On July 16, Dad endured Chemo #8. With each treatment it's getting more difficult for him to bounce back but don't worry, he's still fighting! Some days I don't think he wants to and some days I think if I were him I don't know if I could endure what he's going through. It used to be that it would only take a week of hell after chemo and then he'd have a week or so of good days. But this last time it took almost two weeks before he started feeling better. It's very frustrating for him to not be able to do the things that he's done so easily his entire life. In the same respect, it's very sad for me and mom to watch him bear the brunt of this battle. But we're still winning and that is what matters! Keepin' our eye on the prize!
Good news is that with Dad's next chemo on August 6, treatment will be reduced by 20% in hopes that the harshness to his body will also be reduced. He will have a PSA done then and we ask for (and thank you) for your prayers that the PSA will continue to decrease. There is no reason to believe it won't. The trend has been in our favor thus far and we know it will continue. Hopefully, there won't be many chemo treatments left!
Not long ago, I was faced with the nightmare of potentially losing my mom to a brain hemorrhage. By the grace of God, she fought and came through pretty much unscathed. I cannot begin to explain the sheer terror of that unexpected event. Almost a year later, my dad's cancer comes back for the fifth time and has spread like wildfire to the bone. The fear of losing my father was then slapping me in the face. But my parents are fighters and it's not time yet!
This past April, a good friend of mine unexpectedly lost his parents on the same day. A coworker of mine also lost his parents within months of each other. I can't even imagine how that feels. I can't imagine losing one of my parents much less both of them at the same time or within a short period of time. The only saving grace for me would be that they are together.
I try not to think about these things but I also am not going to ignore reality or blow off the possibilities that surround us. I have always been the type of person who would rather be prepared for the worst and it never happen than to not know what to expect and be blindsided. In that same regard, I have had my own personal struggles (thankfully not health-related) over the last month and while they are finally starting to be resolved, the experience has just opened my eyes and made me realize what is really important in life. It's not the stresses of work or the people who don't see my point of view. It's not the fact that I broke a heel on one of my favorite pair of shoes or that my hair is turning gray faster than it has in the past. It's not the fact that the ghetto asshat blocked my driveway again. It's not the trivial things. Because as soon as I start getting bogged down by the trivial things, I am quickly reminded of just how trivial they are.
Life truly is short, my friends. It can change in an instant and there's no turning back. In one moment, one act can change the way you have always thought or behaved. In one moment, you may never be the same person again and you didn't even see it coming. There's no warning sometimes and you just have to adjust and do the best you can with what you've been given. So try not to worry your life away. Enjoy it. Embrace it. Most of all, be aware of what you say, how you say it and the meaning that you are putting forth through it. Tell those you love that you love them. Spend time with them and don't put anything off until tomorrow. Live each day as if it were your last and make it count! I'd hate for you to not have that opportunity one day. There's nothing worse than regrets.
Dad is now in the midst of his good week and he and Mom are doing everything they can to make every moment of those good days count! Keep the prayers coming!! I can't begin to stress how important they are and how much all of your support means to the three of us!
Until the next update, I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs.
Blessings
by Laura story
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we have faith to believe
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life....
the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are Your mercies in disguise.
No comments:
Post a Comment