7.19.2011

Questions lead to bone chills

Our daughter Haley is now 11. That in itself scares me as I know pretty soon we will have a teenager on our hands. And I fear teenagers. Because I was the worst kind of teenager.
But I know she will be just fine. It's everyone else's kids around her that scare me.

So anyway, we were driving down the road talking about something when Haley asked us what a P.A. was. Well, it's a Physicians Assistant. Someone who has been trained like a doctor but is generally more available for illnesses like the common cold or sinus infections. And if you are more sick than just a little cold, they know to hand you off to a doctor.
That's what we told her.
And then I turned to Evan and said that one of the thoughts I have regularly is wondering what would be different if he had seen a P.A. on the day that his cancer was found "by accident".
Let me first say that I think P.A.s are more than capable of finding all kinds of illnesses. And I am a fan of P.A.s in general.
But in Evan's story, his cancer was discovered because a doctor had missed a diagnosis in his Residency and has been paranoid his entire career about people's necks. So the story took this man being in the right place at the right time for Evan's cancer to be found.
Do you believe in God yet?
Because God put that man there. That Doctor. Not the P.A. or other doctor that Evan normally would have seen. That doctor. The one that was paranoid about necks.

So back to the story where we are talking to Haley. After I blurted out to Evan about how that day could have gone differently if he had seen a different doctor or P.A., Haley heard us talking and said, "So that doctor saved your life?".
Que spine chills.
She truly understood what went on with her dad's health.
She too was a part of the story.
The then 9 and 10 year old girl that watched a Jesus story unfold in the form of cancer in her daddy's body.
And my desire for her is that she will learn the story so well that she will share it with those she encounters in her life. And she will tell them about that doctor but also the Great Physician that saved her dad.
I don't worry about her believing in Jesus anymore. She has seen Him work.
How cool is that?

7.05.2011

Sock it to ya


The Peachtree Road Race. An event I had no business being a part of. Except for maybe sitting on the side of the course, atop a cooler, eating a doughnut.
But no. I decided I needed to be one of the cool kids.
And you know what? I finished it damn it.
The whole 6.2 miles. I did it.
I walked most of the way. But I walked like a champ.
And I did it in style. Striped socks and all.
And at the finish I got to see my baby girl and the man of my dreams who finished 17 minutes ahead of me.
But they were there waiting. Because they knew I could do it.
Yep- I can do anything. Because I am motivated by a desire to be the best I can be for my family.
Once I was weak, but now I am strong.
The sky is the limit. Who knows what I might try next!