Merry Christmas! I hope your day has been full of joy, a day of enjoying family and friends, but a day especially of celebrating the birth of Christ.

I spent most of the day with Tom, arriving about 9:30 a.m., leaving for an hour during the morning to go see grandchildren, then returning to the hospital to spend a quiet day with Tom. He was pretty calm all day and I'm not sure that he realized most of the time that I was even there. He slept, but when someone came to give meds or do other routine things, he was cooperative, but emphatic about the way they cared for him. I left about 4:30 this afternoon to come finish wrapping gifts for grandchildren, then went to their house to eat Christmas supper. While I was relaxing, waiting for things to finish cooking, a nurse called to say that Tom was pretty aggitated. He had awakened and was disburbed that he couldn't find me. He was trying to get up to look for me because "she has cancer and needs to get to the hospital for treatment." I told the nurse that was partly true. I do, indeed, have cancer, am on treatment and have one scheduled Monday. I asked if I needed to return to the hospital, but she thought a phone visit might help, so I talked with him. Honestly, I'm not sure if I calmed him or not and thought about going back to spend the night with him--decided I needed to sleep in my own bed if I would be any good at all tomorrow. God has blessed me with new energy and strength this week. It is a long walk from the parking garage to Tom's room, a walk I could not have made this time last week. Age, weight, chemo keep me from doing the things I once took for granted, but this week has been different. God has given me both the emotional and the physical stamina needed.

The good news is that his white count is falling, that he is not as combative, nor is he hallucinating as badly as yesterday. It is difficult to see someone you love being slowly taken from you by a disease that has no cure. Tom has continued to pray that God will be glorified in his situation. I join him in that prayer and ask you to pray with us.

Blessings,
Pastor Margaret