God is good. Always.

As some of you know, we have had some very dark days in the last couple of months.  Dave's cancer came back (they said it would) and he started chemo again in December.  His second treatment at the beginning of the year, knocked him to the ground, literally.  He has been fighting to regain his ability to fight infection (12 days in the hospital in January) and feel like a halfway normal person again.  Many, many days he fought fevers and nausea, with only enough energy to change positions from the bed to the couch to the chair.  He hasn't been this skinny since high school.

The good news is that things are improving.  He goes to Longmont every day to get a shot to boost his immune system and slowly, very slowly, his white counts are coming up and they are taking him off of some of the many drugs he has been on.  He is feeling more like his old self, although with a lot less strength and stamina.  He has a long way to go and we don't know how long that will take, but we are encouraged for movement in a positive direction.

Through all this, we have carried each other over the rough spots with encouragement, humor and a deeper understanding of what it means to be committed for a life time.  Being the caregiver can be hard, not the physical effort as much as the emotional toll it takes when you can't do enough for the one you love.  God in his infinite wisdom, put a book in my path that has made all the difference.  It is called, "One Thousand Gifts", by Ann Voskamp.  I highly recommend it.  I am on my second reading and I come away with a new truth every time I open it.  "One Thousand Gifts" is a celebration of grace and a recognition of the power of gratitude.

This experience has also shown me that I can go through anything as long as I count it all as grace.  There is joy right where I am at, even in the dark times.  God is good. Always.