I do love these October days when the sun shine brightly, the temperature is reasonable, and the trees show their autumn colors. There are some stunning trees in my neighborhood. It is so pleasant to walk through the leaves as they rustle beneath your feet with the fresh air just waiting to be inhaled. 
This is the tree that had only started to change
last week now see this week.
The hay fever has not struck with its usual force bringing forth the runny nose, the itchy eyes and the multitude of sneezes. Perhaps those two allergy meds I take every night have some effect! I’m sure the “fever” will come so I’ll enjoy autumn while I can.
Last Sunday afternoon I went strolling through one of the cemeteries here in the city. I like to do that in October and November. November 2, is the commemoration of All Souls. When I was a parish priest we made it a practice to visit all the cemeteries and pray at the graves of the departed members of the parish. It is a good thing to remember the dead, to relive the memories, and to pray for and with them. The words of Samuel John Stone set to a tune by Samuel Sebastian Wesley remind us of our relationship with the dead: “Yet she (the church) on earth hath union with God, the Three in One, and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.” That is from the hymn “The Church’s One Foundation.” May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
It seems like the week has flown by. The usual round of activities has kept me busy. Friday I was up bright and early for my CT scan. I’m not used to bright and early so this was kind of a shock. Actually it is early but certainly not bright at 5:30 AM. Nevertheless my appearance was noted at 7:30 waiting in the lab at the Prairie Center. My port had not been accessed for two weeks so there was a little struggle to get the blood flowing but the nurse succeeded. Then it was off to the third floor to the imaging center. Within 40 minutes one must drink two bottles of water laced with some substance that tastes faintly of iodine which the “machine” likes so it can take better pictures. The scan itself only takes a few minutes. Then I ran errands all over town until the meeting with the doctor in the afternoon to get the results.
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| Sophia in a pensive mood undoubtedly pondering the change of seasons |
This whole chemotherapy thing is kind of a mystery. One goes through the infusions and from certain side effects, like hair loss, one assumes it is working, and especially one hopes it is working on the cancer. One way they tell in my case is to check my sodium level. Evidently my tumors love sodium. The other way is through CT scans and MRIs. I have CT scans more frequently than MRIs. Those procedures really show what is going on. The report, this time, says: No concerning nodules or masses seen in the lungs. In the liver, one lesion is “stable to smaller over the last 2 exams.” The other lesion is stable. So, in the doctor’s words the lung lesions have basically disappeared. The liver lesions are not growing and one is shrinking a little. And the very good news is that the cancer has not spread elsewhere. So I’m grateful and ready to go for another round of chemo next week. Scans will happen again in nine weeks.
One of the members of our Benedictine community called this afternoon and told me he has been diagnosed with COVID-19. This whole pandemic thing seems suddenly more real when it comes to those with whom we are close. I’ve not been in the same room with him for almost two weeks and we were masked then so I don’t think I have anything to worry about. Still there is a little germ of fear that lingers in the back of one’s mind.
Hopefully next week will be a good one for you. Thank you for reading and for all of your thoughts and prayers. May God bless you.
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