I don’t normally have dreams about real people, but this time I did and I’m naming names. You may think that sweet little receptionist has no dark secrets but I’m telling you Jodie may have some back roads driving experiences to explain. In this version of my recurring dream about driving too fast on mountain roads, Jodie is featured as the VW tour bus driver somewhere in high hills country. Jodie was her normal friendly self except that she got a little distracted and missed a mountain curve going way too fast. This is where my dream usually ends with the vehicle frozen in space like in a video game: “Game over!” But with Jodie driving we end up crashing on the road below. We’re all fine and Jodie shows us you don’t need all that transmission on a four-wheel drive. She tore out a pretzel of scrap metal from under the bus and said we could drive just fine with the remaining bits of transmission. Off we tore off again and just to make up for lost time, we miss the next curve where we were again going way too fast. But on the fast descent Jodie found a three foot opening between two Ponderosa pines to push that eight foot bus through and hit the road running this time. Amazed to have survived two colossal mishaps, we arrived at the border where it turns out I was wanted for murder . . . In Australia. I try to explain to the officer that I am a US citizen, when 15 copies of my Australian driver’s license fall out of my wallet. And I’m thinking I want to rewind this dream and take my chances with Jodie’s mountain driving!
I don’t know if a lot of Leukemia patients have delusional dreams, but I sleep about 16 hours per day so that probably ups my chances a bit. Today’s a bit better. I actually fixed a software problem on Marcia’s computer…the first useful thing I’ve done in three weeks. Good news: the endoscopy showed my esophagus and stomach were healed from the chemo damage. And the doctor who ran the lung CT scan said he wished all his patients had such healthy lungs (no chemo scarring after all). Still, they are stumped about the constant upset stomach and shortness of breath. (In my favorite text of the week, a dear Christian friend writes, “I hope that SOB leaves you soon!” She meant of course “Shortness of Breath.”)
Sometimes it’s not so much the intensity of the pain as the duration. In the end, we all live just one day at a time and seldom have access to view much more than that. The question is what do you cling to each day…what sustains you. I’m finding it humbling how little strength I have some days, and inspiring how much strength God provides in my weakness. Our God is a mighty God!
Oh YES, He is a MIGHTY GOD!! He is at your right hand that you will not be shaken. Praise God that your heart is glad in Him and your tongue rejoices as your body rests secure in the knowledge of your “delightful inheritance”. Psalm 16
Keeping you and Marcia in our prayers as we praise God for His faithfulness and our hope in Him! Lord bless and keep you this day!