2 years come and gone...

Even though the 2 year anniversary of the diagnosis came and went on November 12, it was without much fanfare. In reality we had a very real concern about this illness back into July of 2009. Changing doctors and procedures finally confirmed it for us. I don't think it is possible to list the things that have changed in the last 2 years, and I don't think I could list what hasn't changed. The only thing that is constant is change. It gets harder to identify how I feel about things. Sometimes it feels like House Arrest. Sometimes it is like I am being given time to realize how good I have it. Many days I just hope that the next round of testing will bring good news. The thing I am most thankful for today is that I feel the love and prayers from some very close to me, some that I have met through this, and some that email back to me now and then, but I have never met. Those are the times that get me through this and where I get my strength from. The comments from people that this blog is meaningful to them or gives them direction and hope. These words are given to me as gifts, and I hope that I do them justice as I pass them on to you. The internet and this blog have been a huge blessing to me and I hope that we can continue to blog for a long, long time. Until next time, Happy Blessed Thanksgiving to all. Please don't forget to express your love and support to those that need it ( and those that don't) this Holiday Season. Life is too short to let one pass you by. All my love to you and yours!

Brian.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Since I last wrote, I was lucky enough to attend Games 1, 6, and 7 of the 2011 World Series where my Cardinals added their 11th Championship. I had never been to a World Series game and my son, who is 12, is at the age where he had developed a strong interest in the Cardinals. Game 1 was exciting and fun to see a win. Game 6 was like nothing I, or most people, have ever seen. If you are a baseball fan, you know what I am talking about. An instant classic. Game 7 was great to see the victory and the celebration. An entire city gone wild about a team that is part of the stitching of the St. Louis culture. The players come and go over the years, but the Birds on the Bat are something you can sit and talk to anyone of any age at any coffee shop anywhere in St. Louis, and you are old friends. That is why I wanted to get back to St. Louis. It is not the Greatest City in the World or the Best City in the US to (fill in the blank), but it is my home. It is where my culture is. Where my family calls home. As we traveled to clinics and I moved around for work, I found other places that I met great friends that I consider part of my family, but home is truly where the heart is. It seems silly that a sporting event can remind you of that, but it is in the family get-togethers and the ease of dropping by to visit. I appreciate having roots and showing my children not just where I grew up, but how I grew up. As I travel this journey with cancer, it is not just for me to show them how I want them to live, but how I did live and what I liked to do and where I did it. I wish all of you the very best. My love to all of you.