Sunday, March 29, 2009

Tom and I slept in until after 7 this morning. I think we both needed the extra sleep. Yesterday we drove to Goldthwaite (G'waite) to see Tom's family. We had a nice visit but I think it wore us out. We refer to some of our trips to G'waite as the 3-3-3 (3 hours down, 3 hours there, 3 hours back). This was a 3-3-3 trip.

I wish we would have been able to spend more time in G'waite yesterday, especially after the news we got on Thursday evening. Daddy, Tom's dad, was supposed to have "routine" surgery on Thursday to remove a tumor on the back of his neck, near the top of the spine. The tumor however turned out to be much larger than the doctor anticipated. Not only that but it was cancerous and the doctor was only able to remove part of it. Daddy will have to go to the hospital in Temple this week to have the rest of it removed.

At first Tom and I took the news hard on Thursday evening but then we both decided to remain upbeat and try not to worry too much unnecessarily - especially since there is still much we don't know. We called and spoke to Daddy Thursday evening and he seemed in good spirits, which was comforting.

A bit about "Daddy" (as he is affectionately known by everyone in the family): Daddy is truly one of the kindest and most caring men I have ever known.

I'll never forgot how nervous I was 11 years when I was on my way to G'waite for the first time. Golthwaite is a small town of about 2,000 people located three hours SW of Dallas. Although Tom and I had shared quite a bit about our families, and he had described his hometown, I still had no idea what to expect. All my nervousness though was gone in the first minute upon meeting his family. They all, especially his dad, made me feel so welcome! Daddy is so down to earth and has such a pleasant disposition that one can't help but feel relaxed around him.

Fast forward nine years to the death of my father. In the days and weeks after my father's death, Daddy, being the compassionate man he is, called me frequently to see how I was doing. That is just the way he is. I'll always be grateful for the care he showed me in what was the most difficult time of my life.

While we are optimistic that his surgery will go well, Daddy is top of mind in our thoughts and prayers right now.

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