sadness

     Ron's Mom got terrible news in December--the cancer has spread from the colon to the liver.  This week, Ron went to Houston with his Mom and Dad for the doctor's visit about what to do next.  Perhaps she will outlive the prognosis, but the rough guesses are in months and not years, and she is beginning a new chemo treatment on Tuesday.  She is feeling very bleak, though, and preparing actively for the end of her life.

    This house is full of sadness.  It is so hard grappling with the very end of one's life.  She is full of emotion, and beautifully so.  Ron is full of emotion, and beautifully so.  

     Mom and Dad have come to visit us--we canceled our trip to see them because of this news, and so they came to see us instead!  This is a joy for me, to have a house full with Donna and Ronnie, Mom and Dad, our kids, Ron who is not in the office today, 4 dogs, and home movies of Christmas going on in the background.  Lunch was BYOS--bring your own salad.  So it really is all gift for me.  

    

     Mom shared one of her favorite stories of St, Theresa of Avila (Donna and Ronnie are Carmelites, St. Theresa's order).  A biographer wrote the story of Theresa's life while she was still living.  She read the draft.  It was an eloquent recounting of her accomplishments.  Theresa's reaction was very negative.  When the writer asked what could possibly offend her, she said: "You left out the mistakes!  They are the most important parts of my life--they are where God shows up!"  That really is a sublime way to think about and account for one's life.  

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