Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Not only does the ritual of counting my blessings appeal to me, but what could be better than a holiday centered around family and food. Since John's and my relatives are far away we have enjoyed recent Thanksgivings with friends and their various children and parents.

This year I have special reasons for giving thanks. I have emerged from my initial skirmish with cancer feeling well and ready to return to work. More importantly, I have learned the significance of the support and kindness of friends and family. Rare were the days last summer that I received neither a card, call or e-mail full of prayers and good wishes for my recovery. You all have my heartfelt thanks for helping me through this difficult time.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

The exciting news is that I am returning to work part time in December. To prepare for that I am learning Dragon, a voice recognition program so I can communicate with the electronic medical record. Due to the neuropathy my typing is terrible so using a microphone instead of the keyboard will help.

My sources suggest that the neuropathy from chemo is most intense 3-4 months after the last treatment, then in most cases it improves. Good news, but for now I have trouble with buttons and zippers. I can't feel my dog licking the side of my foot.

On the other hand, my endurance seems back to normal. Now I must exercise to improve my strength. Looks like I will be spending time in the gym this winter.

John and I enjoyed a recent trip to Coeur d'Alene where we toured north Idaho businesses with other state legislators. Silverwood's story is inspiring. We also learned about Boundary county; sounds like a great place to vacation.

We're looking forward to our trip to California to visit my mom. We haven't seen her since my diagnosis.

Kay