I know I haven't written in a while, and now I have "blogged" twice in the last two days. It seems the main theme of our lives here lately has been a day or two of big news, then hurry up and wait. With not much happening in the mean time. To let you know, there is also a new post just previous to this one, so there are actually two new ones. To begin, Rebecca and I went to my appointment with the surgeon yesterday. Going in, I had prepared myself to hear that my arm would require me to be off work for the next several weeks. I did not want to get my hopes up, and we had shifted gears and begin preparing ourselves for that. However, he told us the graft is now fully taken and the skin is strong, and that not only can I begin using my hand and arm again, but I will be able to go back to full duty next week! We are so grateful! I am really looking forward to going back to work. I still have to put ointment on it and keep it wrapped for the next two weeks. Then I will be able to expose it, only having to massage it each night, for a while, with Vitamin E Oil. He doesn't want to see me again until February. What a miracle!

I have been truly humbled yesterday and today. When Rebecca, Mom and I met with the surgeon that first day in his office, I never thought that only two months later I would be going back to work. I fully expected to be undergoing some kind of treatments, sick, and either in bed at home or the hospital. I saw on the news earlier this week the Rev. Billy Joe Daugherty had passed away. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma around the same time I was diagnosed. (For those of you not from around here, he is the pastor of a very large church in Tulsa called Victory. They have a school and Bible College as well.) Since they are somewhat associated with Oral Roberts University, I have met him a couple of times. He passed away while at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston. He had been battling an infection due to the chemo depleting his immune system. His was a cancer, statistically, that is much more treatable than mine. The long term survivability rates of mine are much more dim. My heart and prayers go out to him and his family and friends. But it caused me to realize that you just never know. By all rights I should have cancer somewhere else. Why am I healed and he is not? Why has my extreme, bad case, turned out to be such a miracle and his didn't. Who knows. It will be a question I ask my creator some day. What I do know is that illness and death are no respecter of persons or situations. And truly, bad things happen to good people. The results of free will and living in a world of sin. Mine is a miracle that is the result of love, prayers and support. Many times over the last several days I have gotten emotional just thinking about what a miracle this has been, and how blessed we are to have such great family, friends, and workplaces. I wish I could thank each of you face to face. But no matter what we do or say, we can never repay what we have been given, nor are there sufficient words in the English language to express or gratitude to all of you for the love, prayers, and support.

I wrote about mothers on my previous blog. I wrote about my mother and how our relationship has grown. I feel the same about my father. He has been there for me everyday, step by step. And I cannot thank him enough. I cannot imagine having gone through this without him. He has been here for us in every way imaginable. One of the biggest for me has been being able to pick up the phone and call my dad on those days where my head wasn't in a good place. Just talking to him, even if not about the cancer, always helps me get back to the right frame of mind. My parents have taught me so much about unconditional love and support, and continue to help me learn how to be a better parent. I wish I could express to you how much this experience has changed my family but I just cannot. I try and remember every day not to take for granted that we will always be here, and that life can change that at any moment. Again, what a great time to learn how to be truly grateful for my family. One of the other lesson's that my parents have taught me is that gratitude needs to be an everyday, vital part of my life.

It is so easy to get caught up in the everyday dealings and problems in life. It is easy to allow those things to get me down and frustrated. We have had our share of those things of late. Anna's tooth incident started this week off. After they got home from the dentist Sunday, Rebecca and I were sitting on the back porch and she told me that the dentist asked her at one point if we still have a certain dental insurance. She replied yes to which the dentist answered, "I wish you didn't". I told Rebecca, that is code for get ready for a huge bill. We will probably be paying of medical bills for years to come. Then Monday Rebecca lost her debit card. We had to cancel it. I picked up her paycheck from work this morning thinking we would be able to deposit it today, but no, the city post-dated it for Friday. It's always something. Gratitude. During these times it always helps me to take an inventory of myself and all the things I am grateful for. Amazing how well it works for me. And today, I am thankful to be alive, thankful for my wife, kids, and all my family and friends. Thankful that in this economy I have a good job. I am thankful I have a car to drive, clothes to wear, a warm house to live in. I am thankful that I live in a free country. I am thankful that I am not in a hospital or going through chemo. You know what is funny, today I am most grateful that I am again typing with two hands! Wow what I take for granted in life. Taking things for granted. Okay, I will save that for another day. This post is getting long I know.

Well I will stop now. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love each and everyone of you. My prayer is that all of you will have the best Thanksgiving ever. And that we all focus on what is important in life, and that's each other. May God bless you the way he has blessed us.

Remember everyday to put one foot in front of the other, drink a lot of water and don't forget to breath.........