...for many are the blog entries percolating my anesthesia/old age - addled mind. *smile*
But seriously...what do you want to talk about now? *huge grin*
We made it home through the Gustav-hammered woods of S. LA. Rest assured, a "minor hurricane" is sort of like a "minor surgical procedure": it happens to someone else & therefore it's minor to me. Much, much prayer and mercy mission work is needed in S. LA. We saw homes flooded & w/ trees in/on the house...businesses torn up...power lines down...roads washed away...such a journey is depressing! And we were quite a ways inland...one shudders to think of life down on the coastal areas of SW LA.
We saw one store at a crossroads in the woods of LA that was pumping gas. The enterprising store owner had apparently purchased one of those big generators. They were cooking food & selling it as fast as it came out of the fryer. We were just grateful for the gasoline, as there were very, very few places up & running, and all of them had very major lines of cars & trucks awaiting. While in the line to pay at the store, I had a very pleasant chat w/ a guy wearing LSU stuff. (I was wearing Crimson Tide stuff) Anyway, as I say, a very pleasant chat.
Hurricanes bring out the best (usually) and the worst (occasionally) in people, don't they?
I have now officially taught each of my classes. I remained more or less coherent through both (students may privately supply their own punch lines here), and felt good in the process. Thus far, I am 2-for-2 in days walking. Not far, mind you, but walking still. Sam the dog helps. Sort of. He also provides major nap temptation by just making a nap look and seem like such a great idea.
Anne's all bummed out, because it seems I'll be able to drive my self to & from work beginning Monday. Thus, only one more day of "Driving Mr. Dad" for her. Beginning Monday, she'll be able to (a) leave at her regular time in the morning, and (b) eat lunch with her friends with abandon, not having to worry about coming back to WCU to fetch me. Somehow, she'll just have to make do after tomorrow...*smile*
I even went to church Wed. night--which was great! I also participated in a committee meeting. (Important note: our pastor search committee is disbanded, praise God! The goateed one is here with us now. Full time. No further searching required. So this was not the pastor search committee...)
Got to spend a little time enroute to church and at church with my buddy Tim Carley & his lovely bride Mary Margaret and their daughters. (Despite having 4 kids to corral, they still came to give me a ride to church...) Prior to January, I think I had allowed myself through sheer inertia to forget how vitally life-giving it is (to me, anyway) to spend time with close friends. If you're a close friend, (a) forgive me, and (b) prepare to drink coffee & eat meals & chat & watch football & go fishing/hunting & watch football & such with me in the days, weeks, months, years, decades to come. Among the many huge blessings of this recent wilderness is being reminded again and again how very blessed I am in terms of friends who love in prayer, word, and deed. Thanks to all of you who have helped re-teach me that lesson!
Was chatting with a friend earlier this week--a fellow melanoma survivor--and we got to this sobering reality. "Cancer-free" really means "cancer-free-at-this-moment-in-time." And only God Himself knows how long "this moment" will last. There, ladies & gents, is the reality of the shadow that will haunt for the rest of my days.
So, does that mean all of us with the scarlet C on our medical chart live in fear? Not on your life!! Instead--in my case--it makes me all the more mindful of life's brevity, which is a great thing to be mindful of now & then. It also compels gratitude in a totally refreshing way. As cliche as it may be, the C word with its lifelong shadow calls forth thanksgiving throughout each day. This is, of course, as it should be. We ought to live lives full of gratitude! When's the last time you found yourself being thankful for the following?
--rain (we've had a bunch lately, but isn't everything nice & green?)
--the engineering reality that says "put a key here, turn it, shift gears, and drive anywhere you want"
--whomever it was that taught you to read
--gifted writers
--phones--many in our pockets--that enable us to stay connected with loved ones at a moment's notice
--your friends
--your family
--your extended family
--the mere existence of God and His presence in & around your life?
--a cool drink of water
--a front porch with chairs on it
--clouds
--sun
--technology that allows us to be somewhat sure ahead of time about where a hurricane is likely to go, even when it's still out in the middle of the Atlantic
--coffee
--popcorn
--TV, even with the vacuous drivel that occupies so much of the weekly schedule
--the reality that in a couple of months we will elect a new government, and a couple of months later, that government will be installed without gunfire or bloodshed...look around today's world--this is truly a remarkable thing!
--as friends of ours used to sing, "I am free...I've been redeemed..."
--a printed Bible of your very own...this was not the norm for 1500 years or so
--food (is it bad to have a healthy turkey burger & then chase that with ice cream? Just wondering...)
