Genetic engineering and automobiles

Car with genetic engineering

Do you remember the movie Groundhog day?  It seems a little like that.  We keep leaving and then waking up back in Texas.  Maybe I need to get just one day right to get out of this.  That might be hard for me.

Friday I had a new MRI taken.  The technician asked if I had ever had one before.  I couldn't help it, I  just laughed.  The MRI was normal, a little tube and lots of noise.  As we were leaving the hospital we saw a rather unusual car.  Maybe it's because we are hanging out in the genetic engineering part of the hospital.  I'm wondering if perhaps they got their hands on this car and this was the result.

Yesterday JoLynne and I went to tour the battleship Texas.  I don't know why it seems so appropriate that we should be looking at a battleship.

Bring on the big guns

Today was Sunday and we went to church with our son's best friend Alden.  It was great.  A wonderful young ward.  Full of life and energy.  Alden's son reminds me of our kids.  Really cute and kind of solid.

JoLynne' fancy flowers

Well, we have till Tuesday before we will know the results.  It is hard to wait.  I still feel at peace.  I really have no idea what they will say but I feel in my heart that we are in the right place so it will all turn out somehow.

I picked JoLynne's Valentines flowers today as we were walking down the train tracks.  We're keeping it simple here for the time being.

Another trip

Tomorrow we leave again for Texas.  Friday we will have a scan and Tuesday we should have the results.  Usually I really get nervous leading up to these scans.  Maybe that will still come but right now I feel an amazing sense of peace.  My bishop came over tonight and with my son Jarom gave me a priesthood blessing.  Maybe that is why I am feeling so calm.

We have a wonderful doctor in Texas.  Her name is Lisa Wang.  I get the feeling that she isn't very religious, but she is exceptionally kind.  She emails me on a regular basis just to see how I am doing.  Last time we were in Texas she kept trying to lend us her small appliances so that we wouldn't have to buy them.  So, in response to her last email I told her a story.

I was at work.  One of my patients had brought her young daughter Olivia along with her to the appointment.  As I was talking to the mother Olivia said "How come you talk like that"  (My speech is rather impaired these days)  Before I could answer Olivia pipped up again and said "Oh, I remember, you have cancer.  We pray for you every day."  Then she said, "I  like your bandaid.  It's really big."

i told doctor Wang that story.   I think she was a little taken back that I would have a practice where my patients would pray for me.  I told her, "It's no wonder that I love my job so much."

I feel so blessed to have people who care about me.  These last three years have been hard but they have had good in many ways.  I find my heart is softer than it was.  I hear about people who suffer and it hurts.  I cry a lot.  Not very macho but it is what it is.

Well, it's off to Texas.  We will keep you posted about our scan results.  Thank you Olivia for your prayers and all of the rest of you too.  I know that God hears and answers prayers.

"Where no man has gone before"

Well, today we leave for Houston.  It's hard to leave our children but we are grateful and our older son Jarom and his wife Natalie are willing to come and stay with them.  Still, we will miss them.

"Where no man has gone before"

On the other hand, we are full of hope that this treatment will finally bring us the answers that we have prayed for these last three years.  Conventional cancer treatments have simply proved ineffective.  But, they did save my life this long so I am not complaining.  The research that they are doing in Baylor simply wasn't available 3 years ago.

I don't know why my journey has been so convoluted.  Honestly we expected to be cured the first time around.  We had faith.  I don't always understand God's ways.  I guess that is why they call it faith.  Even though I don't understand I still trust Him.

Sometimes we are all so quick to judge our lives with the perspective of a moment.  I think that God sees a bigger picture.  I have a story that I heard once that I really like.  Here it is:

One day in late summer, an old farmer was working in his field with his old sick horse. The farmer felt compassion for the horse and desired to lift its burden. So he left his horse loose to go the mountains and live out the rest of its life.Soon after, neighbors from the nearby village visited, offering their condolences and said, "What a shame.  Now your only horse is gone.  How unfortunate you are!. You must be very sad. How will you live, work the land, and prosper?" The farmer replied: "Who knows? We shall see".Two days later the old horse came back now rejuvenated after meandering in the mountainsides while eating the wild grasses. He came back with twelve new younger and healthy horses which followed the old horse into the corral. Word got out in the village of the old farmer's good fortune and it wasn't long before people stopped by to congratulate the farmer on his good luck.  "How fortunate you are!" they exclaimed. You must be very happy!"  Again, the farmer softly said, "Who knows? We shall see."At daybreak on the next morning, the farmer's only son set off to attempt to train the new wild horses, but the farmer's son was thrown to the ground and broke his leg.  One by one villagers arrived during the day to bemoan the farmer's latest misfortune.  "Oh, what a tragedy!  Your son won't be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You'll have to do all the work yourself, How will you survive? You must be very sad".  they said.  Calmly going about his usual business the farmer answered, "Who knows? We shall see"Several days later a war broke out. The Emperor's men arrived in the village demanding that young men come with them to be conscripted into the Emperor's army.  As it happened the farmer's son was deemed unfit because of his broken leg.  "What very good fortune you have!!" the villagers exclaimed as their own young sons were marched away. "You must be very happy." "Who knows? We shall see!", replied the old farmer as he headed off to work his field alone.As time went on the broken leg healed but the son was left with a slight limp. Again the neighbors came to pay their condolences. "Oh what bad luck. Too bad for you"!  But the old farmer simply replied; "Who knows? We shall see."As it turned out the other young village boys had died in the war and the old farmer and his son were the only able bodied men capable of working the village lands. The old farmer became wealthy and was very generous to the villagers. They said: "Oh how fortunate we are, you must be very happy", to which the old farmer replied, "Who knows? We shall see!" 

I will try to keep this blog updated as we progress through treatment.  Thank you again for your prayers, your faith and your friendship.  They mean the world to us.