Well Hell's Bells!!

While intially we were told that Dad wouldn't need follow up after the successful surgery, we have now learned that he has to have a 12 week course of intensive chemo.  Starting Friday.  Although I understand that they are deeming this necessary, it does not make me happy :(

Thank You!!!

Okay, so Kate is giving me all sorts of grief for not posting an update on Dad's condition.  I gotta tell you, his recovery is miraculous.  He had half a lung cut out on Monday, and was out to breakfast with my stepmom on Saturday.  He has now been deemed cancer free.  He will need no further follow up like chemo or radiation.  I visited him yesterday, and while he's still tired and his appetite isn't quite back yet, he looks fantastic.  I also want to thank Kate for being so awesome about posting updates...she was certainly on it better than I was!

What I really want to say is THANK YOU!!  All of you.  The feedback I got via twitter, facebook, text messages, emails, responses to posts is truly humbling.  I told Dad when I visted him yesterday that he was getting prayers and positive thoughts from not only all over this country, but several others as well.  I gotta tell y'all, it worked.  It really, truly worked.  I may get into more details later, or maybe I won't.  But God's hand was ALL OVER this thing.

Please, PLEASE read this post.  If I need to make it any clearer, when they did the scan Dad had a 2.3 cm "mass"...when they performed the surgery it was 3 cm malignant tumor.  We're talking about 5 weeks folks.  I implore y'all to practice preventive medicine for your sake and for the sake of your loved ones. 

Again, I cannot tell you how humbled and grateful I am for all of your thoughts and prayers.  I will ALWAYS be grateful to you.  :)

In My Happy Place

I gotta tell you, between personal issues and politics, I've been in a real crappy place.  I've been sad, enraged, stressed, you name it.  I decided I have to shake this funk.  Soooo - I decided to go to my happy place!!

A couple of months ago, the Elder was back here on leave from Germany.  The Boy and I got the amazing opportunity to spend an entire day with the family.  I gotta tell you, it was fantastic.  The Boy hadn't seen the elder in about six or so years, so this was a reaquaintance.  He'd never met TSC or his nephew, Wiggleworm.  It was one of the best days EVAH!!!

Isn't Wiggleworm the cutest???

The three boys - too handsome!!

What a beautiful family!!

Great seeing them together!!

Is THIS what the Army teaches?

Now, how can I NOT smile and be in a happy place remembering that day?  Though life can be serious and things can go wrong, we all have take a moment to enjoy.

Hope this made you smile too!!

I Am So Blessed

As I have mentioned, I've been crazy busy lately. In fact, the last few months have just been...nuts. I've been getting things done that need to get done and moving on to the next thing. The problem with that is that I've been doing, but not taking the time for thinking or feeling anything about what it is I'm doing.

For instance, I introduced you to the Elder in this post. He found me, we talked, and the next thing you know I'm hopping on a plane. Got to the airport, rented a car and finally found the hotel. It wasn't until we got to the hotel room, unpacked and settled in that it really hit me what I was doing!! Holy Crap!!! I was going to, in essence, "meet" my biological son. Yes, I had been in contact, but I was going to meet the young man he had become. And his wife?? THAT'S when I got really nervous!!

That's the way things have been going lately. Things will happen, things will get accomplished, what needs to get done will get done, and only later will I really stop to think. Which leads me to the reason I am writing this post.

I had been in contact with the Elder's mom periodically throughout the years. She is a very cool lady. In fact, I remember thinking that had she not been my son's mother, I would've liked to hang with her! In any case, since I've reconnected with him, I've reconnected with her too. She emailed me the other day about a change in the Elder's graduation date. I inquired as to whether she was going down for it. Now, mind you, I was considering going but again, I didn't want to step on any familial toes. She emailed back stating that she was going and would love it if I came too. Cool, I thought. That makes me happy. I really wanted to go, and I'm glad that I have her blessing.

I was away this weekend and it gave me plenty of time to unwind and just "be", without being obliged to "do". And that's when it hit me. Like a brick. There is every chance that when my biological son graduates from basic training, the family supporting him will consist of his wife, their new baby, his mother, his father, and his biological mother. How cool is that?? And how incredibly lucky am I that all those years ago, I chose such fine, fine people to entrust with the life of my son? People who are more than willing to let me be a part of that family? At first I thought of it as having another family...I now think of it as just expanding my family.

Yes, I am truly blessed.

The Elder

I made mention of the Elder in this post So, who is the Elder? He is the young soldier that I reference in the title to my blog. He is also my biological son.

You see, 19 ½ years ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Due to my circumstances at the time, I knew that the only way this child would have a shot at a decent, normal life was if I placed him for adoption. So I did. He was placed with a wonderful couple and through the years, we kept in touch and visited periodically. However, life can get in the way, and it did. By this time I was married and had a child of my own (hereinafter referred to as “the Boy”) I believe that the last time I saw the Elder, he was about 12 years old. The last time I was in touch with his parents was when he was around 15 years old.

Fast forward to late September, 2009. I was doing my thing on facebook and noticed that I had a friend request. Imagine my shock when I saw his name!! Naturally, I accepted the request and went straight to his profile to see what he’s been up to.

He’s joined the Army (yesssssss – couldn’t be prouder!).

He’s been married for over a year (whoa, what?!).

They are expecting a baby in January (HUH?????)

Mind you, I was remembering the 12 year old child, not the adult he had become. Soooo, after picking my jaw up off the floor, I sent him a message. From that time on, we communicated on a daily basis. We got to know each other. He asked some pretty damned tough questions. Now, I must tell you that I’ve always been honest when he’s asked questions, but those were the questions of a child. These were the questions of a young man. Some of those questions were rather brutal, as were some of my answers. Two weeks later Dear Friend and I were on a plane and headed to Georgia to see him and meet his wife (hereinafter referred to as “TSC”).

I won’t get into the details of the visit – perhaps in another post. Suffice it to say that it went better than I could have ever dreamed. TSC is an absolute doll, and the Elder is quite a fine young man. When I was visiting, I ran the idea of this blog past him, and he thought it was a great idea. He said that he would keep in touch, but I also realize that his family is his first priority. We continued to communicate on a daily basis until Tuesday, October 27…the day before heading off to boot camp. I keep in touch with TSC regularly, as she has become quite special to me. And that, my friends, is the story of the Elder.

BTW – HUGE shout out to his parents, T & B…you did a helluva job. Thank you.