Life's Markers

There's a picture that sits on my desk - its a picture of me and two boys. Those boys are part of a story - a "marker" in my life. Each time I see the picture it reminds me of how precious life is and how important it is to take time for people. Markers in life change us forever. Whether a joyous occasion or tragic event, they mark us, scar us, change us and continue to shape us into the person that God wants us to be.

January 3rd, 2007 became a marker in my life. That night I stood in the ICU at a hospital in Ohio with a 5-yr old wrapped tightly around my neck. We were there that night to say goodbye to his mother - a long time friend and fellow servant. The images are vivid, the memories clear - it is a night that has forever changed me and one that I will never forget.

There were the ups and downs of a nearly 9-month battle with gallbladder cancer - that became a brain tumor - the experimental treatments, the successes and the failures. That night has become a marker in my life - a "brick." It has forever changed me and caused me to look at life differently than I ever have in the past.

Time heals, but I'm certain that the images and memories will never fade - things like that just don't.