Lost in Alabama

Nancy and I visited Jeff and Jan in Alabama earlier this year. Jeff and I would go out on long trail runs through the Alabama woods, swatting black flies all the way. We got lost once but obviously found our way back.

A few months later, I saw a Magellan Portable GPS on sale at Fry's for $49.95. I sent one to Jeff so he could carry it on his trail runs. It shows you the way back to your destination.

Like most people on a hectic schedule, he didn't bother to check it out until one day when he got lost and was hard pressed to find his way out. Now I am sure he uses it when he goes out into unfamiliar territory.

Here are a few factoids for you techies; Navstar, the Global Positioning System, consists of (24) solar-powered satellites orbiting twice a day 12,000 miles above the Earth. Each satellite weighs 2,000 pounds, has a 10-year life, is 17' across, and transmits a signal using 50 watts of power. The signal picked up by a GPS Receiver will tell you your exact location on Earth within 3 meters.

We have been on a journey with Val for fourteen months. Like the Alabama woods, this is a strange new territory for us. We long ago sailed out of the safe harbor for the high seas. Our decisions on which way to go are always presented to our God. And His stamp of approval is on every decision made. He is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

C.S. Lewis wrote, "We are not living in a world where all roads are radii of a circle, which, if followed long enough, will draw nearer and finally meet; rather in a world where every road, after a few miles, forks into two, and each of those into two again, and at each fork you must make a decision." Life is not like a river but like a tree.

Tough decisions were made this week. Stay the course for our scheduled CT scan last night and Chemo 26 today. Very hard for Val and Chris in light of all the holiday activities and the beginning of baseball camp for Gavin and Ryan.

But stay the course they did and I am very grateful for their sacrifice. I talked to Val just a few minutes ago as they hit the I-5 parking lot in L.A. Her blood numbers are dramatically improved (Bilirubin, ALT, and AST way down) except for a white blood cell count of 12.2 (normal is 3.2). This is an indicator of fighting an infection. Please pray that we are on the downside of this battle rather than the upside.

The pictures show no growth on the big tumor but some other undefined image change in the liver. We will have to wait for the Radiologist's report next Tuesday but Dr. Lenz doesn't necessarily see it as cancer activity because the blood numbers are so improved. He did tell her to keep a low stress level to assist in fighting any infection. This is do-able.

And so, beloved, I look forward to 2007 with great expectations. A well-meaning soul once asked me, "how long can we keep Val with us?"

My answer; we are, by God's grace, the prayers of the Saints, and the physician's skills, keeping Val with us . "How long" does not fit into our plan.

Thank you for your prayers for Val. I look forward to thanking each of you personally when I see you at the Marriage Supper of The Lamb.

Regarding our life on Earth, Lewis wrote,"But what, you ask, of Earth? Earth, I think, will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think Earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in Hell; and Earth ,if put second to Heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of Heaven itself."

Julie and the kids are coming next Tuesday. We are all planning an outing to LegoLand.


Merry Christmas Beloved of God