Sunny Days

Friday morning we woke up to sunshine beaming through our window.  The light and warmth felt like a welcome relief after a gray and wet spring in Surrey.  Likewise,  the heavy cloud of exhaustion that Mike has been under for the past week finally lifted as well.  Mike woke up saying: " I think I'm feeling alright today". He still approached breakfast cautiously, but I could see immediately that Mike's strength and energy were back.  I felt optimistic that we were heading into some sunny days at last. This verse popped into my mind as I headed straight for the coffee pot and slowly eased into the morning.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!^[a]
      His mercies never cease.
 Great is his faithfulness;
      his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                                                                  Lamentations 3:22,23

The kids, grandparents, auntie and myself  headed off to explore some new biking trails.  Mike and Scott stayed behind and opted for some man time. Toby biked 5 km on two wheels.  Tyler uses a Strider bike and he is absolutely fearless on it.  About 3.5 km along the trail Tyler wiped out going down a big hill.  His head hit the pavement first and we had a bit of a scare when he slipped into a deep sleep within 5 minutes of the accident. My mom and I are nurses so we started checking pupils, reflexes and using cruel techniques to keep him awake and check for appropriate responses. He started to perk up once we got back to the car and were able to get some food into him. Maybe it was a slight concussion, maybe low blood sugar, but  by the time we got home he was back to normal.  We kept a close eye on him for the remainder of the day and I was so thankful we didn't have to make a trip to the crazy Surrey ER department ( we've spent enough time there these last few months).

While we were out having our fair share of adventures, Mike decided to get his hands greasy.  My brother-in-law Scott has a massive 1980, bright blue, convertible truck that needed some repairs and Mike has been itching to work on it for some time now.  They had to commit to the repair when the ignition system exploded into a million little pieces.  Thus, they worked together all day and did a fair amount of visiting with passing neighbors who were intrigued by the unique vehicle wedged into our small garage.  Mike said it felt great to be out working with his hands, hanging out with friends, and doing something productive.

Our boys are obsessed with Uncle Scott's truck, so they took every opportunity to be in the garage watching the guys work.  Unfortunately, we had a second head injury that day while Toby was playing in the box of the truck.  He leaned on the tail gate, which gave way, and he fell head first onto the pavement.  We had many adults out there supervising, but it happened so fast no one could quite catch him.  He had a scrape on his head but nothing that cuddles couldn't fix.  Overall it was an eventful day to say the least!  Mike had surprising stamina and he came in for dinner with black hands and a satisfied smile on his face.

Saturday the sun continued to shine as did Mike's energy an enthusiasm.  We had to send my parents off to the island so we decided to head out to Tsawwassen with them and  spend our last day together at our favorite beach.  We found a great spot in the sand and set up with the bar-b-cue, lawn chairs, pales and shovels.  We stayed all day and relaxed, ate, and played on the beach.  Exploring tidal pools, wading into the warm water, enjoying the playground  and playing in the sand,  filled our day. These special family outings are such a contrast to the emptiness we feel in our home when Mike is sick.  This sunny day at the beach was a precious gift from God.  Everything felt complete and normal; in fact, I went through the day forgetting that we are in the middle of fighting cancer.

                                                          

We might be in the middle of a storm but just when we feel like we can't take any more, God breaks those dark clouds apart and lets the sun shine through.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17