Starting Today

So this seems to be an easy way to update people on life in Seattle, life in our house and life in our hearts. This was Day Two of Ten in the radiation series for Chris. The prelude to the first surgery, one more step in wellness and one more thing for us to learn how to do. We did chemo like a family, we basically moved in to the chemo room, complete with our Cheers dvd's and our snacks. If he couldn't have chemo in the living room, then we took our living room to chemo. Cancer doesn't have ANYTHING on our family...we so do this together.

Radiation is different but at the same time, we're learning to do that as a family too. We go, we sit with him til they call him back, then for ten minutes the door is shut and we wait. I think I like chemo better because I can touch it, hold the bags and say prayers over them but radiation is short and I am reminded today by a friend of the Refiner's Fire and how God is making him well through radiation too. Our Lord is so amazing, He can work through poison known as chemo and radiation too. It's weird to us though, Chris and I are teenagers of the 1980's, we came of age in the Cold War, living in FEAR of radiation and now it's something we look to for healing. So, radiation has taken a tad bit of acceptance here but God is God and we are not and our God can use ANYTHING to heal.

Sometimes it takes to the end of the day to find the daily bread for that day, I mean it always comes but we just plain don't see it or don't trust it or something but somehow at the end of every day BOOM, it was there all along. So I'm like totally in to the Lord's Prayer every morning and trying to remember that it comes, it just comes. So, that said, today's daily bread-- Dianne, the radiation nurse remembering ALL our names on the SECOND day, as in Hi Leigh, Hi Emily, Hi Chris (Eric had to be at school because it was early) but she remembered him and asked where he was. This woman has like a gazillion people coming through each day and on Day 2 she already knows us. I mean wow, these people are just so danged nice. We already love ALL the chemo nurses and Alice, Dr. Gold's nurse, who is just about the most grace filled woman around and now the radiation folks. They challenge me to live in a more grace filled way...you never know what your smile or your kindness does to another person. Speaking of which, we went to see Dr. Gold, our oncologist on Tuesday, just to make sure he was cool with the surgery plans, etc. and he was so great, hugged us both, told Chris how much everyone was pulling for him and said, "Now make sure you call Alice with the surgery date, I want to come visit some." I mean this man has tons of patients and he never forgets to be a human being and that we are too and when they were teaching bedside manner this man aced the course!! He was Tuesday's daily bread, complete with hugs for us both.

So, my advice here: Be someone's daily bread. It will tickle them and God.

Grace for your journey,
Leigh