Family

Not too far back my mom gave me a picture frame with the caption "The love of a family is life's greatest blessing." In it she put a picture of my wife and I with our kids when they were about five or six years old. There is something about looking at the faces of my kids when they were younger that just pulls on the ole heart. Not that I don't love them to death now and think they are beautiful kids, there is just something about the images of when they were younger that gets to me. Perhaps it is because it automatically triggers a flood of great memories that we have shared. Anyway, I have placed that picture where I can see when I wake up to remind me that in that family category I am truly blessed.

I feel I could speak volumes about just my wife and kids and how wonderful they are if I possessed the soul of a writer. Then maybe I would be able to articulate my love for this woman who agreed to be my wife and share her life with me. I wish I could write poetically about her strength and beauty and how she has been a rock for me in these difficult times. To thank her for giving me these two wonderful works of art, so beautiful and smart. Just looking at my kids brings me so much joy.

But my blessings extend past my immediate family. It extends to my father who, being far more advanced in years then me and having mowed 20 billion lawns that day, still feels the need to help me carry my luggage down the stairs because he is concerned about my physical state. It extends to my mother, who happens to be 1500 miles away right now but still remembers to call for a status update because I happened to see the doctor today. To my little brother who has given up countless hours of personal time in order to research my disease and accompany me down to MD Anderson and literally sit for hours waiting on doctors. To my grandma who apparently has all of Newaygo County, Michigan praying for me. To my older brother, whom upon hearing my diagnosis, travels thousands of miles to be with me even though he is going through a rough spell himself. To my sister-in-law who hand knits me a scarf to keep me warm when we traveled to Michigan. To my other sister-in-law who buys me a year's subscription to Netflix to give me something to do while being down and out from the chemo. To my father-in-law who calls on a whim just to discuss one of my favorite topics: college football. To my mother-in-law who gives us a large sum of money to help with the medical costs. To my nephew, who upon hearing my diagnosis, shaves his head as a sign of support. To all my relatives on my dad's side of the family that welcomed us with open arms and love and support this past summer at a family reunion. And so many others.

Whatever the outcome of my journey with this noma ends up being, I travel this road knowing that I am truly blessed.