The Shell and Faith in the Future

One View from the Balcony

Our visit to the Sunshine State is drawing to a close, and Midwesterners can stop telling us how mild the winter has been--we know. My only response is that when I get up in the morning, I look out at the Gulf of Mexico and view the sunset each evening over the same body of water. It has truly been a wonderful visit. While we have had plenty of visitors, I take one to three walks per day for a total of 9-13 miles. That sounds like a lot of time on the beach, and it is but for me the sand and the waves rolling up on the beach are very restful and tranquil.

Early morning walks are the best as the sun is not yet too high and I pretty much have the entire beach to myself. Yet, later walks that include Diane are fun as well as I get to hear snippets of conversations as we pass people. Beach walking is an interesting endeavor as most folks think they are invisible and that everyone else on the beach is deaf and cannot hear their conversations. Alas, such is not the case. As to the first point, our legion of walkers includes people of every size, weight, and age. They dress in ways they would never dress anywhere else. Skin remains uncovered in places and in amounts that would be cause for arrest anywhere else on the planet. As for the second point, the comments leave us hanging, "When he came home, he found her with..." "She's 25, he must be 60 and.." "All he does is..." "She always talks behind my back and just yesterday I heard her say.." "It isn't fair, Mom favors her when I'm the one who..." And so it goes--everyone has a story and wants to tell it.


This whole "people on the beach" phenomenon came to a head a couple of days ago when I found a huge shell. It is old, weathered, and no one wanted it UNTIL I picked it up. It is not pretty, not symmetrical, not colorful, full of holes, and just not much to look at from an aesthetic standpoint but "it is." It looked lonesome and "used up" so I plucked it up and thought "How many stories has this old shell seen play out over the years before I came upon it?" As I walked back to the condo shell in hand, I became an unintended celebrity. "Where did you get it?" "Do you know how old it is?" "Do you know how rare it is?” and best of all "Will you sell it to me?" My new friend sits on our wrap-around-balcony and will have new stories to tell as it is returning with us to Macomb. The shell will reside on our picnic table in the backyard where new adventures await. It's only a shell, but wherever it's been, the journey continues. I suppose the whole thing is a little corny but like my driftwood experience on Ft. Myers Beach in 2010, it has special meaning to me.

Gordy, Coach Mel Blasi, WIU Golf Team Members

As for faith in the future, Diane and I got a good look up close and personal. WIU Men's Golf Coach, Mel Blasi and seven of his student athletes stopped by, at our invitation, and we spent a few hours together. Each young man shook our hands, looked us directly in the eye, told us where they were from, and said thanks for inviting them. They swam, walked the beach, picked up shells, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and then it was off for dinner where their good manners were clearly on display. For an evening, Diane was proud to refer to them as "her boys" around the condo and its surroundings. They did not disappoint. If these young men are the future of this nation, and they are, then we are in good hands.

The original purpose of this blog was to inform our friends of the Taylor family experience as we dealt with base of tongue cancer. It has been just over two years since that first entry and much has happened. I still can't taste too much and the dry mouth is a constant issue, but by and large, I feel terrific and trust the future is bright. I will forever need to be cautious when eating as it can be a perilous activity. The other night I got something "stuck" and simply couldn't dislodge it. It wouldn't go down and it wouldn't come up, and I began to panic. We were in a restaurant so I got up and walked briskly to the parking lot where I finally got "it" to go down and things returned to normal but it was a bit of a scare. On April 11 I have my next "scope" in Burlington. If all goes well, and we have our fingers crossed, Diane and I agree that it is time to close our blog adventure. The intention was never to give me a "bloody pulpit" to share my views with the world but rather to inform and educate our friends as we lived through a difficult period in our lives. We're told the two-year anniversary (June 10th—ended radiation/chemo treatment) is a significant milestone, so we shall report back here after our April visit to the ENT doctor and hopefully close up shop.

Second Opinion--Decision Time

The last couple of days have been long, very long. I get headaches and neck pain every day and last night neither Diane or I slept very well-DUH. Dr. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital concurred with Dr. Henrich from West Burlington--no surgery, combination of radiation and chemo, a total of 35 treatments over 7 weeks with an 80% success rate. Not sure what happens to other 20% but decided it prudent not to ask. Major concern from Northwestern Dr. Pelzer was experience of Burlington doctor in charge of radiation and oncology, and a quick call provided that the 60 year old Dr. McGuiness has done hundreds if not thousands of these procedures at the University of Iowa so Burlington it is and I can live at home. I meet with the radiologist and oncologist (I HATE that word) over there on April 9th which seems like about three years from now.

The personal part of this is starting to really hit home. This whole experience has become very draining both physically and emotionally to both of us and certainly our family. Diane and I just never feel at the top of our game. Eating used to be a pleasure for me but now I eat to live. I'm sure it won't get better with treatment. More dark humor-after the appointment at Northwestern, we sat at a bar on North Michigan and in an unsuitable way and knack that only I possess, I looked over at Diane and said, "Boy you look terrible" to which she deftly replied, "You don't exactly look like George Clooney or even George Gobel for that matter." We both laughed and that seemed to release the tension. Hopefully the fact that some decisions have been made will relieve the tension we feel. Again, I mention these things both to possibly assist those of you who face similar travails in the future and maybe provide a little macabre comic relief.

We had lunch with Gordon III today and will have dinner with Ryan tonight. Tomorrow it is off to Zion for a brief visit with Diane's parents then back to Macomb as I have an "Across the Miles" on Thursday and Friday. OK, "That's the way it is, today, Monday, March 29, 2010." It is time to put on my "happy hat" and move forward with that positive mental attitude that so many of you fine folks appear to think I possess. Have a great day.