Waiting...

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.


Lamentations 3: 25-26


Marc started treatment #6 today. We are half way there! His blood counts remain good and his side effects are not serious enough to back off his current regimen. Next week he goes for his first CT scan since diagnosis. We will find out exactly how much the tumor has regressed. I am anxiously praying for that day. We are hoping for dramatic results. We could really use some good news right now.

This treatment cycle appears to be a difficult one from the get-go. He hadn't been in the chair for an hour when the typical side effects kicked in. Please pray for Marc that he is able to tolerate this round without lasting effects. Surviving cancer is a daunting task -- both physically and emotionally. I would like my hubby intact in both respects when this is all over!

Thank you all for your kind notes and words of encouragement over the past few weeks. We are finding this cancer lifestyle to be difficult and emotional. It occurred to me while we were in the waiting room today that that is all we can do right now: Wait. It's hard to wait. In our immediate gratification culture I am not programmed to be patient and to wait for much of anything. So, the fact that we were forced to wait a month during the diagnostic phase was tough. We waited each and every painful day to find out exactly what Marc had. After the diagnosis, we started treatment. Now we wait anxiously to find out if the treatment is working and how well. If we should be so blessed that he goes into remission, we will wait and see if it relapses. A new lifestyle....a life of waiting.

I get really agitated when I think about this new aspect of our lives. We have no choice, but to wait. We can't rush this along. There is nothing I can do to fix this, no amount of anxiety and worrying makes it better, and we can't hurry along the process. I am forced to wait. Today I realized I do have a choice, though. I can choose to be anxious and agitated, my impatience wearing me down and taking me to dark places. Or, I can trust in the Lord. As I think about it, there is nowhere in the Bible that tells us to be impatient with, or to rush, God. Very little good has come out of that tactic historically. Quite the contrary. We are asked to be still, wait quietly, and trust in Him. Perhaps the blessing will come in the waiting. Seems hard to imagine, but He hasn't let me down yet. Sigh. One more hard lesson to learn.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. We remain ever grateful and humbled by the blessings of our many relationships.

With love and gratitude...