Update: How Are You Doing Today?

 A few summers ago, we had a surprise encounter with an out of province couple that we had rubbed shoulders with regularly in the 2010s. Of course we defaulted to the standard icebreaker question, "How are you doing?" Rather than give us the rote icebreaker response, she paused and said,  "That's a complex question. I have learned to ask people, 'How are you doing today?', and today I am doing alright." 

As we learned the back story, that response made sense. She and her husband had tragically lost a young-adult son and they were on their way to the place of his death to mark that somber anniversary. "How are you doing?" in that context is a very complex question.

I'm know all of you can relate. Life is complex. Keeping the faith is hard. Aside from its use as an icebreaker, "how are you doing?" has anwers as nuanced as life itself. There are so many layers. For Kathy and I, life is lived in the context of God's relentless love but we also live in the soon-to-be-fleeting-days of terminal cancer. Zooming in closer, there are daily challenges presented by my treatment and by Kathy's roles as partner and caregiver. There is the heaviness of the news of others, close by and afar, whose how-are-you-answers are saturated with grief and hardship.

So, by way of an update let me tell you how I am doing today. After three months of lobbying to gain compassionate access to a drug, I finally received my first dose yesterday. Because of the significant possibility of serious side effects, they dripped the drug in very slowly and monitored me closely. None of the serious side effects showed up in the six hours I was there, so they sent me home. Other than a queasy stomach which I could handle with anti nausea drugs, this first treatment was the best case scenario. I even slept miraculously well last night despite the doubling of my steroid intake for this treatment. So today I am doing great.

May you know God's loving presence in all your todays. Thanks for your prayers and expressions of support. Keep the faith!

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A slightly bigger picture answer to the "How are you?" question was given in a few words I had the privilege of sharing with dear friends on March 19 at our former church in Edmonton (Fellowship CRC). For those of you that weren't in Fellowship, the audio of that reflection can be found HERE .