Thank you, O. :)

It is really a nice surprise—it fills me with wonder.

Very Good Morning, glad to hear you are feeling better, find a way to keep the stress at a manageable level okay?

badge

Yes.

Things have calmed down, and I think I’ve got my schedule straight for now. :)

I hope you do something today that makes you feel really good, Gilmer.

xxx

ah yes, the schedule.
somewhere, i have a card that says something like: she decided to schedule some daily time to marvel at the amazingness of it all.

so glad you have those times of seeing.

good day to you.

Dearest Gilmer, I have always found you to be so very inspirational. You have ascended to the top of my inspiration mountain.

Sending you so much love and support.

I am going over to see my matron of honor today.

I just wrote a three-page letter to an old friend I hadn’t talked to since 2002.

I loved writing it. It delivered the news, but it wasn’t sad.

I laughed out loud at this! Kids - :lmao . Too funny!

Thank you, Leigh. :)

Kathy,
I just caught up on your thread. When I saw Boca I wanted to tell you about the snorkeling right off the public beach. Someone beat me to it. There are a series of big boulders about 30 feet offshore in not more than ten feet of water, put there as an artificial reef. My grandmother lived there as well as my aunt and uncle, all but my aunt gone now. For several years we took a couple of weeks with our two boys who were 10 and 12 at first and taught my SH (Significant Harassment of 43 years) and both boys how to snorkel and do deeper dives before taking them out to do the longer swim out to the Delray wreck. Do snorkel the public beach. You can't see the boulders because sitting on top of one your head is barely out of the water, they're at least a foot under. Lots of fish and other marine life. We wanted to do the John Pinnecamp underwater park off Key Largo. It makes for a delightful day with no more effort than walking 30 feet.

Your husband will be lost no matter the prep you try to make. Many times the wives outlive their husbands. Mine was just recently gone for three weeks to help with our new granddaughter. I hated it even knowing she was coming back. Some of us guys don't do well without a woman's supervision. I hope your guy goes easy on himself afterwards. No one lives a life with no regrets.

Kathy you've been special sharing your research with me. Though from different beliefs it is a pleasure when we can meet and share knowledge.

Here is one for us all I wrote:

Think we’re only here to help you, when we send you daily prayer?
Never realizing your courage, helps us all with what you’ve shared,
For you all have taken chances, self- disclosed, that’s really rare,
But for all the grace of our God, we could find ourselves right there.

So you’ve given us a benchmark, of just what it really takes,
To go out and meet the challenge, when the fates put on the brakes,
To the life we took for granted, to the love we’d not forsake,
And the sudden realization, that we all could share your fate.

So I'll try to pass along, and acknowledge that I see,
Things I hadn't thought through, things I now see differently,
Those I cherish just may have to, earlier than hoped take leave,
Or the roles might be reversed, they might have to care for me.

Some will make it past the gates, that threaten simple lives,
Rise again, recovered, once again their spirit thrive,
Upon the love that always was the reason we survived,
Without them would we only feel, that we had been deprived?

For those who suffer, losses deep, I have one thing to say,
Would you have them, have to do, what you went through today?
Or would you rather spare them, all the pain you had to take,
Be the one to be the rock, that helped them on their way?

I’ve lost some too, who've loved me, as I loved each one of them,
Rather than remorse, and mortal pain on requiem,
I shall smile, and think on all, good times and not condemn,
Them for leaving, me in grieving,
With no rose, and just the stem.

Celebrate the time you had, cherish moments spent with them.

© Itchy 1997-2004 All Rights Reserved. Three rights is left.

Lots of hugs for you Kathy. :grouphug:

You're never far from my thoughts, Kathy. We cherish you.

Thank you guys. Thank you, especially, Itchy.

That is a deeply beautiful and encouraging poem, in the sense that it gives me vision and courage. Thank you.

At first I bitterly resented having to be the roc—I was too panic stricken myself—but after I came to terms with things in my own mind, I accepted that the gift of equilibrium I’d been given was something that definitely needed to be made available.

I have enjoyed and been enriched by our discussions, too.

:Valdog:Thinking of you dear Gilmer....
Lots of hugs and support,
Croutie

I am just stopping by to drop off some hugs of admiration for you as you take this journey.

And to say "thank you" to Itchy, those words touched my heart.

This afternoon I visited another old friend and her husband, plus their son.

Their son is in a bad place, and is facing a lot of trouble.

When I found out officially that I had cancer and it was terminal, I asked if they would be amenable to my offering up my suffering for the growth and strengthening of his soul.

That is a Catholic tradition, and they used to be have very antagonistic attitudes towards Catholicism;, so I figured I’d better ask first.

They were deeply moved, accepted most gratefully, and invited me over today to visit them, and meet and encourage their son.

His parents and I had a great meeting. My wife showed me their unique and beautiful house, which they had renovated with their own hands and decorated in a really cool way. Then her husband came in from the garage to give me a hug. He was carrying a long, pointed rasp, and my friend said, “Careful, M.”

I stepped back and looked at it and said, “Hey, why wait six months?”

The macabre humor broke the ice. :)

Their son came in and said hi, then fixed himself some lunch. He didn’t get involved in the discussion at first, but eavesdropped. His dad eventually said, “B. likes to be isolated.”

I looked at him and smiled, and said, yeah, so does my son. He always kept his hair long and even uncombed, and his beard totally unkempt and down to his chest, and wore really crappy clothes on purpose: to look like a homeless person so customers would avoid him!”

He cracked a smile!

He sat down with us after lunch and we all had a pleasant conversation. Much of it was lighthearted—some was serious, about my cancer. We spoke of how I felt about the prospect of dying, and my longing to be free from my ball and chain of sin for pure and uncorrupted union with the Lord.

It got around to my relationship with his mom and dad—what I was like when I was young, and how his parents helped to guide me out of cluelessness.

I reminded them of some of the outrageous comments they made during my learning curve, and they were shocked, “Oh, no! Did we say THAT?”

The seriousness was punctuated with many funny anecdotes.

The direction of the conversation wasn’t planned—it just kind of meandered—but eventually the husband asked me if I had any words for B.

I told him that I intended to offer up all the suffering of my cancer in prayer for the health, peace, and growth of his soul, and that he would have the strength to trust in Christ to perfect him through the very difficult trials he is certain to face.

I said, granted, the only thing I’ve got to offer up right now is sort of a dull stomach ache—but hey, it’s all yours!

He grinned.

Realistically I’m sure the guy had been cringing at the thought of enduring a conversation with his parents’s female friend—I was a little apprehensive and awkward at first, too—but I think it ended up okay or even a bit better.

For my part, I had a delightful time. I know my friends did too—and I truly believe their son thought it went “better than a sharp stick in the eye.”

Very full and rich day.

That is really moving Kathy. Offering up for your friends son is a very beautiful act. You are a really beautiful person.

M ♥♥♥

It’s just the faith I was taught as a child, a meaningful way to make lemonade out of lemons.

Your words and actions are very inspiring, Gilmer.

One thing that my friend’s husband brought up about wearing goggles that may totally throw a wrench into my snorkeling plans: I am practically blind without my glasses.

He said he knows a nearsighted kid who does a lot of snorkeling, and he has prescription goggles!

That would be a colossal waste of money for me—but I wonder how cheap soft contacts are these days, or if my eyes can even tolerate them.