5 years - can you believe it?!!!

5 years or 60 months or 1825 days, no matter how you look at it, that's how long it's been since my transplant. Hard to believe how time can go so fast and yet so slow all at the same time. Praise God, there's really not much to tell, except that it's my 5 year Anniversary and I just completed the annual trip to Omaha. At UNMC they like to say that boring is good so I guess I've finally achieved “boring”. That's fine by me, just doesn't make very inspiring blog topics which is why these updates are becoming fewer and farther between. For those of you that continue to periodically check, I thank you. I feel like I have a special savings account or backup artillery – just knowing that I have a great group of concerned friends and family out there ready to support and pray if needed helps me face the reality that every day is a big unknown. Anyway, since not much has changed for me (which is a good thing), thought I'd use this entry as a platform to publicly thank my parents for their role in me reaching the 5 year mark. The number of prayers that went up from their lips is probably rivaled only by the number of hours they spent in hospital rooms or the number of silent tears that they shed as they walked through hell with me. Everything and anything; from Dad mowing my lawn when my immune system was too weak to be outside, to Mom helping me shower when I was too sick to stand. Dad driving across town to make sure I was ok when I failed to answer my phone was just a blip on the radar of how much concern was shown. As I'm writing, I'm realizing that I'll never be able to convey all the sacrifices that they made or recount all the loving things they did to hold me up. So, you'll just have to take my word for it that they went well beyond the call of duty. In closing, I'll share one of the prayers that Mom said over me nearly every night during our 4 month stay in Omaha. It’s a good one (she tweaked the words a little bit but I’ll give you the original):

“Loving peacemaker, into your gentle arms I place myself and my concerns, that I may be free of worry and anxiety. Bless my night with sleep so that I may awaken, renewed and refreshed, ready to receive the care You have provided.”

Happy 2015

Belated Merry Christmas and Happy 2015! 5 years – I can't wrap my mind around the fact that it's been 5 years since I started this blog! The entries have become fewer and farther between and that is a reflection of blessings. I like the “boring” life where the more exciting moments include surviving the holidays without catching a cold or earlier in the month, when I did catch a cold, I didn't end up in the hospital – both very good things that I list among the blessings. (Blessings that a few years ago probably would have been taken fore granted). In any case, the point is that I've been doing well. After my 10 day stint in the hospital last Spring, things have been better. In the fall I underwent elective surgery to correct a deviated septum and open some sinuses – not to change my profile, but in an attempt to decrease a trigger for some of my lung issues. For those of you that have had similar surgeries, I can now sy mpathize – it was terrible and it took weeks before I could say that I was glad I had it done. But, that's in the rear-view and a 2015 full of big anniversaries and endless possibilities awaits. I feel like my life is transitioning, but have no idea where to or what for. So as the days move on, I try to keep my eyes open, looking for what God has in store and where he can use me next. I'm ready for the next chapter and just wish I knew what it was going to look like, but as we've all learned many times before, it will happen in God's own time. Not mine. Happy New Year.
"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord" ~ Jeremiah 29:11