One Year

Today is the anniversary of my diagnosis. I can honestly say that I didn’t think I’d make it this far. I don’t feel in a celebratory mood, more solemn and reflective. I began the day by going to Mass. Needless to say God has guided me through this and I had to give thanks. The daily Mass is offered in the chapel which is much smaller than the church where Sunday Mass is offered. It provides a much more personal experience which suited me very well. I don’t think it was coincidental that three very meaningful things occurred. As I was waiting for the Mass to begin a lady walked in and sat down several seats away from me. I overheard her tell the lady next to her, through tears, that her son died at three o’clock this morning. I thought of my mother. In his homily, the priest said that we should give thanks to God. He said that if we are wondering what we should give thanks for, we should be thankful for being here today. We should be thankful for being able to walk and to breathe. How appropriate is that for me? The third thing was that my angel was there. The priest welcomed Sr. Sylvia back. Apparently she has been away for a while and today was her first day back. Nice timing Sister. Sr. Sylvia is my angel because I believe that if I survive long term it will be a miracle and Sr. Sylvia delivered that miracle. If you haven’t read that story you can see it in my January 26th post. After Mass I brought flowers to the people at my oncologist’s office to thank them for all they’ve done, especially Dr. George who has kept me alive. I brought flowers to my mother who has provided unending optimism throughout the past year. I brought a planter (she doesn’t like flowers) to Terry who has carried me, almost literally at times, through the past year. I want to thank my children, Heather and AJ for filling my days with love. And I’d like to thank all of you for your support, encouragement and prayers. Not much more than a week ago I feared that I would mark this one year anniversary with bad PET scan results, putting a damper on it. Reaching this point and being blessed with positive results as well gives me hope for making it further. _________________________________________