ROUND ONE

Friday meant a trip to the oncologist for blood work and to talk about the next round of chemotherapy.

One of my doctors came in and quickly read over the blood work numbers and said something like, “not bad”.  I laughed and said she was going to have to explain these numbers to me and explain what “not bad” meant.  Nancy and I got the first of what will be many tutorials on the blood work related to my chemotherapy.  The numbers were “exactly where they were supposed to be”.

A few minutes later my oncologist came in and he seemed pleased with everything.  I have stopped using the high powered pain meds and now use simply Tylenol to treat any pain.  We decided that the last chemotherapy treatment had gone well and that we should keep to that schedule…so I get my second treatment this coming Monday.

The rest of the day was spent resting and sleeping.  I picked up a book to read…made it four pages and fell asleep.  Nancy came home from the store and I helped her carry in a few bags of groceries.  After the groceries I was wiped out, it was all I could do to keep my eyes open as she shared about her journey to the store.  For some reason today has been one of those low energy days.

I am anxious to see what round two brings.  On the whole if I can navigate these treatments the way I did the first round I will be very, very thankful.  I have been able to go to the office for a few hours a couple of days.  I made it to two important meetings over the past week.  I was able to have conversations with people that were spiritually challenging and life giving.

There have been times where I have felt on top of everything and others where it felt as if the floor had just dropped out from underneath me.  The strange part of those two realities is that they can change multiple times within an hour.  I have always worked to be emotionally consistent and stable no matter what was going on.  Part of my rule for life reads, “seeking to live as a non-anxious presence in the midst of chaos.”  God is definitely helping me grow in this area as my world has been turned upside down.  It has certainly drawn me deeper and closer to the one who promises “peace that passes all understanding.”

I have spent part of my days following a group of my friends who are on the island of Roatan serving the people there.  They post pieces of their journey to Facebook each day and it is exciting to see friends from the island and the ministry that is taking place there right now.  One of the things they did this past week was to hand out shoes from Tom’s Shoes.  For those of you who do not know Tom’s donates a pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair of shoes they sell.  I have seen their generosity at work and it is amazing.  We take shoes for granted.  For many people around the world they are a luxury.  To learn more about the TOM’S SHOES donation program and their culture of caring.

Many of you know that Nancy, Rayann and I were planning to travel to Roatan this summer.  ROATAN continues to be a sacred and special place in my life and spiritual journey.  With my diagnosis and ongoing treatment we decided it would not be wise for me to make the trip this summer.  Rayann and Nancy are still planning to travel with Live Again Ministries to Roatan this summer.  Joseph will come spend the week with me to be sure I am behaving and to take care of some things around the house.  I am disappointed to not be returning to Roatan this summer but I am very excited that Rayann and Nancy are still going.

God is Good All the Time; All the Time God is Good