Black Specks - May 25, 2010

A few days ago, Lee and I began our thirty-second year of marriage. It wasn't the most amazing day in history, nor did we do much special. However, the day was special as is every day of our lives. It was, in fact, a day of great beauty; the calmness of the atmosphere, the warmth of the day and enough to do to keep us busy and happy. For Lee and I, that is more than we need. Those days are to be cherished.

It is so nice for me to be married to Lee.

We had an hourglass timer in our house when I was a kid. It had a wooden top and bottom and white sand inside. My guess is that it was a three or five minute timer. When sitting at the table, I would turn it over and watch the grains fall. When it finished I would do it again. This was one of the few things that I didn't take apart or that didn't make noise, so my mom let me continue to mess with it. One of the things that interested me about this little timer was that it had three black grains in it. I don't know what they were but they were of a different weight and mass than the white grains so that each time I turned it over they were likely to be at the top. I would watch them get lost in the grains and then try to see them come through the tight spot and fall into place in the bottom section. The black ones helped give a sense of movement and time. They were special. They moved slower and were odd shaped compared to the white ones. Probably, some bits of the inside that broke off or fell in at the factory. With each use, they got smoother and smoother as they were required to travel down the tight shoot of the hourglass.

Our lives are not unlike those little bits of black. As Christians, we are in a pile of sand, just a few weird flakes. As we rub against the world, we find ourselves being smoothed by the friction and the trials of life. I think I am about as smooth as I can get and simply getting smaller, but as I get smaller, God becomes bigger.

Last week our lives have made a significant turn. We are now in the tight spot. Previous surgeries and the ravages of cancer have caused my digestive system to fail. I am presently at home living on I.V. food waiting for surgery to correct the problem. My blood platelet count is low and the surgeon wants it to rise before he cuts on me. I certainly agree.

Lee and I have spent many hours with the surgeon for this procedure and we are at peace in our spirit. Please pray for the surgeons as they deal with several systems of the body in an attempt to extend my life. Please pray for me, that my strength would rise on this piped in food and that I would be strong for surgery. Please pray for Lee, as this is most taxing on him. He is taking very good care of me and that just adds to his load. As he tries to work around the house, little things confound his schedule greatly because my schedule demands so much of him. Finally, know that I am in God's hands. It is all right with Lee and me if God chooses to take me this time. Just pray for God's will to be done. We do.

Love Marj.