The Dance

Hello everyone….This is Chuck writing and this is my first entry to the blog.  

First off,  I want to say that we have an awesome and loving God.  On Easter Sunday we give thanks that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins and was then resurrected in victory over death giving us a path to salvation and eternal life in Heaven.  Through Jesus we can face anything.  If we trust him, he will lead us through all challenges. 

Secondly…I want to say that my wife is the strongest, most loving, caring, determined and intentional person I know.  Her passion for life inspires me.  Did I also mention that she has beautiful green eyes?

Thirdly, I can’t adequately articulate how much the outpouring of love, encouragement and support has been from our family and friends.  It has fueled and sustained us.  Thank you so much.  Please continue to lift us up in prayer.

3 weeks ago, our lives were turned upside down with a diagnosis of Metastatic Breast Cancer.  Jill has done a great job educating us of what this means in this blog.  I must admit that for 2 weeks, I did not function well.  I am still struggling but am doing much better.  Many thanks to those who gave me the opportunity to express my emotions.  You helped me tremendously. 

In those 3 weeks we have experienced the lows of devastation and the highs of optimism and relief.  We now have a solid plan in place.  We have a trusted medical team and the love and support of so many.  We are blessed.

These three weeks also further strengthened our love for each other.  After nearly 11 years of marriage, I think there is a tendency to take each other for granted.  I am guilty as charged.  No more.  Through this experience we have learned that each day is a blessing.  We must treat each day as the wonderful gift that it is.  We must embrace and cherish those that we love EVERY day.  We all have two things in common.  We are going to die one day, and we are not guaranteed a tomorrow.  We have re-examined our lives and are making adjustments that are geared toward giving us the opportunity to embrace what we have and not fret about what we don’t have.

These three weeks have also been a wake-up call for me.  I have leaned into my faith harder than I ever have.  It shouldn’t take an event like this to bring you closer to God, but I think God is using this experience to point me in a different direction.  I have always been a “glass is half empty” kind of guy.  Unfortunately, this attitude led me down every “What if” rabbit hole trap that was out there.  This way of thinking led me down a very dark road.  I asked God to take this burden off my shoulders because I by myself can’t navigate this.  The Lord heard me and has given me clarity and focus.  With God’s help…I’m working on being a “glass half full” guy.

A very good friend recently compared life to a dance.  In many ways it is.  Jill and I have a new dance partner.  Certainly not one that we asked to dance but one that we are forced to dance with.  We can either dance joyfully or mournfully.  We choose to dance joyfully.  The old saying says when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Jill has done a great job documenting her condition and what our path forward looks like from a medical perspective.  We understand that our first hurdle in this journey turned out well for us.  We also understand that this is a very serious cancer that has no cure.  There will be many twists and turns in this journey that we have just begun.  We are very aware.  What we also know is that we have so many out here supporting and loving us.  Please continue…We will need it.  We also know that ours is not the only situation like this among our community and friends.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you as well.

So, for now and always I say to you… Jill and I plan to do drink a lot of lemonade and dance like we never have before.

We love you.


Chuck

And Chill





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