I didn't mention any of this on Facebook and only talked about it with a few friends. First, Facebook, for me at least, is just a way to share fun. I prefer not to be too serious, political, or bring anyone down while I'm on Facebook. I'm not saying everyone should be like me. It's just how I use Facebook. Facebook has been a wonderful tool for staying in touch and re-connecting with friends and family! I love that! Second, it proved to be a useful tool when it was necessary to let friends know about my brother's death. Everything about that chaos happened very quickly and I just couldn't call everyone that knew him or my family.
When it comes to the last year for my parents, well, I didn't feel it was my place to say anything about their struggles unless they asked me to. My mom is on Facebook but rarely posts anything. I also didn't say anything because I did not want the attention to ever be about me. I wanted to say, "Hey everyone, please pray for my dad, that he would kick this cancer's butt," and "Pray for my mom, I think she's gonna lose it," but it just seemed like Facebook wasn't the right place to do that since I don't really want to post something so serious if it's not going to be taken seriously. And by that I mean, followed up on, not just post that info and then people say I'm praying but never ask how life is going later. I have cried about my brother to friends here and there. And I've expressed that besides the loss of my brother, the hardest part has been the lack of acknowledgement about his death from people who knew him his whole life. I know death isn't a fun subject and some have a harder time dealing with it than others. It has just hurt to not hear from people that I thought I would have, more than I realized it would hurt.
I didn't want to say anything about my dad having cancer because I didn't want to cheapen how serious it was and how hard it was to know he got this news. I had the "why God" moment but moved on from that quickly. I know God knows what He's doing. Even with death and cancer. I was frustrated for sure. Oh nice one God, he loses his son and now he has cancer. Kick him while he's down why don't you?! And while You're at it, why don't you pour lemon juice on his paper-cut with that whole 'you have to move' thing. Geez God, take it easy! I know You won't give my dad anything he can't handle but chill out! We get it, my dad's a bad a$$! (And then there's my mom's Ginger Rogers to my dad's Fred Astaire, she can do anything he can do, but backwards and in high heels. My mom is a rock star. My dad would agree.)
So here we are, Monday morning, my mom calls me a little after eight in the morning, which is not unusual. She tells me today is my dad's last day of treatment. Finally, after eight weeks, five days a week, he's at his last appointment. She asks me to call my sister and then call the lady who works at the front desk so we can be put on speaker phone and cheer on my dad as he exits his last treatment. I call Jocelyn, we call the office, she puts us on speaker phone and we hear my dad come out of treatment and ring the bell. It's his graduation day! That's what the staff calls it. Oh that sweet ring! Hallelujah indeed! We are rejoicing. I can barely get the woo hoos and yays out before I start crying. Ding ding ding! What a wonderful sound that bell made! Thank you to Claire, the nice lady at the desk who made my dad's visits so effortless. And thank you for putting my sister and I on speaker phone! My dad doesn't hand out praise and compliments easily, at least not to people outside our family, but he could not say enough about Claire and his doctors and the rest of the staff.
Here I am sharing all this and I just said it wasn't my place to do so. Well, I am justifying all this sharing because it's good news. My dad will have to go back in thirty days to find out how his body is doing. I'm not worried. I really haven't been worried since he told me he had cancer. My sadness and worry have solely been about the fact that I couldn't be by his side to give him a hug when he needed it or to make dinner for my parents when they were exhausted. I have told my parents that I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. I know my plate is pretty full with a seven year old and an almost nine month old. It doesn't lessen my desire to be there for my family when they need me.
Now my parents are about to be homeowners for the first time in their lives! I will admit I wanted them to move to Minnesota so they could enjoy their grand-kids more but there was just no way for that to happen. So instead I am taking delight in the joy they are finding in being homeowners. (They have been raking leaves like crazy!)
Maybe I should have shared my dad's diagnosis when it first came to light. Maybe he would have gotten more of the support he needed. I can't start regretting that decision now. I'm sharing now in the hope that prayers are offered up for my dad to be cancer free and for my parents' move to be smooth. I know there will be other struggles for my parents, for my sister, friends, and me. I also have faith God will get us through those rough spots. Knowing God doesn't mean you don't have bad things happen to you. Bad things will always happen but having faith means knowing that God will be with you through those things and you will come out on the other side. If He brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Cliche, I know, but it's true. My family is living proof of it.
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