Health update

The following is from an email update I sent many who have prayed for me or know me.

I figured I'd better write this while I still have some sense of cogency - quickly waning.

Over the past 9 mo or so I realized how much thyroid deprivation had cost me while I was down. Have you ever wondered if non-thinking people know it - that they're not really that good at thinking? Having experienced playing times on both teams I can tell you that I was very unaware of my own absurdity. Which team am I on now? I think I'm sitting at the table ready to go into the game. Maybe I'm on the bench? Either way, I'm thinking well enough to assess that my thinking and problem solving skills are compromised (i.e. 15 minutes to install 3 AA batteries in my daughter's birthday present). I began my current decline November 1 and will continue in preparation for my scan mid-December.

This time I know NOT to tell you that all is fine and OK. I'm costing Deb a lot as I become less capable and less dependable. "Can't" and "Forgot" are becoming more frequent with me. Deb complements with "have too" and "just in case." I was unaware of how much I left her hanging during my simple, blissful ignorance last year. I don't want to short circuit the good intentions of others toward my family this time.

Calendar
December 8 - blood work. This is worthy of prayer since I've had at least two occasions where the lab and the doc had communication problems resulting in delays and guesstimations.
December 12 - drive to GB to take a pill. I'm not complaining about this one anymore. I want them to get it right. I recognize negative correlations between the number of middle men and my personal confidence in the process.
December 15 - Full body scan to confirm that no cancer remains.
December 17 - If cancer remains I'll get another big blast of radioactive iodine to ablate remaining cells.
December 23 - Follow-up scan if December 15 identifies remaining cancer.

Currently - freezing cold, slow moving, slow thinking, low iodine diet, constantly fatigued (No, not like you. It's different.).

No doubt in God's grace. We all have our uncertainties with current circumstances, but how much is eternally significant or relevant? Our circumstances are our boundaries and materials for a creative life of worship.

To my new students and friends, last year was a year of challenges, transitions, and adjustments. God leads more by directions than by destinations (How many of you will drive toward and even through Chicago in a little over a week with no intention of spending significant time there?). That to say, don't believe that God's current directing in your life indicates a poor direction in your past. He just doesn't lead "as the bird flies." I'm excited about a future of watching you grow and learn the same lesson in God's way and timing.

I thank you all for your prayer, support, and understanding.