A surprise

Jenni and I have the best marriage of anybody I know. We really love and care for each other and have NEVER even got close to talking about real marriage problems. That being said I think we had come to a place where we were comfortable. As I start walking down this road, with Jenni, I have come to a realization... God is bringing us closer together, more than we have been together in a long time! Let me explain...

I had a low point at the first of last week and Jenni had a melt down at the end of the week. Read the previous blog posting. It was hard but it was necessary. A new friend of mine,Karyn, spoke of a book... "Five Love Languages". I'm not a reader... In fact the last book I sat down and read was about 15 years ago and it was a book on time and space...More a research book. Well I told Jenni about it she went and brought it home the next day. No surprise there as she reads everything she get her hands on. I said I wanted to read it. She gave me the “look”, you know the one I’m talking about.. “You have lost your mind and you really won’t do this”. “You haven’t read a book in 15 years, and that was a research book”!! So last Friday I got in my recliner and I started to read. I couldn’t put it down. As I read the book I started thinking about who I was, who Jenni was and how we handle our marriage. We started to talk, really talk like we haven't talked in years!

Our kids wanted to try a new church. It was in the evening from 5 to 7PM. I have to tell you the truth. You normally have to use dynamite to get me out of the house on Sunday evening. Jenni kept saying that “she wanted to go with the kids to the Stirring and that I didn’t have to come if I didn’t want to”. Well it is strange but I wanted to come. It never crossed my mind not to come. She thought that attitude was strange but she just smiled and enjoyed my decision to go.

He preached on relationships and feelings and how God set up marriage. I have heard the sermon dozens of times in our life together. This time it was different. It was new, and it was exciting. Jenni and I kept holding hands, looking at each other KNOWING God was teaching us something, right then and there!! Then he referenced the book “The Five Love Languages” and we both smiled, and chuckled at each other.

Now, I’m a Christian and do my best to follow my Savior each and every day. Most of the times he gently guides me on my way. Sometimes, not very often, he hits me right between the eyes with a brink. This was one of those times. What I told Jenni, once we got alone in the car after the service, was “I feel sorry for non-Christians because they never know the joy of understanding when God does something like this in their life”. I got Myeloma that caused me to meet Karyn who referenced a book. I don’t read but I stopped and read that book. We made some personal life changes because of the book. We then went to a new church and the pastor spoke about God, relationships and that BOOK! It all happened in about 5 days! It was crystal clear to me at least one thing God wants out of this. He wants a stronger, more loving, deeper relationship between Jenni and I. Who am I to argue with God?

Back to the diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma, I haven’t prayed for healing. I guess that would be the normal thing to do but I haven’t been lead down that path. What I pray for is that God would do something positive with the diagnosis. That he would use it, and me, for whatever “HE” had planned for this.

Although I’m not sure what God will bring to me with this cancer, I know that there has been and will continue to be a big positive from it. I will live that positive, with Jenni, for each and every day I have left…

PS.. I’m expecting it to be a LONG time…God willing.