Clear Air Turbulence

If Cathy’s glioblastoma is an airplane ride, we encountered some clear air turbulence a few days ago during our most recent visit to Duke Cancer Center. Cathy has a slight change in her most recent MRI, at a location in her brain that is near the original tumor site. However, our medical team is not sure what it is or if it is serious, so we will wait to see if the turbulence clears up or if the pilot instructs us to buckle up our seat belts. Our next visit to Duke is scheduled for January 2, 2025. Happy New Year!

We returned home from our Athens-Memphis-Durham-Athens trek just in time to hand out Halloween candy to 400+ trick-or-treaters. It was a fun and almond-joyful end to a remarkable trip that was filled with love and support from so many friends and family. All of you touched our hearts and nourished our souls. Thank you.

About ten years ago, we decided to be buried in the columbarium at Subiaco Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery located in Subiaco Arkansas. Since 1940, eighteen monks related to Tom’s mom, have served, lived pious lives, and are buried at Subiaco Abbey. We have spent many retreat weekends and numerous family reunions at Subiaco and feel such spiritual peace when we visit Subiaco. Being buried near our monk family and friends seems ideal. Upon our return from this trip, we discovered that our walnut-wood urns had arrived. They are beautifully hand-made by our dear monk-friend, Fr. Jerome, who is also a former Subiaco Abbot. Last night our Pastor, Fr. Toomey, dropped by for a visit, and blessed our urns. You don’t see many “URN” pictures, so we decided to share this one with you.

This month we will attend a couple of weddings and spend Thanksgiving with a sick friend in Minneapolis. By God’s Grace and HIS sustained blessings, Cathy’s next update is planned for December 8, 2024. May the Peace of Jesus Christ be the primary filter of how you view the world and calm your nerves during your times of clear air turbulence.