Blessed in the Midst of Stage 4 Cancer

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings Yet not welcome any pain? Shall I thank You for days of sunshine Yet grumble in days of rain? Are You good only when I prosper... And God only when I’m well? You are good when I’m poor and needy... You still reign in the deepest valley You’re still God in the darkest night Oh let Your will be done in me In Your love I will abide Oh I long for nothing else As long as You are glorified (extracts from the song by Mark Altrogge) Appointments with the oncologist have gradually settled down to a regular monthly occurrence. Arriving at the cancer centre we check-in at the desk then wait for a while. Soon a nurse assistant measures Geoff’s weight and vital signs. Back to the waiting room for a while. Next the oncology registrar calls us in for a preliminary consultation. After a while the oncologist enters, usually followed by the lung cancer nurse. Working together as a team, they review Geoff’s present health and consider directions for ongoing tr...

“I think I’ve turned a corner!” declared Geoff to his parents when they visited just after Sliding into Shadows. A very different type of slide became his confidence-booster and a spirit-lifter for all of us. Geoff dusted off the old projector, opened his archive of meticulously labelled transparencies, and patiently arranged page after page of cardboard-framed history into magazines, ready for a family meander down memory lane. Beginning with a few ‘pre-historic’ photos taken half a century ago, the amusing images and Geoff’s clear recollections filled our hearts with hope and joy. How wonderful to share in laughter and see the long-buried sparkle shining again in Geoff’s eyes! A few months ago, reaching Geoff’s 59th birthday had seemed an impossible milestone. Blue skies and sunshine set the scene for our special day of celebration. Falling on a Sunday brought the added blessing of gathering in person for worship with our church. Afterwards, Geoff took initiative in speaking with fr...

Our ‘good’ days are out-numbering our ‘bad’ days. We are deeply thankful for improvement beyond anything that seemed possible. Though challenging times continue to be part of our journey, we are surrounded by love and assured that God is receiving the sweet aroma of our fellow pilgrims’ prayers. Many of our friends would be aware of the building project that Geoff and our sons launched into some time ago. Not surprisingly, progress stalled and Geoff’s love and concern for me brought a growing sense of anxiety over what he might leave behind. Through our children, God has provided wonderfully, yet as Geoff’s condition has improved so has his desire to be supportive and involved in doable manual tasks, “I don’t want to be lazy”! About the time of my last blog post, under Amos’ direction and with Zeke’s help Geoff began fixing up an old fibreglass slide to make it safe for our grandchildren. Now one might expect this would be a cause of celebration. Yet, sanding the slide didn’t go as smo...