C-word & its lifelong shadow aside, a day is coming when this life will cease for every one of us. So, if you've had perfect health for decades, rejoice! And be ever mindful that it's a certainty that "good health" doesn't mean "this life will last forever." So live in the present tense and enjoy today, for this is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it!
A favorite song that was on my mind driving through the woods of S. LA Tuesday...that definitely called forth thanksgiving!
(lyrics excerpt starts)
...1 day...2 days...3 days had passed...Could it be that Jesus had breathed His last? Could it be that His Father had forsaken Him? Turned His back on His son, despising our sin? All Hell seemed to whisper, 'forget Him! He's dead'...
Then the Father looked down at His Son and said, 'Arise, My Love...Arise, My Love...the grave no longer has a hold on You! No more death sting! No more suffering...Arise, Arise My Love'...
As dead men, the guards stood there in fright, as the power of love displayed its might...then suddenly a melody filled the air, riding wings of wind, it was everywhere...the words all creation had been longing to hear...the sweet sound of victory, so loud and clear!...'Arise, My Love'...
Sin--where are your shackles? Death--where is your sting? Hell--has been defeated! The grave could not hold the King!"
(lyrics excerpt ends)
That song...those words by Newsong..."Arise, My Love" has been making my throat & eyes fill up for years now...and I am so thankful! (saw Newsong in concert years ago, and when they fired up "Arise, My Love," it was one of the all-time great concert moments that I have experienced!)Living under a shadow? Sure! Like all of us do. But fear? Not when I remember the reality captured in the last lines of that song. Pray with me that we all would live in the glorious shadow of the brevity of our lives and of the truth about Who has the last word on all of this. And pray also that I'd always live with an overwhelming sense of joy and thanksgiving, wherever the road may lead in the future.
I'm off to make coffee for my beloved (OK...I'll have a couple of cups myself...) and enjoy the morning with thanksgiving. May it always be so, Lord!
Selah.
Mike
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The Checklist:
--awesome(ly bad) looking white stockings designed to reduce clots in legs?
Check
--cute teddy bear issued by MDA thoracic surgery dept to support chest during travel & coughing & such?
Check
--unshowered head desperately in need of multiple showers?
Check (btw to all concerned parties, upon arrival in H'burg this afternoon, I will be free to shower with abandon. Thus, from the time we arrive home until our hot water runs out, I'll be, um, unavailable...*smile*)
--best-looking chauffer on the road today?
Check *grin*
--alternate route designed to avoid a subset of the thousands of cars returning home to S. MS & S. LA?
Check (confidence is low here; as Lisa noted, the natives of S. LA will surely know the alternate routes too...*sigh*)
--pain pills?
Negative! Don't need 'em! *knocks on wood* (they're in the car just in case...)
--ipod with itrip connector?
Check!! (if you're wondering, the day's music will begin with Leslie West's smoking-hot electric version of the blues classic "Stormy Monday," followed by his smoking-hot version of the blues song "If Heartaches Were Nickels." Note that neither my lovely driver nor I are feeling "bluesy" in the slightest; we both really like blues music, and Leslie West is--imho--one of the all-time great blues rock guitarists--see "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain for example; that's him. Now you know...)
--movie to return to Blockbuster?
Check ("Bucket List"...great flick!)
--prayers of many friends?
Check! (I hope)
Annnnnnnd, we're off.
See you from the Burg!
Mike
Check
--cute teddy bear issued by MDA thoracic surgery dept to support chest during travel & coughing & such?
Check
--unshowered head desperately in need of multiple showers?
Check (btw to all concerned parties, upon arrival in H'burg this afternoon, I will be free to shower with abandon. Thus, from the time we arrive home until our hot water runs out, I'll be, um, unavailable...*smile*)
--best-looking chauffer on the road today?
Check *grin*
--alternate route designed to avoid a subset of the thousands of cars returning home to S. MS & S. LA?
Check (confidence is low here; as Lisa noted, the natives of S. LA will surely know the alternate routes too...*sigh*)
--pain pills?
Negative! Don't need 'em! *knocks on wood* (they're in the car just in case...)
--ipod with itrip connector?
Check!! (if you're wondering, the day's music will begin with Leslie West's smoking-hot electric version of the blues classic "Stormy Monday," followed by his smoking-hot version of the blues song "If Heartaches Were Nickels." Note that neither my lovely driver nor I are feeling "bluesy" in the slightest; we both really like blues music, and Leslie West is--imho--one of the all-time great blues rock guitarists--see "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain for example; that's him. Now you know...)
--movie to return to Blockbuster?
Check ("Bucket List"...great flick!)
--prayers of many friends?
Check! (I hope)
Annnnnnnd, we're off.
See you from the Burg!
