“I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinegrower.
He removes every branch
that does not bear fruit,
and every branch that does
he prunes to make it bear even more."
I was watching Season 5 of The Chosen and Christ's words from John 15 really hit me hard...in a good way. The now evicted tumor was not bearing fruit. It was a branch that needed to be removed. How blessed am I that the Great Physician was able to work on my mortal body through the hands of the doctors at Mayo? I am blessed. Yet, I keep thinking about what got us to this place...certainly it was the Holy Spirit.
Why did I come out of retirement to serve Holy Name Catholic School? It was the nudge of the Holy Spirit. Why did being surrounded by kids lead to so many upper respiratory infections? That wasn't the Holy Spirit (it was germs), but the Spirit kept nudging me to ask "why am I getting so sick?" Even an X-Ray (which clearly shows the tumor in November 2024) being mis-read didn't stop me from continuing to ask "what's going on with my lungs?" That nagging push was certainly the Holy Spirit. The suspicion of a thyroid cancer recurrence was also a gift from God. It took me to Mayo for testing and treatment (we canceled the treatment since I didn't have a recurrence) where the solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura was discovered and properly diagnosed. All this was at the hand of God...the vinegrower.
Today marks 3 weeks from surgery. I was able to put away laundry today (slowly, one item at a time). I dusted our bedroom furniture (nothing up high), slowly. Those basic chores took a few hours and wiped me out. So, there is much healing yet to do and stamina to build. I'm able to sleep on the incision...it hurts, but it's counterbalanced by the fact that I sleep better on that side.
This week I may try to leave the house...maybe go see my Dad at his place, maybe attend a daily Mass, we'll see. I can't drive...so it's not entirely up to me.
God is good!
Posts
