The C Word

No one ever wants to hear the word cancer. With medical advances in the year 2015, new cancers are being discovered every day and no one can get away from it. Everyone is either directly or indirectly effected by this horrible disease. You have it or it's in your family, or you have friends who are dealing with it, or their family. There is no seven degrees of separation when it comes to cancer. At worst, there is none. I've had people in my family that have had cancer and beaten it. And now comes a time when I have a person in my family that has cancer and it is beating him.

I've been blessed to call this man my second father. He raised an amazing, independent man who is now my husband. He has changed leaps and bounds from the man I first met seven years ago. He has grown into a strong Christian man who has used the struggles in his life to encourage others and bring recognition to our Lord. There's no greater achievement in life...not even beating cancer.

As I ponder on what the fate of our family will be in the coming weeks and months, I can't help but be jealous that he'll get to see those pearly gates first. He'll get to rest in Abraham's bosom first. He'll get to know what angels' singing really sounds like. We will miss him terribly here, but there's no greater comfort than knowing he's not hurting anymore. I hope that he'll be watching and smiling as his granddaughters grow up and become beautiful young ladies. I hope that he'll be watching and smiling as his children's' lives continue and change and that he'll be proud of the decisions that we make for our families. He will forever look like this in my memories:

This is all a part of life. It hurts my heart to see my husband hurting but he posed a very real question tonight; "why did sin have to come into this world?" It's almost one of those questions you would expect from a child but when these situations arise, that's exactly the question you ask yourself. Why did sin have to come? Why did the devil have to exist? Why did that serpent tempt Eve and ruin it for everyone? One answer: God's plan. Yes, I fully believe that God knew Satan would temp Eve and that she would give in. I also know that he had a plan to remedy it from the beginning: Jesus. Jesus is the only solution to all of the evil and sin in this world. Because he died and rose and beat death, we don't have to fear death. It's only a transition for us into the next life, the eternal one, the real one.

Ray will be transitioning soon. Too soon for us here, but I know that he's ready. We greatly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers everyone has sent up on behalf of Ray and we solicit prayers for our family going forward. It's going to be difficult and long but I know with family and friends and God, nothing is too much for us.

God bless