Mike
Monday, September 1, 2008
Gustav, Schmustav...
I come to you live from our home-away-from-home in Friendswood, TX. We've considered buying season tix to Friendswood Mustangs football games this Fall...but then we remembered that we're not going to have to be heading out here nearly as frequently in the future. (can I get a "ya-hooooo!" from the crowd? Thanks!)
Much better on the pain front today. Slept pretty well last night. I'd like to say that took care of all sleep needs for this day, but...it didn't. A power nap was required earlier this afternoon.
Regrettably, the meds plus the entire ordeal made me have to go to sleep in the midst of the 2nd half of the Bama-Clemson game we were watching on TV Sunday night. Luckily, the total thrashing/domination was long secured before I crashed. What's that? Why, no, it wasn't the top 10 Clemson winning...they were the ones getting beat like a tied-up goat...a favorite stat from the game: top-ranking duo of RBs in the country pre-season: zero yards net rushing for the evening. Nary a positive rushing yard. *huge grin* (Rooooooooooooll...Tide! Roll!...*grins again*) Regrettably, I was not able to welcome the Fedora era in person @ USM. Luckily, I'll be able to make future games. Regrettably, James had to welcome the Nutt era in to Vaught-Hemingway stadium without me. Luckily, (a) we got our picture made w/ Coach Nutt back in the summer in Coach N's office, which was very cool, and (b) I'll be able to make future games there. Regrettably, this trip means that I was not manning the effects board at PCS' 1st home game Friday night. Luckily, I'll be there loud & proud for the rest of the games. (Um...*searches*...luckily, there will be other MSU games, let's just say...*clears throat*...and I'm hoping to be there too)
So, yeah...it is that wonderful time of year when my calendar is dominated by football. We watched college football for hours Saturday--is this a great country, or what? It's also that not-so-wonderful season called "hurricane season." We've spent hours watching the weather channel today, trying to figure how to get from here to H'burg with a Cat 3 storm rolling ashore between us...We still have no idea at present, btw. But the plan is to roll out of here tomorrow morning, under the theory that Gustav will be far enough inland for us to navigate the roads. We do have an alternate route planned through the woods of LA in order to try to avoid the traffic heading back to S. LA & S. MS. We'll see. (I, of course, cannot drive yet; prayers for Lisa are most welcome! A dear friend told his wife before, "your job is just to sit there and look pretty..." I'll have trouble with both parts--just sitting there and with looking pretty. Oh well...)
Oh, yeah, there's also this:
Thanks for continuing to pray us home! Y'all didn't know when you said "I'll pray for you" what all that would mean, did you? Who knew "safe travel through a killer hurricane's aftermath" would go alongside "2nd lung surgery recovery"? *smile* Again, I tell you, we're ready for exhiliratingly normal routine for a while!
Hope Gustav is treating all of you midsouth'ers well. Thanks for all you've done for us!
In His glorious grip,
Mike
Much better on the pain front today. Slept pretty well last night. I'd like to say that took care of all sleep needs for this day, but...it didn't. A power nap was required earlier this afternoon.
Regrettably, the meds plus the entire ordeal made me have to go to sleep in the midst of the 2nd half of the Bama-Clemson game we were watching on TV Sunday night. Luckily, the total thrashing/domination was long secured before I crashed. What's that? Why, no, it wasn't the top 10 Clemson winning...they were the ones getting beat like a tied-up goat...a favorite stat from the game: top-ranking duo of RBs in the country pre-season: zero yards net rushing for the evening. Nary a positive rushing yard. *huge grin* (Rooooooooooooll...Tide! Roll!...*grins again*) Regrettably, I was not able to welcome the Fedora era in person @ USM. Luckily, I'll be able to make future games. Regrettably, James had to welcome the Nutt era in to Vaught-Hemingway stadium without me. Luckily, (a) we got our picture made w/ Coach Nutt back in the summer in Coach N's office, which was very cool, and (b) I'll be able to make future games there. Regrettably, this trip means that I was not manning the effects board at PCS' 1st home game Friday night. Luckily, I'll be there loud & proud for the rest of the games. (Um...*searches*...luckily, there will be other MSU games, let's just say...*clears throat*...and I'm hoping to be there too)
So, yeah...it is that wonderful time of year when my calendar is dominated by football. We watched college football for hours Saturday--is this a great country, or what? It's also that not-so-wonderful season called "hurricane season." We've spent hours watching the weather channel today, trying to figure how to get from here to H'burg with a Cat 3 storm rolling ashore between us...We still have no idea at present, btw. But the plan is to roll out of here tomorrow morning, under the theory that Gustav will be far enough inland for us to navigate the roads. We do have an alternate route planned through the woods of LA in order to try to avoid the traffic heading back to S. LA & S. MS. We'll see. (I, of course, cannot drive yet; prayers for Lisa are most welcome! A dear friend told his wife before, "your job is just to sit there and look pretty..." I'll have trouble with both parts--just sitting there and with looking pretty. Oh well...)
