Here we are,  sitting in our bed, in our home, in our parking spot, in a campground, in a town we’ve never been before.

We are parked in the Colorado River Thousand Trails park in Columbus TX.  It’s 10:30 pm here but I can’t sleep. Part of it is the fact that a week ago we were in California, but part of it is the reason we are so close to Houston.

Triann (my wife) has an appointment at MD Anderson in Houston at 8:00 am in the morning. That is an hour and a half from here. That means we have to leave by 6:00 am. That means I have to be up at 5:00 am. That is 5:00 am central time. My head is still stuck in Pacific time. This is not going to be fun.

For those of you who don’t know what MD Anderson is (hopefully most of you), it is a cancer research hospital. The significance to us is that it is where Triann went for treatment with her first round of cancer in 2008.

This appointment is to look at a spot that showed up on her liver during her last set of scans. They will run tests and more test and more tests, the tests will span over a week and finally we will meet with her doctor next Thursday to hear the results.

This is always a tricky time, the time leading up to the scans. A time where your mind can wonder if you aren’t careful. A time where every pain anywhere can cause you to think the worst. A time where stress and concern can lead to shortness and arguments. This is something we should remember and not be caught off guard by. This isn’t our first rodeo.

Triann has been through two rounds of cancer. In 2008 and again in 2015. Both times she was told to get her affairs in order. Both times they were wrong.

Something about that pronouncement, even in error, causes you to look at things differently. Things that seemed to be critical weren’t. Things that felt imperative no longer were. Five-year plans became irrelevant. It was a strangely freeing experience.

I really think that change of perspective is ultimately what led us to ditch the house and hit the road full time. To have the adventures we have had. To meet the people we have met. To see the things that we have seen. To receive the blessings we have received.

So here we are, sitting in our bed, in our home, in our parking spot, in a campground, in a town we’ve never been before.

We are concerned, we are anxious to know the answers, but I don’t think we are scared.

Triann said something to me during the first round. She was laying in the hospital bed, having been told a few days before that she had less than 4 months left. She looked at me, the one who was not laying in the bed having been told this news, that my life was almost over, and she said: “God knows the number of my days, and this doesn’t change anything”.

That is it. That is the answer. That is where any semblance of calmness, patience, and sanity comes from. Triann and I know what we believe and we know who is in charge and we know now that life can be fleeting and gone in an instant. So we look at things differently.

There is stress in waiting for an answer. We are not excited about this next week, but we are walking into it hand in hand, trusting that God has us in his hand, and ready to praise Him. We are ready to celebrate good news and jump back into our house and drive off in whatever direction we want!

But first I have to fall asleep, and then I have to wake up at 5:00 am. Central Time. That is not going to be fun.