Treasures Weren't Hard to Find

I’ve been thinking about how to post this for a very long time. We’ve been working through some challenges for what seems like a very long time. Actually it’s more like 8 weeks but it can seem long when news is uncertain and the future looks scary. I’ve even considered NOT posting about it…after all, the 3 people that read this on a regular basis are already in the loop so really…what’s to tell??

But since this blog is serving as a little piece of Grant Family History, I might like to come back one day when the dust has settled and see just how we plowed our way through…..so here goes…

How to say it…
What to say…cuz really, I hate even typing the words….

my dad has cancer…there, I said it.

He was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in mid November. In many ways, a huge relief to KNOW what we’re dealing with and get a firm plan for treatment. He’s been losing energy and just not the Dad I know for quite some time. This kind of cancer is found in the plasma cells which are in the bone marrow. There’s no surgery to remove anything…it’s a little more convoluted than that – it’s in his blood/bones which means it’s everywhere and it’s a painful, very painful disease. He’s beginning chemo right now and this involves a slow introduction of some hard-core drugs to start the journey to what we hope will be some semblance of normal for him.

For my Dad, the lover of the lawnmower, washing cars, eating out and doing whatever is needed at the church he’s been a member of for a gazillion years, feeling tired and extremely weak is no easy adjustment. He is sleeping A LOT and taking meds to manage the bone pain and back pain. Just not a whole lot of fun.

So, it stinks…I mean really, it stinks bad. It feels like a roller coaster already and we haven’t begun the hard stuff yet. It’ll get far worse for Dad before it gets better – we are under no illusion how things might progress.

I could give a laundry list of all the yuck; really, I am naturally more of a “glass half empty” girl – hate to admit it but it’s true. Even a pessimist like me can’t argue with what I’ve seen and felt so often these last several weeks. There have been so many rays of light through all of this,and I am convinced that it’s essential both for my Dad’s health and my mental outlook, that I MUST find the gifts in all of this. In some odd way, I want to be thankful for this whole situation. (See people, I WAS paying attention in our last Bible Study!!).

• The weekend in October with Mom and Dad. We enjoyed a beautiful Saturday on the water in Charleston. Great great day. The “c” word was not a part of our daily vocabulary that weekend 8 weeks ago…no dark cloud looming, only beautiful sunny clear SC skies.
• At least once a day, I get a phone call, voice mail or email message from someone who is holding us up in prayer. Family and friends who love us and think of us a lot. The list of names would be long….you know who you are.
• The meal my parents received from an old high school friend. Since graduation I’ve probably seen her only a handful of times and we don’t keep in regular contact but she prepared a meal and fed my parents and I am deeply grateful.
• The 2 “medical experts” I have in my life – my cousin Jettie and my friend Kellie. They have been nothing short of angels through this -- taking my incessant phone calls, listening to my cries for help and offering answers and information whenever I’ve needed it.
• Some special girls who have taken Winston after school for me this week so I can be in VA and Joe can still be at work. Such a load off my plate knowing he is in good hands until I can return. My deepest thanks Holly and Katie.
• The time we’ve spent recently with my dear cousin Janet….we’ve invaded her home for 2 weekends in a row now and many moments during those visits, the “C” word was not the topic of conversation. A nice and much needed break from our current reality.
• The beautiful and very cold day we just spent with Winston at Bank of America Stadium watching him cheer on his beloved Carolina Panthers. This will be post all its own later.
• Certainly not last and not least…the gift of a man I am married to and the blessings of those little people who call me Mama. They prop me up and keep me grounded every single day.
  
  It’s so hard to be thankful for this situation but I’m working on it and I do know that I am thankful for the moments of light and the reminders I get ALL THE TIME that God is near and He is in control.