Oh, yeah, there's also this:
I AM CANCER FREE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2008!!!
From "stage IV metastic melanoma" in May to "cancer-free" in August is quite the amazing transition. God has chosen to answer our prayers--and yours--in miraculous ways using amazing medical technology and its practitioners.
So, Gustav, while a huge problem, pales to pasty-white in comparison in the collective Madaris psyche. We ain't skeered! (OK, maybe a little...but we ain't very skeered...)
Thanks for continuing to pray us home! Y'all didn't know when you said "I'll pray for you" what all that would mean, did you? Who knew "safe travel through a killer hurricane's aftermath" would go alongside "2nd lung surgery recovery"? *smile* Again, I tell you, we're ready for exhiliratingly normal routine for a while!
Hope Gustav is treating all of you midsouth'ers well. Thanks for all you've done for us!
In His glorious grip,
Mike
Sunday, August 31, 2008
So...on this date back during antiquity my brother was born. (Roosevelt admin I think...Teddy R, that is...*grin*)
Ok, everybody now:
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
You're older than your brother,
And I got all the looks too.
(Yeah, a couple of cheap shots...but like the man said in Top Gun, "The shot was there, so I took it...")
Seriously, though, If anyone deserves a happy birthday today, it's Jim. He's had a pretty challenging summer, between work things, medical things, and, well, my things. He gave up a couple of weeks of his summer to accompany me to Camp MDA, one of which was spent in IL-2-land. As you can tell from his stuff here, he's quite a guy. And a most excellent big brother too!
So, bro, here's wishing you a happy one, with many more to follow. U Da Man!
Love,
Mike
Ok, everybody now:
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
You're older than your brother,
And I got all the looks too.
(Yeah, a couple of cheap shots...but like the man said in Top Gun, "The shot was there, so I took it...")
Seriously, though, If anyone deserves a happy birthday today, it's Jim. He's had a pretty challenging summer, between work things, medical things, and, well, my things. He gave up a couple of weeks of his summer to accompany me to Camp MDA, one of which was spent in IL-2-land. As you can tell from his stuff here, he's quite a guy. And a most excellent big brother too!
So, bro, here's wishing you a happy one, with many more to follow. U Da Man!
Love,
Mike
Saturday, August 30, 2008
"Mission Accomplished"
Howdy, all. Jim here (Mike's brother). That will be immediately obvious if you're expecting Mike-quality prose; he has the only writing game in the Madaris family!
Lisa left a voicemail about 11 this morning, and asked me to update the blog. She said Mike is doing okay--okay being a relative term. He came through the surgery fine, and they were in a transition-type room when she called, probably in a regular hospital room by now. Mike is having more and different kinds of pain than last time, and a good bit of post-operative nausea.
The good news: Dr. Mehron, the lung surgeon, told Lisa "Mission Accomplished." So I am privileged to tell all of Mike's wonderful friends, family, and prayer warriors:
Praise God!! God is so good; He is good even if His plans do not equate to our flawed human ones. But I'm praising Him right now and thanking Him for ridding Mike of cancer yesterday morning through his vessels at M.D. Anderson.
Please continue to pray for Mike's recovery, Lisa's strength (if you know her, you know that is a praise, not a plea), and their safe travels back to Hattiesburg early next week.
And for this blog to return to its previously established standards soon... :-)
Lisa left a voicemail about 11 this morning, and asked me to update the blog. She said Mike is doing okay--okay being a relative term. He came through the surgery fine, and they were in a transition-type room when she called, probably in a regular hospital room by now. Mike is having more and different kinds of pain than last time, and a good bit of post-operative nausea.
The good news: Dr. Mehron, the lung surgeon, told Lisa "Mission Accomplished." So I am privileged to tell all of Mike's wonderful friends, family, and prayer warriors:
Mike Madaris is once again
cancer-free!!
cancer-free!!
Praise God!! God is so good; He is good even if His plans do not equate to our flawed human ones. But I'm praising Him right now and thanking Him for ridding Mike of cancer yesterday morning through his vessels at M.D. Anderson.
Please continue to pray for Mike's recovery, Lisa's strength (if you know her, you know that is a praise, not a plea), and their safe travels back to Hattiesburg early next week.
And for this blog to return to its previously established standards soon... :-)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Ok, that's it...
