My French life doesn’t always go as planned. Just when I thought I would take a short visit to see family in the States and return quickly to France, I was shown how little control I have over my life.
Life Interrupted
My son’s wife and the mother of my two young grandchildren is seriously ill. After I arrived, she took the time to go to a doctor. What started last summer as soreness between her shoulders turned out to be a condition that has been going on for years. She has a tumor on her spinal cord. Over the past weeks, we have made it through MRIs and appointments with two neurosurgeons. Today, we learn when she goes for surgery. Her case is a priority because the tumor and accumulated spinal fluid are causing damage to her system.
How’s that for a kick in the pants? Just when you think life couldn’t get any better, it doesn’t.
I’m telling you this because I want to share the lesson I’m learning.
Don’t wait to enjoy your life.
If you want to travel, travel.
If you want to live abroad, start working on it now.
Life doesn’t wait for you to “get around to it.”
A piece of good news about my family situation is that I’m where I should be. Because of some kind of a stroke of fate, I didn’t have to rush to get here when I heard the news. I was here when I needed to be. I’ve been here to help with the children, the dogs, and stuff in general. I’ve been here to hold hands and to wipe away tears. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The good news is that our family is a closely bound unit. We’re bound by love and faith. We laugh together, and we pray together. It’s been the laughs and the prayers that have helped us through the last few weeks. Our fears have been many. What would the scans show? Could it be the “big C”? We are encouraged. The rest is unknown until after the surgery.
It’s possible you might not hear from me as much as I’d like to keep you informed. A one-year-old and a three-year-old take a lot of attention and energy. Perhaps I’ll have a chance to write about some of the places I visited before I left my French life. It might be a good diversion. Either way, I shall return.
Stay tuned…
