It was a good one. My mother and brother just left today after a good two-week visit. I took them to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast just south of Brisbane yesterday, along with my oldest son Wesley who's here for his summer break, and his girlfriend Eva who's visiting for 3 weeks. Everybody played in the water at least a little, walked along the beach, and then had lunch in one of the beachfront restaurants and did a little people watching.
Then we spent four hours testing the limits of our love for each other while being lost on the ever-winding, unnamed streets of north Brisbane before finally finding our way home.
Today my chemo visit was made immensely quicker by my brother's gift of his own iPod to me. I've had to figure out by trial and error what dosages of meds adequately control nausea and diarrhea. I told the doctor what those doses are today and my prescription now reflects that, so I shouldn't run out again like I did yesterday. So hopefully today will be the last day for at least a while that I have to worry about diarrhea dehydrating me and keeping my weight dangerously low. My focus for the next couple of weeks is purely on gaining back to a minimum healthy weight.
A year ago I was firmly of the opinion that, there being no significant difference in anyone's mind between 48 and 49, or between 51 and 52, that birthdays were now meaningless unless they ended in zero. This year I've obviously had occasion to change my mind. Each birthday is a milestone of victory and a precious gift of God in which to further enjoy and love the amazing array of people who love me.
We are enjoying this day each day, praying thank you for healing me today; please heal me tommorrow. We're taking "no thought for tomorrow" and praying "not my will but your will be done" but meanwhile praying and trusting God for a genuine, literal miracle of complete physical healing for many more long years of just loving people more deeply into the kingdom of heaven.
God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
Thanks for your love, prayers and good wishes.
5 comments:
Congratulations Brad. Thinking and praying about you today. We love you. We'd love to get together with you soon.
Steve and Fiona Walsh
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I was yelling that.
I thank God that I met you.
You are truly an inspiration.
Love you and Karen and the kids and miss you,
Renae and Herb too
I had such a great time.
I know what you mean about
the value of every day and every birthday. This cemo is going to
be tough. I hope you can get back
to feeling good for the rest of this treatment. I'm so glad to here
you are enjoying the IPOD.
You have used it more than me already. I wish it had been wraped.
Happy birthday big brother.
My life is so much better with you in it.
Happy Birthday and many more to come.
I enjoy your gifted writing and your expression of Faith.
Brad, you are a Brother to me and I sincerely miss your wit and unsurpassed knowledge in the matters that are important as well as the completely strange ;-)
Love / Christer
Hello Brad,
Just wanted to tell you I landed in New Mexico, I have a new job, I'm staying with my parents for 2 months (that's IT I swear), and my really nice Acura blew up before I moved. So, besides being homeless and without a vehicle, life is beautiful for me and Kahlua (remember the puppy)!!
I love you so much, and I'm praying for you, and all of you. I'm so glad that your Mom and Roy got to come visit - I'm sure that was a great encouragement!
I still haven't saved enough to come visit, but as soon as the $$ rolls in, I'm there :)
Oh - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
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