New Semester

I updated CaringBridge late today while Dori was napping in a Houston hotel. Yes, we're in Houston, if you'd like to click the link.

It is true what they say about Texas. Everything is big. The Texas Medical Center, which includes the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, is massive. TMC, which employs 82,000 people on a 1,000-acre campus, is the largest hospital in the world. So far, it appears to be well run, too. Day One at MDA was long, but went smoothly.

Dori read my CaringBridge post and thanked me for being honest. I've tended to leave out less positive moments on CB, using the medium instead to update Dori's status and to encourage prayer and support. She's been hurting this week, like the rest of us, and we miss our kids very much. The last 10 days have been emotional and exhausting, a real whirlwind. Telling the kids the bad news on Saturday morning ... well, it doesn't get much crappier.

I love my job, but last week was difficult. We've all been there - enduring the pettiness, dishonesty and misrepresentation of others isn't fun, even when one isn't trying to hold his family together or deal with a devastating relapse. I'll be able to work remotely next week, but won't miss being "on the job" for a few days.

Earlier this week, I ran twice, about seven miles total. A four-miler yesterday was a good stress relief. Last Sunday, the kids and I hiked five hilly miles in Percy Warner Park, with Pepper on point. Dori and I have some time this weekend. My sister gave me a good book, Autobiography of Mark Twain, which is helping stir the mind, evoke some chuckles and pass the time. We'll probably see a movie, and I'll likely run in the Texas heat and watch the Masters. I'll also keep Dori at the dinner table. She ate very well today.

I'm not sleeping well, I'm hurting for my family, and disappointed some people can be so boorish. But I have faith in God's will and know we can endure by staying true to His lesson plan. Some semesters are easier than others. This one is off to a tough, tough start. But good grades are possible and desirable. It's just a test.