...it's time to wind up all this medical fun. (let the church say "amen!" *grin*)
Here's the latest reason why it's time to wind it all up. Today, for pre-surgery bloodwork, guess how many vials of blood were drawn from me. Go ahead; pick a number. Got your number? What'd you pick, 2? 3? 5?
Fourteen vials of blood!!! That's 1-4. Fill up 10 of those test tubes; then fill up 4 more! I asked the phelbo...phlebat...the lady drawing my blood if I'd still have any blood left when she got finished. I'm not sure she tracked with my sense of humor. Which was pretty warped before all of this summer's festivities. Now it's really disturbingly warped. (For the times that shows up here on the blog, well, I'm...you're welcome! *smile*)
Anyway, most of you will go to sleep tonight without having had one single test tube full of blood removed from you. I feel so sorry for you...I'd have been most willing to have let you fill up 4-5 of those 14 vials earlier today. Oh well, your loss.
We are go for check-in at 5:30 Friday morning. (sorry...just watched Apollo 13 for the 63rd time & lapsed into the movie version of aerospace engineer-speak; hey, we do drive right past NASA - Houston on the road to this place!)
Surgery will follow right about whenever they get a round tuit. (Actually, surgery is scheduled for around 7:30 a.m.)
Last time, I was awake in recovery by about 10:30 a.m. And that surgery removed multiple spots. This one only needs to remove one.
Lisa and I are very pleased to be at this point. Metastatic melanoma is...*searches for appropriate word for a family-oriented blog*...very nasty. The odds of Jim & I getting really bad news last week were quite high, actually. The odds of going from "melanoma is back" in May to (the whispered dream phrase...shh! Not yet!...) in August approach zero. Those tendencies are well-documented. But my God created mathematical properties such as the Law of Large Numbers and statistical measures of central tendency & dispersion; He is most definitely not bound by them! (Aside: why does this seem to be so hard for some people to understand? *mini-rant ends*)
I will always be convinced that we are at this point because He has chosen to answer the prayers offered on our behalf by so very many people. He did not have to get us to this place, and He would not have been any less glorious had He chosen not to do so. But we're sure glad He has us here!!
The hardest part of tomorrow will be the waiting. (Not by me...I'll be in anesthesia-land, without a care in the world.) Lisa will sit there in the surgical waiting room. And wait...and then...wait...some...more. And watch the second hand on the clock move o h - s o o - s l o w l y while waiting for her name to be called with an update. James & Anne will be sneaking peeks at the clocks on the walls @ PCS and in the Pharmacy School @ UM. Jim will be doing his project management thing, but will mostly be sending & receiving texts & emails to his friends who are bombarding heaven on our behalf. (Thanks, my central AL friends! Lift a couple for Jim & Sandi too, won't you?) Mom will try to do other things besides stare at the phone. To very little avail.
So, once again, please pray for Lisa especially, and also for the rest of my family who are hanging in there on this journey. In terms of family, I am most highly blessed.
THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS, CARDS, CALLS, TEXTS, COMMENTS, LETTERS, HUGS, AND ACTS OF SERVICE! Ray Boltz sang it years ago: "Thank you, for giving to the Lord! I am a life that was changed..."
We love y'all! Since we'll be rolling out about 4:45 a.m., I doubt I'll blog in the morning. Perhaps Lisa will update later tomorrow once we get to a room.
With hope,
Mike
p.s. - there are suggestions that a celebration party might need to be in order after all of this. As Spock would say, "fascinating!"...
p.p.s. - Words to "Thank You" by Ray Boltz, 1994. The song always makes me cry. (as it's doing now...*blush*) Picture me singing this--with a better voice that my own--and you are the "you" referred to. That gets toward capturing my full heart this evening. And thanks!
I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name
You turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came
And he said, Friend, You may not know me now
And then he said, But wait
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart
CHORUS: Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave
Then another man stood before you
And said remember the time
A missionary came to your church
His pictures made you cry
You didn't have much money
But you gave it anyway
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I am here today
(Repeat Chorus)
One by one they came
Far as the eye could see
Each life somehow touched (Mike says, "my life somehow touched...")
By your generosity
Little things that you had done
Sacrifices made
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven now proclaimed
And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord
He said, My child look around you
Great is your reward
(Repeat Chorus)
I am so glad you gave
©1988 Gaither Music/ASCAP. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Here's the latest reason why it's time to wind it all up. Today, for pre-surgery bloodwork, guess how many vials of blood were drawn from me. Go ahead; pick a number. Got your number? What'd you pick, 2? 3? 5?
