expensive moot point now as it hurts too much to wear it so the jaw bone/ear aches are running rampant still. Sometimes, pushing in with my knuckles is the only way to relieve pressure.
There are blessings in each day, no denying. God continues to close and open doors for me. His presence is near. And at any moment I can tell you SOMETHING I'm extremely thankful for. . I'm angry at cancer today, but it's NOT gonna steal my joy! Lord, help me to be an encouragement to others today! This is not the kind of post I'd wanted to leave again either, so I will walk away and come back with something at least mildly funny before closing.
OK, here you go... To my childhood sleepover friends and those like Barb and Jackie who would stay in a heartbeat again!

Anita is invited to her friend's place for dinner. Judy, the hostess, serves her a delicious dinner. Later, when Anita is ready to leave, it starts raining heavily. Judy invites her to stay over for the night and go home when the weather clears th next day. Anita agrees.

Anita settles down to watch TV while Judy goes up into the bedroom to help her kid go to sleep.

When Judy comes down, she finds Anita missing. While she was wondering where Anita had gone, the  doorbell rings. Its Anita at the door. Judy asks her blonde friend where she had been. Anita replies, "I went home to get my nightwear."