Thursday

April 3, 2025

    Can you hear the muzak playing?  Yep, still on hold.

    I did have a tele-appointment with my surgeon today, Dr. Tran, a follow-up to the original surgery. It was 5 weeks yesterday since the tumor was removed.  I was able to report that I'm doing fine, and the scar is healing nicely with no pain and no problems.  She even gave me permission to start golfing again, but to wait another week before returning to the gym. I've been walking every day getting my steps in. 

    Dr. Tran was able to confirm what we had already ascertained. The prior authorization for the radiation treatments had been denied. They will resubmit the request with further paperwork and plans. I'm imagining that the insurance company is thinking what many of my friends have asked.  "If the cancer is gone and the scans are clean, why do you need radiation?" I don't know that is the reason, but I'm guessing, maybe. I would tell the insurance what I told my friends... because the doctor wants to make sure it doesn't come back. Hopefully they will see the logic soon.

    As I shared with a former student today, God is giving me a chance to work on that fruit of the Spirit called Patience.  

    Romans 8:25

        But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 

    The earliest the radiation treatments can start is Monday now, and only if they call tomorrow. I am, and I'm not, in a hurry to get started, but the longer this takes, the more it gets in the way of some plans we had for May. I don't know what God knows and trust that this delay will serve its purpose. 

    It's times like these that I remember the other times that God directed my paths toward ends that I could never have foreseen. One of my best examples is January 2019.  My colitis was giving me problems and work was stressful (which adds to my colitis problems). My doctor had switched my medications, and I wasn't seeing great results, yet. It was hard to teach like this, so I started bringing up the idea of retirement to Cathy.  My original plan was to work until 2022, but I had always left 2020 as my "player option" (baseball fans will know what I'm talking about). It was just an idea at the time, but one Cathy whole heartedly supported. We were hoping that less stress would make the colitis more manageable.  

    As the year progressed the new medication worked to control my colitis, (I'm close to remission now) but I was still feeling that urge to go ahead and retire at the end of 2020. I believe God was telling me to go ahead. I made a final decision in January, and on my birthday, I took the day off and delivered my retirement papers to the STRS (State Teachers' Retirement System) office. I didn't share with anyone except my partner at school. It's not official until I give a letter to the district, and I wanted to give myself wiggle room in case I changed my mind. 

    Then came March 13, 2020, and the world shut down. As the lockdown continued, my mind was made up, time to retire and move on. I firmly believe God planted the seed so I would retire before enduring COVID teaching. I hated the ZOOM classroom, I hated not being in class with my students, I would have hated wearing masks every day, and I would have hated having little, to no, contact with my co-workers. Instead, I was able to leave with memories of one of the best classes of students I had ever had, and one of the best years I had every enjoyed. I didn't know why God had planted the seed that I should retire in 2020, but I am forever grateful that He did. 

    Isaiah 55:8-9

        For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

        For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my              thoughts than your thoughts.

    Proverbs 16:9

        We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

    Proverbs 20:24

        The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?

    There are more things that happened after retirement that solidified that God knew what was coming and I needed to be retired.  I will share more on a later post.  As always, thanks for the prayers. 


UPDATES:  Received a phone call this morning, radiation treatments start Monday!!  God answering prayers!! 

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