Looking at the big picture makes it easier to tolerate most anything. I firmly believe that while my immediate future is sort of grim, the ultimate result will be very positive.I am reminded of the article I wrote for the Western News about WIU's Head Football Coach, Bruce Craddock, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Here's what I wrote:
In February 1990, I was sitting in my office alone one morning with my thoughts. It was terrible outside: a freezing, subzero day with arctic winds. It was so bad classes had even been suspended. I was the only one in our office who made it in that day. As I sat at my desk reading the just published Western News, the phone rang. Who in the world would be calling on a day like this. It was Bruce Craddock. He called to tell me thanks for putting an update about his condition in the Western News. I will never forget that conversation. He said in that raspy voice of his, "Hi Gordy, it's me Bruce, how ya doing buddy?" There was no response from me. I simply couldn't get anything out. A lump the size of a watermelon had formed in my throat. How could this man, literally on his death bed, call me, tell me thanks, and ask how I was feeling? The answer was simple. It was Bruce Craddock. I'm sure he was smiling. He still maintained his positive attitude. I finally regained my compusure, and we had a nice visit. Two weeks later he died. Perspective.
It is no secret that I am not a patient man, but I'm learning. What choice do I have? On my walk today I was lamenting how it seems my treatment activation is delayed day by day. Then I thought about General Eisenhower in the days leading up to the Normandy invasion as he contemplated the magnitude of the human sacrifice that was about to be made. Maybe it's because I like history, but then I had a vision of Harry Truman deciding whether or not to drop the bomb on Hiroshima. What must it have been like for those two men sitting behind their desks as these extraordinary events unfolded around them. Soooo I can wait a few more days to begin treatment. Patience.
Again, on my walk (these are really good for me) I thought about what a great day it is or as Bruce Craddock would say, "It's great to be a Leatherneck!" I am, at least in my own mind, the Tulip King of Macomb. Every fall, I dig up my beds and replant them with literally hundreds of fresh tulip bulbs. In the spring, I get my reward as our yard is a blaze with Holland's finest. The attached photo is from this year's crop and taken only yesterday by Diane. There is something renewing about spring, flowers in bloom, yards turning green, and leaves returning to trees after a long winter. For me, I get to share my situation with the rebirth that comes with spring as opposed to facing this during the gloomy months of winter. Tulips!
Today it's off to see a surgeon who will discuss the newest addition to my body: the feeding tube!
Great tulips Gordy! Nothing is as reassuring as nature is it? Last year I watched two Canada geese going through their mating ritual on the ice of my frozen pond. They were making their "commitment" with the faith that the air would warm, the ice would melt, and their hatchlings would enjoy a kinder world. It did. Guess we all just have to keep the faith. Having sex on a frozen pond is optional.
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