Each Chapter brings change

Isn’t that the truth. I can tell that each day I open my TimeHop. A year ago at this time there were all kinds of pictures of Trina and I at Mayo and stories about me getting a biopsy to see how bad the cancer was. My favorite statement was when I told Trina she had just missed the sign as we pulled into Rochester and that it said “Welcome to Rochester, Thank You for Having Cancer”. My favorite picture may have been when I told Trina the picture she took of me looked like I was in Flashdance.

Two years ago at this time (March 2018) I had taken Trina to Missouri. It’s the last vacation I’ve had since all the vacation time since then was spent at Mayo. So it’s been two years since I’ve seen my sister and my friends from back home but what a great trip that was and the memories that we still have. Taking her and my mom to St. Louis and introducing her to my brother Gary and his wife Pam. (Introducing Trina to them not my mom, she had already met them) Then my niece Jessica and her little prodigies. Then back to Kansas City and introducing Trina in person to my high school girlfriend Mary. They were already online friends and got along fabulously in person and was a reminder of how awesome it is to have a mature wife who isn’t jealous. To have a friend in Mary that I reconnected with after many many years who was there for me after my dad passed away followed by me being there for her when her dad and sister passed. After that she was the first one to tell me that Trina was the right one and a real keeper. After meeting Mary, I then introduced Trina to some of my lifelong friends from high school and of course it was a blast and everyone got along great. Arwood also came up the next day and got to meet Trina and we had an excellent visit. Before we headed back, the final treat was taking Trina to the Royals home opener with Bradley and his wife Karen along with the Marshall brothers. I remember meeting Scott’s soon to be wife and finding out the little town she was from in Arkansas was the only town where I knew someone. I text Darla in Harrison Arkansas for one of those small world moments. Trina had already heard so much about Brad since I have so many stories from high school along with the years that we lived together in college. We all had a blast despite how cold it was. I didn’t get to see her in person but I text with Glenna who was also at the game. I had no intention to go into so much detail until I started looking at the pictures and remembering the trip.

The current chapter is the most bizarre of all. I can’t wait to look at TimeHop in the future and see the posts of what’s going on now and having it be behind us. It’s been weird since the start of the year when I had heart attack symptoms and had to do the stress test and echo cardiogram. It’s weird to still have cancer inside me and it could have been more weird if I were going through the radiation during this time instead of having it put off for down the road. It’s so exciting to be diabetic and have them keep harping about diabetics and the virus. Just like it was exciting to have Don Imus die of prostate cancer and Leon Spinks to be suffering the complications from it. All that being said, there is so much to be thankful for and to look forward to. I haven’t let any of these things get me down and plan to keep it that way.

Wait, I may have thrown up in my mouth a little when I went back to read that. I almost felt it sounded like some people I’ve been making fun of to Trina. I have followed along with some people that post these passive aggressive narcissistic things. Instead of just doing things for others they like to post about because they really aren’t doing it to help others or to just feel good about it. They are doing it so people will praise them and tell them how good they are so they can reply ‘awe shucks’ and pretend that they are just being a wonderful person. They are the same ones who do it with videos… “I just had to share what happened a moment ago. I stopped to help an old woman cross the street. I saw her walking and no one was helping her. I got out and took her by the arm and started to pull her across the street. She resisted and said she wasn’t trying to cross the street she was just checking the mail and going back inside. Bless her heart. She wanted to go across the street but she didn’t even realize it and no one else recognized that but me. So I took charge and I got her across the street in spite of the fact that she was screaming so loud it hurt my ears. We all have it inside us to be this kind of person. I choose to be this person and hope that I can inspire others to be like me.”