Yay! + Yuck!

The pain and the pleasure go together!

Those were the words that popped into my mind

As I stood at the back of the Burwell Coffee Oasis

Listening to a hundred plus people singing songs of praise to God

At a Sunday morning church gathering

While at the same time as a family

Experiencing a very difficult time

And wondering...

Should I be doing this?

Pastoring a growing church

Directing a non-profit serving homeless youth

When our lives were anything  but "put together"?

The pain and the pleasure go together

That's been this cancer journey for me...

A lot of hard

A lot of good 

As I've seen God in His amazing 

Goodness and Greatness

Use the hard to accomplish the good!

That's been again the experience of the past couple of weeks

After my last blog...

My oncologist immediately got approval 

For me to have a chemotherapy treatment

Two different chemo drugs that I had not previously had

In an effort to deal with the cancer invasion

Into my lymph system

And its impact on my mobility

Rendering me incapable of walking without assistance.

It is working!!

I am now able to walk again 

With the slight aid of a cane for stability

The swelling decreasing

The pain lessening

That is the...YAY!!

I am thankful...

Oh...but the YUCK!

It has been hard

As the chemo has ravaged my digestive system

Seven straight days of hiccups!

Phlegm that blocks my airway

Rendering me unable to breathe

For several seconds at a time!

Scary!!

The pain and the pleasure go together

I am thankful...

It is scary...

What is next

I do not know what it will be

Whether entering into eternity or

Living many more years on earth?

What I am learning

Is that 

The pain and the pleasure go together

And the more I trust in

The goodness and greatness of God

In the midst of this very hard journey

The more content

I am daily to live today!

Enduring the pain

Enjoying the pleasure...

Thanks again for listening

And walking with Cindy and I through this cancer journey.

You are a blessing!

Dave