Fourteen vials of blood!!! That's 1-4. Fill up 10 of those test tubes; then fill up 4 more! I asked the phelbo...phlebat...the lady drawing my blood if I'd still have any blood left when she got finished. I'm not sure she tracked with my sense of humor. Which was pretty warped before all of this summer's festivities. Now it's really disturbingly warped. (For the times that shows up here on the blog, well, I'm...you're welcome! *smile*)
Anyway, most of you will go to sleep tonight without having had one single test tube full of blood removed from you. I feel so sorry for you...I'd have been most willing to have let you fill up 4-5 of those 14 vials earlier today. Oh well, your loss.
We are go for check-in at 5:30 Friday morning. (sorry...just watched Apollo 13 for the 63rd time & lapsed into the movie version of aerospace engineer-speak; hey, we do drive right past NASA - Houston on the road to this place!)
Surgery will follow right about whenever they get a round tuit. (Actually, surgery is scheduled for around 7:30 a.m.)
Last time, I was awake in recovery by about 10:30 a.m. And that surgery removed multiple spots. This one only needs to remove one.
Lisa and I are very pleased to be at this point. Metastatic melanoma is...*searches for appropriate word for a family-oriented blog*...very nasty. The odds of Jim & I getting really bad news last week were quite high, actually. The odds of going from "melanoma is back" in May to (the whispered dream phrase...shh! Not yet!...) in August approach zero. Those tendencies are well-documented. But my God created mathematical properties such as the Law of Large Numbers and statistical measures of central tendency & dispersion; He is most definitely not bound by them! (Aside: why does this seem to be so hard for some people to understand? *mini-rant ends*)
I will always be convinced that we are at this point because He has chosen to answer the prayers offered on our behalf by so very many people. He did not have to get us to this place, and He would not have been any less glorious had He chosen not to do so. But we're sure glad He has us here!!
The hardest part of tomorrow will be the waiting. (Not by me...I'll be in anesthesia-land, without a care in the world.) Lisa will sit there in the surgical waiting room. And wait...and then...wait...some...more. And watch the second hand on the clock move o h - s o o - s l o w l y while waiting for her name to be called with an update. James & Anne will be sneaking peeks at the clocks on the walls @ PCS and in the Pharmacy School @ UM. Jim will be doing his project management thing, but will mostly be sending & receiving texts & emails to his friends who are bombarding heaven on our behalf. (Thanks, my central AL friends! Lift a couple for Jim & Sandi too, won't you?) Mom will try to do other things besides stare at the phone. To very little avail.
So, once again, please pray for Lisa especially, and also for the rest of my family who are hanging in there on this journey. In terms of family, I am most highly blessed.
THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS, CARDS, CALLS, TEXTS, COMMENTS, LETTERS, HUGS, AND ACTS OF SERVICE! Ray Boltz sang it years ago: "Thank you, for giving to the Lord! I am a life that was changed..."
We love y'all! Since we'll be rolling out about 4:45 a.m., I doubt I'll blog in the morning. Perhaps Lisa will update later tomorrow once we get to a room.
With hope,
Mike
p.s. - there are suggestions that a celebration party might need to be in order after all of this. As Spock would say, "fascinating!"...
p.p.s. - Words to "Thank You" by Ray Boltz, 1994. The song always makes me cry. (as it's doing now...*blush*) Picture me singing this--with a better voice that my own--and you are the "you" referred to. That gets toward capturing my full heart this evening. And thanks!
I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name
You turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came
And he said, Friend, You may not know me now
And then he said, But wait
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart
CHORUS: Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave
Then another man stood before you
And said remember the time
A missionary came to your church
His pictures made you cry
You didn't have much money
But you gave it anyway
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I am here today
(Repeat Chorus)
One by one they came
Far as the eye could see
Each life somehow touched (Mike says, "my life somehow touched...")
By your generosity
Little things that you had done
Sacrifices made
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven now proclaimed
And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord
He said, My child look around you
Great is your reward
(Repeat Chorus)
I am so glad you gave
©1988 Gaither Music/ASCAP. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
High Anxiety
As we head west this afternoon for what we hope will be the last part of the bend before the road straightens out, I thought I'd let my humanity show by sharing some parts of this that...well...challenge the efficacy of my blood pressure medicine. (let's just say)
--some glitch causing me to not be able to have the surgery after all
--something going wrong during the surgery that keeps us out there longer
(Neither of those are particularly pressing fears, in case you're wondering. This next one however,...)
--recovery from general anesthesia
I'm a cheap anesthesia patient. They say "count to ten" and I make it to "w..." and then the next thing I know they're waking me up. That's the good news. The bad news is, that it seems to take a while for all of my systems to switch back on after anesthesia. There were some minor issues with this last time; specific prayers are welcome related to all of these, but to this one in particular.
