It was just about five years ago that my sweet husband rocked my world. Not in a good way, and DEFINITELY NOT his fault! A ‘routine’ now-that-you’re-over-50 colonoscopy revealed colon cancer. Not ifs, ands or … well, you get the picture. Major surgery, followed by serious chemo and holding our collective breath while hoping and praying treatment would ‘work’. Hallelujah and praise be to Heaven, we are among the lucky ones. Other than a follow up round of chemo a year ago (mostly for prevention), life has been pretty normal.

Our lives still include regular CT scans and follow up visits, religiously adhered to. And while we are always confident that the news will continue to be good, I’ll be the first to admit to some pre-appointment sleeplessness the night before, and those pesky middle of the night ‘what ifs’ that rear their ugly little heads.

Well, today, as our great oncologist – who looks, by the way, like my husband’s brother from another mother, complete with mustache and glasses – walked into the exam room, he announced: ‘All clear!’ I grabbed his hand and with an only partially shaky voice said, “You don’t know how glad I am to hear those words again!” Faith, it seems, is an ongoing process. For me, it’s a tightrope balancing act of confidently hoping for the best, and at the same time, being prepared for anything.

Maybe that’s why my stars predicted that ‘today, family life will be a roller coaster.’ Hmmmm. The stars may know all, but for right now this moment, I’m just saying grateful prayers for the best possible news!