April 30, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Bible Study Fellowship.

I spent a year not attending public gatherings.  No grocery stores, no large parties, no groups  unless I knew everyone there.  My immune system was so compromised by the chemotherapy that getting an infection could be life threatening, so I stayed at home.  And I actually survived and thrived.

In the Fall when my immune system was better, the Oncologist suggested that I could go out into society so I attended two volleyball games in Texas, where I promptly got a cold.  But it was not life threatening but merely a cold.   In Mississippi, I started to enjoy going to the grocery store.  Linda, Christina's Mother and a committed Christian lady,  invited me to join her at a group called Bible Study Fellowship.   I did not really want to go, in part because I was apprehensive about getting involved with a group of people but I decided that I needed to make the break away from my house so I began attending.

The group is a national organization for women who study from a manual each week.  The group is large, about 200.  They meet for a song and a prayer, then break into small groups for discussion.  Next the large group gets together for a lecture.   From beginning to end is 2 hours.  At first I was using the group to get me out of my little niche but now I am beginning to like my little group, which is very southern.  One of the ladies names is Lady Jane.  And of our group of 14, 7 ladies are black.   Of course, I am not here very much but they tolerate my absences.  In addition to studying the Bible, I am also studying a slice of life in the South which I enjoy.  Much to my surprise, Bible Study Fellowship has turned out to be good for me.  My Mother would be pleased.