--my family--immediate and extended
They're scattered. And very tired from all of this wear & tear on the emotions. (especially Lisa...in her case particularly add "wear & tear from heading back & forth to Houston a bunch of times this summer"...). I've said before, I'd much rather be the patient than the spouse or child or parent or brother of the patient.
Lisa will be at MDA with me, but will still be out in the waiting room and in the recovery waiting room. Just waiting...which is surely the most wearying part of a hospital experience.
James is eyeball-deep in intense pharmacy things that I can't spell nor pronounce in his classes. 4 1/2 hours away from H'burg, and (obviously) farther yet away from us.
Anne is eyeball-deep in (a) her senior year of HS, and (b) a new job. She'll be here in the 'Burg.
Mom keeps a schedule that would wear out many a younger person back home in FL. (I'm quite sure I couldn't keep up!)
Jim & his family have much going on in central AL.
So, your prayers for all of them are vital to this process and are greatly needed and appreciated!
--time & effort to restore "regular" cardiovascular health
Mine was pretty decent at the beginning of the summer. (well, other than having cancer in my lungs...*smile*) Then came surgery + IL-2-land. I've been working on it since getting back, but let's just say I'm a "fur piece" from where I was & from where I need to be.
--getting ahead of the curve at work
My boss & colleagues are just amazing through all of this. Even yesterday, I received multiple offers to help out while I'm gone. With that said, I'm more or less keeping my head above water, but much that needs to happen professionally has fallen by the wayside this calendar year. It'd be great to be back in the groove of where I need to be with my classes & some research things & my committee work & a professional certification I'd like to complete. I really hope to (soon!)be a contributor to WCU and its School of Business, rather than a constant taker like I've been for 8 months now.
--home projects
I have yard things and house things that I was behind on in May. These 8 trips to Houston & the various types of...fun...they entailed have not helped me catch up. *sigh* Fortunately, I married waaaaaaaaay out of my league, so she's quite patient. Also, I have almost no game in the home repair area, & thus am unable to do much of that stuff even when healthy. So I've got that going for me...*grin*
The bottom line on several of these concerns is, Lisa & I are just ready to be leading exhiliratingly routine lives again. Catching up on our stuff, and contributing to the lives of others rather than just being Dead Sea-like takers with very little output.
One more fear, at the risk of going all theological on you. I have a very real fear of forgetting the many lessons my Lord has taught me this year once we pass (hopefully!) beyond the land of shadows & fears and move (next week, maybe!) back into the land of sunlight and smooth roads. Lisa & I do not want to lose the keen awareness of God's presence in & around us that has been manifest this year. A dear friend & soul brother told me during his own battle with a serious medical condition, "Mike, I don't ever want to go back to how I was before all this. I don't want to be the same again." Exactly! Me neither!
Moses said to the Lord..."Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight"...And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to Him, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here...
(Exodus 33, beginning in v. 12, excerpted here)
Verse 15 (boldface above) is easy to say. I even memorized it a few years ago because I thought it was cool. "Cool" doesn't come close! Awesome does...at least what "awesome" meant before we applied it to pizza and burgers and coffee. To be struck with awe. Yeah, that's pretty close.
The Schedule:
--made it here last night just before midnight (waiting on car repair things)
--Thursday morning - appt w/ anesthesiologist + bloodwork (easy day)
--Friday - surgery (time TBA, but either early in the morning or less early in the morning; will find out Thursday afternoon)
--Saturday - watch college football all day long on TV (is this a great country, or what? *smile*)through the fog of amnesia; hope that my Crimson Tide play the game of their lives and upset Clemson Saturday night
--Sunday - hopefully, get released from hospital; this is what happened last time
--Monday - hopefully, head back home (if not on Sunday...see "hurricane Gustav"...)
--Tuesday - lie around the house praying for body systems to turn back on
--Wednesday - hopefully, resume teaching
(There does seem to be this hurricane percolating down south...the eye is currently predicted to pass through my back yard...Monday morning. But other than that, the weather's great & expected to stay so...*sigh*)
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE, EMAILS, COMMENTS HERE, PRAYERS, AND ACTS OF SERVICE TO US!! We're so very humbled and so deeply moved by all of the fingerprints of God on all of you. I hope we never get over it.
With strong love, tremendous appreciation, and greatly renewed hope,
Mike
--some glitch causing me to not be able to have the surgery after all
--something going wrong during the surgery that keeps us out there longer
(Neither of those are particularly pressing fears, in case you're wondering. This next one however,...)
