Why Does a Pirate Wear an Eyepatch?

Michael was just wheeled back into surgery to remove his broviac.  These few quiet moments (well, as quiet as can be in a hospital) alone give me a chance to reflect on the last months and to take the liberty to share my own thoughts.

I am simply amazed at how much our lives have changed and at how many things have simply remained constant during our journey through cancer with Michael.  Those steadying, unchanging factors--the comfort and peace that come from faith in an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God; the sweet, selfless care of so many wonderful family members and friends, old and new; and the crazy, predictably unpredictable life in our "party of seven"--have given us the foundation to continue to build our lives together.  The changes along this pathway have made our lives so much more sweet.

I won't bore you with all the ways our lives have changed.  Of course, Michael, Mark, and I feel like we are close to earning a medical degree, but the medical/physical changes are not important.  We have changed because of all of you!  So many of you quietly entered, or increased your presence, in our lives and truly modeled compassion and generosity to us and our children.  We will never be the same after experiencing such love.  So many of you prayed for Michael's healing and our family's strength.  We will never see prayer as "the least we can do" for someone again.

Probably the biggest change is in Michael.  He has always been a quiet, calm, "easy" child.  I know that entering the teen years is a hard time for any young man, and he has had to deal with a few extra issues and learn some BIG lessons on the way.  His cancer has forced him to recognize his complete reliance on God, to improve his responsibility in many areas (still working on this one!), and to become a bit more open and vocal.  In all our hours together in the hospital, we have enjoyed some interesting conversations.  For a mother to be able to spend lots of time talking, about all things superficial or truly important, with her usually quiet son is a wonderful change.  The most recent conversation was while we were waiting for his surgery.  He told me all these "interesting" things he had learned in his recent reading and researching.  I got to learn a plausible explanation for why all pirates seem to sport eyepatches.  Curious?  I'll let you ask him.