Cancer, Ageing, Fishing, & Blessings

This week I was planning to go Carp fishing with my friend, Keith. I had to cancel the trip and I was disappointed about that.

My wife's sister, Judy, has stage 4 cancer. She is not long for this life. Early last week she suffered what the oncologist called a "sudden and significant decline". We all thought that the cancer had spread. A CAT scan and a blood test revealed that it had not spread so the oncologist hospitalized her and ordered an additional battery of tests. That was just one of the reasons I couldn't leave town to go Carp fishing.

My Mother is my hero. I am the oldest of 5 kids. In 1967 my dad died suddenly. I was 16. My Mother went back to work and kept the family together. It was sometime in the 90's that she told me she almost lost the house after my dad died. My siblings and I had no idea. I have written about her in another blog but not my fishing blog. She is 88 years old. Osteoporosis has racked her body. She trembles constantly. With a walker she moves very slowly. Her hearing is only fair even with hearing aids. Her anxiety can overwhelm her. She can no longer dress herself or bathe herself. She is living with one of my sisters. We made need to move her to an assisted living or skilled nursing home in the very near future. It is a challenging situation. Again, my Mother is my hero.

I took her to a couple assisted living homes this week to check them out. It was yet another reason why I couldn't leave town and had to cancel my trip with Keith.

My hip hurts. It hurts more often and heals more slowly. It would appear that I am ageing too. Not Carp fishing this week gave my hip a rest but the darn thing still hurts.

I am not complaining. I am incredibly blessed. When my mother says grace she always prays for others and for herself. Her prayers for others are always prayers of supplication and her prayers for herself are ALWAYS prayers of gratitude.

I didn't get to go Carp fishing this week like I planned. Even though my hero was part of the reason I couldn't fish she taught me to know that I am still incredibly blessed.