Round 2, Day 1 Thoughts

You are on my side
You go before me
You stand behind...

Nothing on this earth can ever separate me from your love...

"On My Side" Kim Walker


Today's (Friday's) admittance to the hospital found us on a different cancer floor with different nurses. We just assumed we would be in the same area as last time. After all, we had become familiar with it. I knew where the showers, towels, extra blankets, pillows, exercise bikes, and patient/family free snack center was located.

Stew had developed a camaraderie with those caring for him, and we had walked many times around the nurses station sharing laughs and conversations while we were there three weeks ago. 26 times equals 1 mile by the way. And, even though it had only been a three day stay, we felt we were returning to a comfortable place. At least, as comfortable of a place as it can be when you are having chemo.

But, God had gone before us once again, and was about to take us to another place where we would see His kindness and know His loving care.

So, we should not have been surprised when in the course of a conversation his nurse mentioned she had worked in the stem cell transplant center for 19 years before changing to what she was now doing on the infusion floors, but we were.  As Stew and I asked a few generic questions about stem cell treatments and care in general, we learned some of what may be ahead for us.  We saw just a glimpse of the challenges, life style changes, and the extraordinary length of time the process truly takes as the body fights its way back to health and wholeness. It was definitely a reality check.

Yet, God knew we needed to hear from just one person who had experienced or knew something about what we were praying wisdom for, and He opened that door.  He had us walk past one place of comfortableness to another place of faith and rest in Him.

By that one conversation He increased our hope and revealed to us once again His kindness and pro-activeness on the behalf of His children. He truly is "on our side", and when we "let him" He reveals it to us over and over again.

Oh, and a side benefit, Stew got to wear a pink and white mask. 😉 You can't tell it, but he really is smiling. As our daughter said,  "Only real men wear pink."


But, I still think blue is his best color!



More tomorrow...

With love, prayers, and gratitude,
Stew and Deb

Faces to the Wall