Signs along the Path

Okay, I have been doing a lot of thinking since yesterday and all about the "Path" and the "Beast". Let's focus more on the path right now. Each and every day I am continually blessed by one of you or a new person showing up along the Path to wish me well, give a hug, bring some soup, or the many compasionate things people have to offer me. I'm going to call these the "SIGNS" along the path. Sort of like the happy billboards just for me. Full of great things for me to pay attention to and keep me focused. Continuing on this little creative construction plan I decided the mile markers would be my HOPE MARKERS" to help keep track of the distance in months of course. Then things that happen along the way that are just plain fun or good news will be like little market stands or booths for me to stop at. Just like the sponsor boots along a marathon run, they are there just to make you feel good and give you something free and then send you on your way to the big "FINNISH LINE". Nah, lets leave that part out of my path. It's my path and I can make it any way I want....so NO FINISH LINE. Then I decided after getting a very beautiful Christmas gift the other day from our dear friends in Norway, that my path is going to look just like Norway all along the way. What an incredibly beautiful place.
I joined the EC (Esophageal Cancer) group on line yesterday and already I am flooded with responses. But one response especially fit right into my PATH idea. This man's story was just about a mirror image of mine except that he was a bit older. He too faced the same BEAST with the same limitations to his path, no surgery, not much hope and no cure. Well after reading his wonderful response to me joining the group, he encouraged me to keep on counting because so far he had just finished month number 76. Wow, did I love seeing that. He is a retired Army General who considers himself a "goofy kind of guy who thinks everything is funny". Well how about that. Sounds like a nice guy to me. He too says that attitude and outlook are so very important to the healing process.
I found out today that at least Steve and I are going to take a trip to New Hampshire in a couple of weeks to visit with my mom and dad's families. If things work out, Mike may join us too. If not, Mike and I will do something else together soon. I'm really looking forward to the trip, not only to spend some good time with Steve but to get back to the land of snow, the land of my roots. I just hope they have some snow by the time we get there. We are going to spend a day in Boston and then drive north to Mount Washington. I expect a wonderful trip. My mom and dad's families both came from the same little town there in New Hampshire called Berlin. It was an old lumber town and devided by a river. French on the east and Irish on the west. Thank God my dad was an adventurer and crossed the river once in a while. My dad was the oldest of 11 and my mom, the youngest of 4. Only 5 of my dad's family are left but a multitude of cousins. So it will be an important time for Steve to get to know another side of his roots.

Thanks to all that commented on my blog return. I found out how much I enjoy doing this and how much I enjoy knowing someone is reading it. Today my biggest joy was the comment of my beautiful, loving daughter Carrie. What a lucky man I am. Have a wonderful day all of you, and remember that you are loved. God bless you all.