In the Book of Mormon, there is a record of a family who traveled from the Tower of Babel to the American continent. The family of Jared soon received their first glimpse of a vast, stormy ocean, having been required of the Lord to crawl into some mysterious air-tight vessels they were promised would carry them safely to a better place. As they gazed into the deep, moving water, they breathed the unfamiliar sea salt and felt the ice cold water lap at their feet. "What will become of our family?" "Can we do this thing that God requires of us?"

These were the questions we asked as our family stood on the edge of a new journey in February 2011. Before Cathi was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, we saw the waves of an unfamiliar storm brewing and felt the fear of anticipation. When the cancer was certain, our family was required to wade into the cold water, crawl into a mysterious vessel and trust the Lord would be in charge.

The family of Jared was given stones touched by the finger of the Lord that provided light inside their vessels "that they might not cross the great waters in darkness......and it came to pass that...(they) set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." Read the rest: http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng

This blog is the captain's log of our family's journey. It will serve to keep all of you updated on Cathi's condition but also be a place where I can express the lessons we are learning so that it might be a source of strength for others who are going through difficult challenges. We are certainly not unique in this regard. I hope to continue trusting in the light we have been given and to lead our family when we are encompassed by the dark ocean or tossed by its waves. We sincerely seek for your faith in asking the Lord to calm the water, give strength beyond our own and lead all of us of us to a better place.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Cathi Update

Cathi is doing GREAT! Since her trip to the ER Sunday night, her bones have ached a little because of a shot she was given to increase her white blood cell count. She also is having more of a "metal" taste in her mouth and needs to take several naps during the day, but she's eating normally and is otherwise her old self. If you talk to her, you'll notice her voice is still raspy from the biopsy surgery over a month ago, but hopefully that will get better in time.

Our son Sam just drove in last night from Provo, UT and we get to keep him for a week while he takes a break from school. He hadn't seen Cathi since before we learned about her cancer. He really struggled with the news after we called him in February. The minute he opened our door last night, he went searching for his Mom...it was pretty neat to see them embrace...and for him to see how well she's doing.

We're now preparing for the next stage...hair loss! Cathi has ordered two wigs and Sam brought his clippers from Provo and has volunteered to do the honors before going back to school. (The irony here is that Cathi has always protested Sam's extreme hair styles...fairly long and flowing in highschool and buzzed quite short before and after his mission.) I've suggested that we either give her a mohawk like Mr T or one of those "bald on top with hair on the sides" look like Larry on the Three Stooges before shaving it all off. She seems to be pretty willing to let us all have our fun...love that woman!



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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 20, 2011 at 8:23 AM

    You have a great family and yes, the UTI can be the worst kind of flu feeling in the world. Give her a hug from us! Love you guys.

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  2. AnonymousApril 20, 2011 at 12:43 PM

    So happy to hear she is doing so well!! What a trooper! I say "Give her a mohawk...she deserves a little bit of a wild streak!" May God continue to comfort and guide you all through this tender time!

    Love,
    Robyn

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  3. TXboomApril 20, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    I'm votin' for the "T" look. She might have to lift a few weights between naps to make it look right. I'll tip Sam generously if he will do the "T". ;-)
    We love you and continue to pray for the safety of all crew members, knowing that ultimately the journey will be great, ensured by the giver of life Himself, whose gift of light and life we celebrate this weekend, even our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our love to you and your family, Grant and Laurelle

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  4. DebApril 21, 2011 at 1:02 PM

    I don't know how you guys do it. I am so impressed by your faith and endurance. Thanks for being such great examples. I don't even know Cathi, but please tell her how grateful I am for her example!

    -Deb Brey

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