Tears of Pure Joy

Last Thursday night I had another round of chemo, so on Friday I was pretty sick, tired, emotional...all that goes with it. I can hardly stand t0 go into the cafeteria here any more..just cannot stand the smell, but because I had basically been in my room all day, i went down to dinner with Gary. We were at the back of the dining room and had finished eating, when out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a young man way up at the front desk of the lobby that resembled Bryon. I immediately started to cry, and told Gary that I had seen someone who looked so much like Bryon that it made me so homesick. I just sat there and wept and wanted to leave that very minute and come home.

We stayed in the cafeteria for a few minutes longer, and then headed to the lobby. Just as we were about to round the corner to the elevator, my two, wonderful sons walked around the corner. The first thing out of my mouth was, "Oh my gosh....it WAS Bryon that I saw." I ran into their arms and cried and laughed and hugged and then did it all over again!!! The lobby was filled with people that witnessed the scene, and many of them were in tears also. MY BOYS!!!
MY BOYS!!! They had flown all the way here to spend the weekend with me and to surprise me and to give me the courage to keep going!!! What devotion! What love! What a sacrifice! In all my life I do not think I have had anything done for me that has touched me more or meant more to me than them coming!!! I liken it to greeting our loved ones beyond the veil.

We had a great weekend! We took the boys out for dinner and got them their room...poor Keith had a terrible headache that made him sick. Bryon brought us back to the clinic, and before he left I was hugging him and expressing my concern at how much this had cost him to come. He held me tenderly in his arms and said, "Mom....money is just temporal...families are forever. You mean more to us than any money does."

On Saturday, with their rental car, we were able to escape the hospital here and go to Oklahoma City. We saw the capitol building, the Federal Memorial Bombing sight, and we ate at one of the top ten best things to do in Oklahoma...the Cattleman's Steakhouse. It was the best steak I have ever eaten, and though I am not eating very well...I ate the entire thing. We drove back to Tulsa, took a nap, and then went out for a treat.

Sunday morning, my heart took a picture as Gary and I were sitting in the lobby waiting for the boys to come for breakfast. I watched them walk from their car to the lobby, in the brilliant sunlight, dressed in white shirts and ties, ready to go to church with me. Pure JOY!!! We went to church, and because the cafeteria was closed when we got out, we did take them to dinner. They came up to our room for awhile, and then it was time for them to fly out. Gary went down with them to see them off...but I sat on the bed and watched them out the window until they drove off, all the time thanking my Father in Heaven for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon me...my family being the greatest.

Yesterday in church the lesson was on the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, and how we go to the Lord with such a little bit of nothing and offer it to him, and he takes what little we have and blesses us and the masses around us. That is what the Lord has done for me. I, alone am so nothing, and yet with His presence in my life I have been able to raise an incredible loving family who have, in turn, reached out to bless so many, especially me. When we do our best to turn our lives over to God, He will make so much more of it then we could ever have hoped for. Thank you, God, for two sons, (and their supportive, wonderful wives) who thought enough of their mother to come this weekend. I will never forget this, or be able to talk about it without crying...crying tears of pure joy.