A Life to Live

 Yesterday my Dad pulled out one of his (several) guitars, the most special and interesting one of all--the one he made himself!

We stood admiring it for a few minutes.  I love the black and white with the gold "trim."  

We learned on Tuesday that the maker of this guitar had a great report from his brain MRI and PET scans last week.  He's yet to meet with his oncologist directly, but in short: there are no metastases to the brain (hallelujah! the chemo doesn't pass the blood-brain barrier, and this type of cancer loves to invade the brain), and his PET scan shows no spread to bones, soft tissue, other organs. The original tumor has shrunk somewhat and the liver tumors are behaving themselves.  After four cycles of chemo (they originally tentatively planned six), he's responded beautifully.  He'll pause chemo for now, and stay on immunotherapy, and then get checked regularly.  If and when chemo needs to re-start, it will. 

He's so glad, because he's ready to travel.  The man has things to do, plans to make, people to see! He's got guitars to repair, yardwork to accomplish, church services to attend!  He's got a life to live. 

Thank you, Lord, for the lives we have to live.