Surviving the Storms

On our way home from Fish Lake a few weeks ago we took a detour and spent the day at beautiful Bryce Canyon. The sky was bright blue spotted with white cotton ball clouds and the eroded mountains were in stark contrast in shades of red, orange, and pink hues. The show was definitely viewing the hoodoos and canyons from the look out points.

But this weathered tree with roots exposed caught my attention and respect. Some might comment about it's lack of life but it was alive with leaves on it's limbs. It stood happily and bravely up on the ridge forever looking over the canyons below. I wondered how many times it's been struck by lightening and yet it still stands and lives.

I had to go to Bryce Canyon to get a picture in my mind of how Heavenly Father expects us to endure, weather, and survive the storms in our lives.

These past few months have been troubling and difficult for me dealing with post cancer issues, even though Peter is cancer free. Every month Peter has to go in for lab work where a blood test is ordered that lets us know if the cancer has come back or if he is still cancer free. The first two or three months of this new routine didn't bother me so much. But with each passing month I find myself dreading to call for the results. When I finally make myself call I wait on hold while the nurse types his name in the computer. I try to have faith that the results will be in his favor and remain cancer free. But at the same time I brace myself for the bad news because I don't know what Heavenly Father has in store for us. Not that I believe He is wanting us to go through such difficult trials or that He's punishing us for something. This is life. I know we have to have the hard, trying times to become the people that we need to be... But, I just don't want Peter go through that again.

I'm just trying to figure out how to live from month to month and lab results to lab results. I want to be that happy, brave tree enjoying life day to day with my beautiful life and stop worrying about the return of cancer that may never come back. Fear is a terrible state of mind. Hope is better.

And I do know what Heavenly Father has in store for us. Everlasting life and joy if we but endure.


on the way to Mossy Cave & the waterfall

Sunset point

Navajo Loop. We're doing this next year.

We finally caught up with Peter. He loved it there.

A bunch of hoodoos.