2 more...

2 more short treatments & then done.  or, "aw dun" as julia says as she sweeps her food to the floor.  the next 2 tuesdays are still unpleasant in different, somewhat more manageable ways- bleomycin doesn't have the same effects as the cisplatin or etoposide.  matt feels pretty awful right now... will start to feel somewhat better tomorrow afternoon (no one will put more poison in him tomorrow, which will help tremendously).  hopefully he will be able to eat more by sunday, although he has done a great job of trying to eat here & there & keep drinking fluids.  smart man- and very strong.  you know how you feel when you have the flu?  doesn't scratch the surface of what he's been dealing with each day (and night), and he's still pushing through.  i'm amazed.

i'm also amazed by the fact that i'm still learning things about him.  we've been married almost 6 years;  shouldn't we be experts on each other by now?  well, apparently not.  i had no idea that he is an almost hopeless optimist.  i think it is serving him well in some ways- hoping for the best possible outcome from each surgery & treatment is surely more healthy than assuming the worst.  it can also be more painful to get bad news when you've been solely focused on the good... but i think it works for him.  i'm not wired that way- i kind of ride the fence between optimism and pessimism.  not expecting things to be the worst they can be, but certainly not holding onto the most positive outlook.  matt is good for me in this way.

i went running tonight for the first time since his diagnosis (real running- no stroller, just me & ron).  it felt really good- very normal, very familiar.  i listened to music i haven't heard in months, sprinted up a few hills, smelled some fantastic flowers in the humid night air. i also sweated A LOT.  the air temperature has dropped, but the pavement did not get the message- waves of sticky, steamy air pouring out of the street.  it was pretty awesome.  do you associate smells with certain times in your life?  sticky-summer-night-running smells remind me of high school track.   it's a good memory.

someone asked me yesterday where i am with God in all of this.  i thought it was a strange question because i don't think i change "where i am with God" depending on my circumstances.  but i understand what she was asking.  i am not angry & bitter with Him;  neither am i feeling utterly safe & close with Him.  i am not having incredible hours of intimacy with Him each morning;  neither am i giving Him the silent treatment.  i could be seeking Him more & asking for growth & wisdom.  but i am still listening, and i don't feel alone or abandoned or empty.   that's saying alot about our Lord, i think.  and it is enough.