5:53

I don't know why I woke up with a sense of dread Monday morning, but I did. This was a scan day, but even on scan days I'm pretty much OK. And there was no reason to fear more than any other scan day. I had not slept well, but nothing really out of the ordinary had been going on, with the exception of a few dizzy spells and a four-pound weight loss over four weeks. But still, I felt unusually down when our atomic travel alarm awakened us. I had set it for 6:20, knowing that I would have to begin drinking the barium "smoothies" two hours before my scheduled 8:30 scan time. We were planning to leave for CTRC by 7:00, so we needed to get moving.

Helen dragged herself to the restroom to begin getting ready, and I descended downstairs to the kitchen where those wonderful banana drinks were waiting for me in the fridge. As I finally got through the human-proof lid and began sipping, I noticed the kitchen clock read 5:30. That clock had almost caused us to be late our last trip to the clinic because it was running behind. I thought to myself, "Boy, it's really running late now; I wonder why they don't either fix it or take it down?"

Without another thought about it, I began hauling our luggage and other stuff downstairs to put in the car. I remarked to Helen that I was surprised that no one else in the house was up yet. I stopped back in the kitchen to take a few more swigs and noticed a flashing red light on the coffee maker. I walked over to it and noticed that the clock on it read 5:53. Now a bit confused, I reached into my pocket and checked my phone for the time, and it read--you guessed it--5:53. You're kidding me! We're an hour early?! I could have slept another hour?! I thought I had better break the news to Helen. I made my way toward the stairs.

Meanwhile, back at the restroom, Helen had picked up her phone to see what time it was. It was 5:53. Going downstairs to tell me, she met me on my way up. We both said to each other, "Guess what time it is..." It could have been straight from the set of I Love Lucy. We both cracked up. And just like that, I no longer felt stressed, the tension was lifted, and everything was so much better.

I had to say, "Thanks, God. I needed that. That was a good one!"

I still don't understand how the clock was mysteriously changed to the eastern time zone. To change it back, I had to open the battery cover and push a button. It was one of those things we just call a God Thing. He always knows what's going on, how we feel, what's ahead for each of us, and just what we need and when we need it.

Our day at CTRC was quite a long one. We arrived about an hour early for some reason, so we both took a 15-minute nap in the car before checking in. While lying on the uncomfortable scan table and looking up at that expensive piece of equipment, I thought about how crazy it is how that harmless looking machine can change your life. You either get good news or bad news based on what that scanner reveals. It can be disheartening until you look at the real picture. "When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God..." (Psalm 73:16-17) We know Who controls that machine. I never slide in and out of it without acknowledging that God is in total control of the outcome. We can leave it up to Him and not worry about it.

Anyway, they were having trouble with their computers, so they were having to enter data by hand. This always means a longer wait for the results. When Dr. Mita finally saw us, she said the scans remained unchanged. Great news! There have been essentially no changes since after my last surgery in June. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever."

I have been presented with an opportunity this Saturday to speak about my story at a cancer walk. The Wilenchik 5K Walk for Life is an annual fundraiser in Schertz named after a cancer patient we met at CTRC about three years ago. He has since passed away, but the benefit continues each year, with all of the proceeds going to CTRC. I will be given about ten or fifteen minutes to say what's on my heart. I am honored and excited about it, but I will also be scared, so I ask for your prayers. I have asked the Lord throughout this experience to use me for His glory, and I believe He is giving me a chance to do just that. I pray that someone will hear something that will help them.

God's Blessings and Love