Christmas On Our Minds

I can't begin to express my pure joy and happiness knowing Dad's radiation treatment is over. He went through 6 long weeks of radiation (total: 30 treatments) and I have never been more proud of him. I know it's been a common theme throughout my different posts- but that man's determination and attitude completely blows me away, and I just can't share that enough with people. 

I had the privilege of taking my dad to numerous radiation treatments throughout the past 6 weeks. Each one seemed very similar- walk in, wait, Dad receives his treatment, and we return home- although each experience a bit different because of each person I would meet. I recently had a friend ask me if it was depressing going to a place where everyone waiting was fighting this horrible disease. These visits weren't depressing, they were far from that- they were inspiring and comforting. 

Like I said in an earlier post- from the outside looking in our situation looks depressing, but from the inside looking out that couldn't be farther from the truth. When you are waiting for radiation treatment you are surrounded by people who really understand what you're going through. They are either caregivers or currently fighting the disease- they understand the daily struggles, they understand the good days and the bad days, they just get it. I talked to all of them, never asking for too many details (unless they wanted to share), and we spoke about their struggles- some extremely ill, others who were handling the treatment well. One lady impacted me tremendously, as she was fighting esophageal cancer. This lady was an employee at the Brenham High School while I attended, and right after she retired she got sick. Her body wasn't reacting well to the treatment and she had been extremely ill. On Friday, I couldn't help but be excited Dad was finishing that day, and she too shared the excitement with me. She too shared this excitement, even though she was extremely sick from the treatment and had 7 more days remaining. I spoke with her for a while and we shared our fears of the future, our fears of the unknown and our faith. I told her that I always tell Mom when she is having moments of fear- "Fear can keep us up all night, but faith makes one great pillow." She just smiled. 

She inspired me that day. She truly understood our struggle and we truly understood hers. It's comforting being surrounded by people that are just like you, fighting this disease that has completely changed our lives. 

So to say my weekly visits were depressing couldn't be farther from the truth- as they inspired me. Inspired me to relate to others, inspired me to share my story and reminded me that there is always someone fighting a more difficult battle. 

There are many people that understand our battle, my dad's fight, and there are many that may not truly understand but go out of their way to make life a little easier for my family. To those people, there are no words to thank you enough. Through this experience I'm reminded how truly good people are, and I'm reminded that some people just don't get it. But to those people, to those people who are making life a bit difficult for my family (i.e. upper "management" at my Mom's place of employment), I would love to yell and scream and tell you exactly how I feel- but I realize that wouldn't fix anything and it takes so much more energy to be angry. Instead, instead of wasting my time and energy on being angry, I decided I'm praying for these people. I pray that they never have to experience what we are going through as a family, and if they ever do, people will be more understanding than they are to my Mom. 

I have a board in my bathroom that I put quotes on randomly- just so Mom can see them throughout the week- it's my way of telling her it's all going to be ok. This week I selected a verse from Romans 8:18-
"What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later." 

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday with their family and friends.