T+140 Joy, the good kind

BOX SCORE	9/20/24
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	12.2	13-17	^
Platelets	170	140-375	v
ANC	2910	1800-8300	v

One of the political parties in this current election cycle is running a presidential campaign based on "Joy." There doesn't seem to be any detectable foundation for this joy, given the state of the economy, the state of geo-political hostilities, or the endless bickering among various factions in our country. Such is the nature of man-made "joy." 

Yesterday, Jill and I experienced some real, good, old-fashioned, Divine Joy. The day began with a visit to our favorite ophthalmologist, Dr. O. I have been seeing her for the past five years. It all started in the fall of 2019, when I seemed to be ravaged with multiple styes on my eyelids. Dr. O did a thorough examination and history and determined that the problem was the result of diminished oil flow from the glands in my eyelids. Who knew there were oil glands in my eyelids?? With some manipulation in the office and a prescription, the problem diminished to a comfortable level. 

Fast forward a couple of years. Following my initial chemotherapy in 2021, Dr. O found that my corneas and lenses had been damaged. After four (count 'em 4) surgeries, I emerged with near perfect vision in both eyes. My corneas were "polished," and my cataract-ridden lenses were replaced with artificial, multi-focus lenses. It is amazing what God has revealed to mankind, via medical science, about the human body. 

Amidst all the various chemos and hospital stays, I have seen Dr. O over the years for follow up care, mostly because of continuing problems with styes. In that time, Jill and I have made a personal connection with her. At yesterday's visit, Dr. O was surprised to note that I had no styes, and all I needed was a minor procedure to help maintain moisture in my eyes, which she did on the spot. Another miracle resulting from my transplant treatment, apparently. 

Then Dr. O showed us pictures of her two children, who have been born during the time we have known her. They included a video of Hugo (4) and Emilia (2) singing happy birthday to one of Dr. O's colleagues, in spite of the fact that it was not her birthday. Then she said she would love to have  us meet the kids and maybe be surrogate grandparents, since her family and her husband's family don't live nearby. She has been discovering how important grandparents are to kids, having grown up with very little interaction with her own grandparents. We were wide open to that idea, and Dr. O gave Jill her phone number so we can stay in touch and let her know when we will be less vulnerable. Thank you, Lord, for the joy of building human relationships. 

Yesterday was also our biweekly housecleaning day, so since the local temperatures were predicted to be in the upper 80s (is this really September?), we decided to head for the Oregon coast, about an hour's drive away. We had no real plan for what we would do there, except that, being in quarantine, we would have a picnic lunch, rather than eat in one of the myriad, wonderful restaurants that dot the coastline. 

At the beach, the weather was marvelous. We arrived at Road's End state recreation site around 10:30 in sunny, shirtsleeve weather. There was a layer of fog on the ocean, so we couldn't see the surf at first. Nevertheless, we had a walk on the beach with a handful of others sharing the joy of beach walking. 

 

Eventually, the fog lifted and we had our picnic lunch overlooking the ocean. It was a real joy to see and appreciate God's creation, 

"For what can be known about God is plain to [us], because God has shown it to [us]." (Romans 1:19)

Our unchoreographed coastal visit next led us to drive through the community at Road's End. It is a lovely little beach village with an array of homes ranging from three-story, palatial edifices to tiny seaside cottages. We get great joy from exploring and learning how others live. 

Once we had perused the Road's End enclave, we decided to explore Devil's Lake State Park. Devil's Lake is the source of what has been  billed as the world's shortest river, the D. It runs about 440 feet from the west end of Devil's Lake to the Pacific Ocean. The lake is quite lovely and provides an alternative for people who like waterfront living but prefer fresh water to salt water at their doorsteps. 

The park is not large, but it includes a number of secluded woodland picnic tables and a fine boat launch ramp. Since it was Tuesday, there was not a lot of activity, and we enjoyed a leisurely walk about the grounds. 

When we departed the park, we drove around the south and east shores of the lake and returned to Hwy 101, heading north. A few miles up the road, we turned in at the little town of Neskowin to do more exploring. To my way of thinking this is what a beach town should be. The homes are mostly older, smallish cabins. The streets are narrow, and there are lots of trees. It was kind of like heaven for me and Jill to be exploring coastal villages again, after so many months of quarantine and having to stay close to medical facilities, "just in case."

Later we continued north on Hwy 101 and stopped at our old stomping grounds in Pacific City. There were no large crowds, so we felt safe going into the little store near the Cape Kiwanda RV Park for some ice cream. We have spent many joyful days at the RV park in the past. Now that we have retired from RVing, it brought us joy to be in familiar territory, nestled in between the Cape and the ocean. 

At last it was time to head for home. We returned via Hwy 130 to Hwy 22 to Hwy 18 and finally to Hwy 22 again, a beautiful drive through the forest over a string of one lane bridges crossing the Little Nestucca River as it meanders through the hills. Although we were only gone a few hours, we found ourselves fully refreshed from the joy of seeing so much of God's creation. The trees in the forests, the power of the Pacific Ocean, the smell of the salt air, and the freedom to wander aimlessly for a few hours did our souls good. 

At the end of the day, sitting on our own patio with a cool drink, we reveled in the thought that life is gradually returning to normal after three years of battling leukemia. We even began making preliminary plans for a family Thanksgiving Day celebration with daughter Tara and Son Patrick and his lovely wife Katie, along with their two beautiful daughters Ryanne and Megan. 

Light is sown for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart. (Psalm 97:11)