This week (actually Friday) marks a milestone in my life, but before I get there, I will tell a story to get us there. Most folks that know me (family, friends and coworkers) know that I am quite messy. Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but it runs in my family, and I received the pac-rat gene. For some odd reason, I think I need to keep everything because one day it will come in handy and I won't have to buy it, or need to shop for whatever it is. About 2-3 times a year, the cleaning bug will hit me and I just dump, trash and get rid of anything and the house or office looks good. Well, last week that started for me. Most of my summer trips were wrapping up, so I had time to clean the 4 foot pile of paper off my desk. You should also know that when I clean, it is in stages. Not everything at once, but portions each day, etc. So last week, I decided to clean my conference table and 1/4 of my desk. Strange yes, but it works for me. Monday started the 3/4 cleaning of the remainder of my desk. I think I filled the recycle bin twice with paper, post-it notes, etc. Each piece of paper I looked at to see if it was important to keep, or useless and recycle it. It took most of the day (if you know me, I take my time when I clean) and I was getting to the last 2-3 pieces of paper. To my surprise, the last piece I looked at had some interesting information on it. This piece of paper had the entire timeline of my journey with cancer. If you recall from a post almost a year ago, I had to recall the timeline for the paperwork for my doctor to fill out so I could return to work. This was that piece of paper. As I looked over the dates on the paper, I realized that Friday (tomorrow) is the one year anniversary of the diagnosis of thyroid cancer. It was a sobering moment to say the least.
In the Old Testament, God interacted with his people, such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and many others and had them place rocks or other items to serve as a reminder of what happened at that location and what God had done for his people. Those monuments or altars served as a reminder for God's people every time they passed those markers. Tomorrow will be a reminder for me of what God has done in my life until I am with him in heaven. It still amazes me that a year ago tomorrow, I was diagnosed with a life threatening disease. I never would have thought that would happen. I am also amazed at the incredible miracle of healing God has provided in my life to now be cancer free. My life has changed in so many ways. As I look back over the past year, I see the amazing impact the lives of my family and friends have had on my life, my work, my ministry, and especially my faith in God. God has given me so many blessings, and not until this trial in my life have I really appreciated what he has blessed me with. I am blessed with a wonderful family who loves me and want to walk through life with me, both good times and bad times. I am blessed with friends who keep me accountable, challenge me, encourage me, and keep me real. I am blessed with a wonderful job that allows me to be a vessel of clay in the potter's hands. I am blessed with some of the most passionate and loving co-workers I have ever known. I could go on and on.
Since this journey through cancer, I have many new blessings to be thankful for. I am thankful for a new respect and view of my health. I am thankful for health insurance. I am thankful for the friends i have around the world that pray for me and encourage me. I am also thankful for someone new in my life. Through this experience, I was reintroduced to an acquaintance from several years ago. Her name is Marti Colvin. She is a wonderful Christian lady that has become a very important person in my life. I have spent a majority of the summer away from her, and it just so happens that on the day of my one year anniversary of thyroid cancer diagnosis, I am joining up with Marti to enjoy a road trip through the Southwestern US. We will travel to several national parks and national monuments (including the Grand Canyon). I hope to share more about Marti and about the blessing she has been in my life during this journey.
This journey has been an interesting one, and I think I can even say now that I would not change this event in my life. It has opened my eyes to new experiences, perspectives and issues that I can now face and encourage others in light of God's grace. That's all for now, so I hope I haven't bored you, but have made you smile.
In His Grace,
Jeremy
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