ENJOY LIFE!

My last chemo treatment was over four weeks ago and what changes have I experienced? The feet and fingers continue to be numb. It is difficult to describe, but from my thighs to my feet it feels like achy mush, and I’m not sure if my legs are going to give out. The tumor in my back always aches, but I control the pain with pills. One of the side effects of the pain medication is” faulty plumbing"! The good news is that my energy level has increased somewhat.

How do you enjoy life? Seems that most of us in America “enjoy” by having more stuff and doing more things. Interesting how our priorities for enjoyment change as our situation changes. If you lose your job, a new job may bring enjoyment. If you get sick, getting well brings enjoyment. Since I have terminal cancer, what do you think I need to “enjoy life?”

The wisest and richest man in the world, King Solomon, said, “Enjoy life with your wife...” I’ve been doing that for nearly 55 years and it’s been great. In August of 1956, Mary and I vowed to stay with each "for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward until death do us part." We have both found that King Solomon was right. Real, fulfilling enjoyment is not found in the temporal stuff that the world has to offer, but in enjoying life with each other with Christ as the Lord of our marriage.

In spite of the cancer and chemo, your concern and prayers make every day brighter. Thanks.

Thirsty

If you have ever hiked in the desert in the summer you know that the number one rule is to drink lots of water. Recently the heat wave has moved east where it is more humid, but one still needs to obey rule number one. The psalmist said, "...my soul thirsts for you (Lord)..." So what is the difference between my body or my soul being thirsty? I satisfy my body by turning on the water tap, but what about my soul? Does it need satisfying too? What is my soul? Is it the real me?

Interesting that the psalmist thirsted for the Lord. What else could have satified his soul? What else would I want to satisfy my soul? I will try and follow the example from Psalms and thirst for God!

Since the chemo treatments have ceased for the present, I was looking forward to returning to a
somewhat normal lifestyle. So why am I still fatigued and achy? The doctor said that it takes time to rid the body of the chemicals. So what is my excuse for not seeking and thirsting after my Lord? As we used to say in the military, "No excuse, sir." Guess that is me!

Thank you for praying, and please continue. There are still some tough decisions to be made concerning my future.

Eliminate

Websters definition is: to completely remove or get rid of. Since Ed "quit" chemo, his last being on July 7, his body has about 4 weeks to completely remove or get rid of the residual chemo in his body. His next appointment with his oncologist at present is on August 4, and they are talking of another type of chemo that might give him a few more months beyond what the previous chemo promised. He will also have another CT scan to see how the tumor is doing. So we are praying, along with many from our church as well as YOU, that God will lead us to the right decision.

Ed has been feeling somewhat better these last few days, with a little more energy and not quite as fatigued. We praise God for that. Today he even walked around 2 of the 5 lakes we have where we live!

While he waits until the chemo is flushed out of his system, we are reminded that God will NEVER leave us as He states in Hebrews 13:5. While circumstances change, He is changeless! What a promise that is as we walk through this together.

How grateful we are to each of you for your steadfast prayers and concern. God is a God who CAN perform miracles, and we are proactive in asking Him for one! Are you?

I QUIT

If you are like me you don’t like quitters. “Finish what you start,” my mom used to say. So yesterday, after consulting with my oncologist, I quit the chemo treatment for the present time.

The cumulative affect of the chemo has caused me to be so fatigued that I’m barely able to function other than to sit in a lazy boy and read a book. Also, after six months of clinical trial chemo, my tumor continues to grow.

So what’s next? In August I’ll return to the Cancer Center in Tucson to be evaluated. It is amazing that the doctors say that I’m very healthy except for the cancer. Meanwhile, the tumor grows, my backache increases, and I get to experience more of God’s grace. So where do I go for hope? Doctors? Diets? More drugs? The psalmist said in Psalm 62:5, “...my hope comes from Him (God)...” Sounds like a winner, so I’ll continue trusting in Him!

Thanks again to each of you for your concern, prayer support, CDs, cards, notes, emails, suggestions. Although my hope is in God, you are my flesh and blood encouragers.

For what would you ask?

Suppose you could have only one wish. For what would you ask? In Psalm 27, David asked to, "...gaze upon the beauty of the LORD..." This was a thought provoking question for me this week. I could ask for more "stuff" that I can't take with me! I could ask to go someplace like the moon. But it would only offer a temporary high. Maybe David was on to something! If I want to be like my Lord, and if I want Him to have all of me, what could be better than hanging out with Him and gazing on his beauty? Share some of your wishes with me.

Thursday was a routine chemo day for me, and now I get to sit back and see what side effects show up this week besides fatigue. It has now been six months since my chemo began. We also discovered another good Tucson Mexican restaurant called San Carlos Grill.

Since my days here appear to be getting shorter everyday, I have been trying to be more selective in how I spend my time. Discussing with friends how we can make a positive difference in people's lives has been fulfilling. Focussing on individuals rather than the whole world has helped. I have a tentative appointment with a Vietnamese gentleman. He is from a Communist, atheistic country and expressed a desire to know about God. I can't save the world, but if I can introduce one or two folks to the living God who changed me, isn't that worth the time and effort?

Because of your prayers our spirits continue to be up. Thanks so much and pray especially for my dear wife and caregiver, Mary. Since I am doing less and less due to fatigue, she is doing more and more.