--recovery from general anesthesia
I'm a cheap anesthesia patient. They say "count to ten" and I make it to "w..." and then the next thing I know they're waking me up. That's the good news. The bad news is, that it seems to take a while for all of my systems to switch back on after anesthesia. There were some minor issues with this last time; specific prayers are welcome related to all of these, but to this one in particular.
--my family--immediate and extended
They're scattered. And very tired from all of this wear & tear on the emotions. (especially Lisa...in her case particularly add "wear & tear from heading back & forth to Houston a bunch of times this summer"...). I've said before, I'd much rather be the patient than the spouse or child or parent or brother of the patient.
Lisa will be at MDA with me, but will still be out in the waiting room and in the recovery waiting room. Just waiting...which is surely the most wearying part of a hospital experience.
James is eyeball-deep in intense pharmacy things that I can't spell nor pronounce in his classes. 4 1/2 hours away from H'burg, and (obviously) farther yet away from us.
Anne is eyeball-deep in (a) her senior year of HS, and (b) a new job. She'll be here in the 'Burg.
Mom keeps a schedule that would wear out many a younger person back home in FL. (I'm quite sure I couldn't keep up!)
Jim & his family have much going on in central AL.
So, your prayers for all of them are vital to this process and are greatly needed and appreciated!
--time & effort to restore "regular" cardiovascular health
Mine was pretty decent at the beginning of the summer. (well, other than having cancer in my lungs...*smile*) Then came surgery + IL-2-land. I've been working on it since getting back, but let's just say I'm a "fur piece" from where I was & from where I need to be.
--getting ahead of the curve at work
My boss & colleagues are just amazing through all of this. Even yesterday, I received multiple offers to help out while I'm gone. With that said, I'm more or less keeping my head above water, but much that needs to happen professionally has fallen by the wayside this calendar year. It'd be great to be back in the groove of where I need to be with my classes & some research things & my committee work & a professional certification I'd like to complete. I really hope to (soon!)be a contributor to WCU and its School of Business, rather than a constant taker like I've been for 8 months now.
--home projects
I have yard things and house things that I was behind on in May. These 8 trips to Houston & the various types of...fun...they entailed have not helped me catch up. *sigh* Fortunately, I married waaaaaaaaay out of my league, so she's quite patient. Also, I have almost no game in the home repair area, & thus am unable to do much of that stuff even when healthy. So I've got that going for me...*grin*
The bottom line on several of these concerns is, Lisa & I are just ready to be leading exhiliratingly routine lives again. Catching up on our stuff, and contributing to the lives of others rather than just being Dead Sea-like takers with very little output.
One more fear, at the risk of going all theological on you. I have a very real fear of forgetting the many lessons my Lord has taught me this year once we pass (hopefully!) beyond the land of shadows & fears and move (next week, maybe!) back into the land of sunlight and smooth roads. Lisa & I do not want to lose the keen awareness of God's presence in & around us that has been manifest this year. A dear friend & soul brother told me during his own battle with a serious medical condition, "Mike, I don't ever want to go back to how I was before all this. I don't want to be the same again." Exactly! Me neither!
Moses said to the Lord..."Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight"...And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to Him, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here...
(Exodus 33, beginning in v. 12, excerpted here)
Verse 15 (boldface above) is easy to say. I even memorized it a few years ago because I thought it was cool. "Cool" doesn't come close! Awesome does...at least what "awesome" meant before we applied it to pizza and burgers and coffee. To be struck with awe. Yeah, that's pretty close.
The Schedule:
--made it here last night just before midnight (waiting on car repair things)
--Thursday morning - appt w/ anesthesiologist + bloodwork (easy day)
--Friday - surgery (time TBA, but either early in the morning or less early in the morning; will find out Thursday afternoon)
--Saturday - watch college football all day long on TV (is this a great country, or what? *smile*)through the fog of amnesia; hope that my Crimson Tide play the game of their lives and upset Clemson Saturday night
--Sunday - hopefully, get released from hospital; this is what happened last time
--Monday - hopefully, head back home (if not on Sunday...see "hurricane Gustav"...)
--Tuesday - lie around the house praying for body systems to turn back on
--Wednesday - hopefully, resume teaching
(There does seem to be this hurricane percolating down south...the eye is currently predicted to pass through my back yard...Monday morning. But other than that, the weather's great & expected to stay so...*sigh*)
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE, EMAILS, COMMENTS HERE, PRAYERS, AND ACTS OF SERVICE TO US!! We're so very humbled and so deeply moved by all of the fingerprints of God on all of you. I hope we never get over it.
With strong love, tremendous appreciation, and greatly renewed hope,
Mike
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