If you have been following this blog over the past few months you know that I have prostate cancer, presumably a result of exposure to Agent Orange while I was in Vietnam in from 1968 to 1970. Tomorrow (Friday, February 3rd) I’ll be having surgery to remove my prostate and, hopefully, all the cancer that may be in my body.
In preparation for this major event in my life, I have worked over the past few weeks getting my affairs in order. This is something that I have been meaning to do for a long time, but have been putting it off because that was the easy thing to do. I said to myself “Self, why put it off any longer?” I found a website that had a listing of the essential items that should be listed such as where important documents are located, names and contact information of family members, names and phone numbers of friends, financial information, “final wish” instructions and details and any other important information.
Having cancer and making this list has also prompted me to reflect on, to evaluate, my life, the past, the present and the future. I have not lived a perfect life, a sinless life (only Jesus Christ did that!), but the Lord has blessed me in so many ways that I could not begin to count them! And he has forgiven me, because he said he would if I asked him to do so. Jesus’ forgiveness is spoken of in the book of Isaiah (1:18) when God says “Come now, and let us reason together”, says the LORD, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” What a promise!
The other thing that has struck me in the past few weeks is just to try to be kinder to those around me, to handle stress more effectively and not to get stressed more than necessary over the little everyday things that happen, like goofy drivers or that slow person ahead of you in line. I can tell you that it is a better way to live! I’m not looking forward to surgery tomorrow, but I know that the outcome is going to be okay because God is right in the middle of my life, just as he was when I was in Phabulous Phu Hiep four-plus decades ago! And he hasn’t let me down yet!
Look for the next installment of my adventure that will be posted in a few days.
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