Storming Heaven

Friends, I have many posts forthcoming, with news to share, babies to show, and stories to tell.  But tonight I just have a request.

I've been sitting here, way past my bedtime, trying to figure out how you're supposed to go to sleep when your friend is dying.  Because that's the situation many dear friends and I are facing.

Mike and his beloved dachshund, Luigi 

My dear friend Mike Harry has cancer.  He's had cancer on and off for a long time--over a decade--and suddenly, somehow it feels like it snuck up on us.  I think it hit us all like a ton of bricks last weekend when we got the word from his mom that chemo just isn't working anymore and the doctors have done all they can do.  Mike is one of the best people I know.  Despite EVERYTHING, he always has a smile on his face.  He's been through brain tumors (yes, with an S--more than one), esophageal cancer, cancer cells around his heart and in his lymph nodes, and much, much more, and yet he never fails to try to brighten the day of everyone he encounters.  The first time I met Mike, I was interviewing him for a job, and I thought to myself, either this guy is faking it, or he is extraordinary.  And the truth is, he is extraordinary.  He really is something special--I have never met anyone else like him.  Nearly everyone who knows him would tell you of his bone-crushing hugs--the patented Mike Harry move.  I have experienced many of these myself.  Whenever you greeted Mike, he would immediately get a huge grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye and proceed to lift you off the ground, pop every vertebrae in your back, and put you down with a laugh.  I tell you what, after a Mike Harry hug, you KNOW you are loved.  No doubt about it.

My whole family got to experience Mike once, around Thanksgiving, when he was going through a really tough time.  And even though he was struggling that weekend, my family loved him so much they still ask me about him from time to time.  I wish I had better news.

Mike's been through so much, but he's still so full of faith and hope and optimism.  I wish you all knew him and you could see it.  It is beautiful.  And for those of us who love him, it is also heartbreaking.  Devastating.  He is 30 years old.  People are not supposed to have to deal with stuff like this when they are just 30 years old.  He's been married for 2 1/2 years, and his wife is remarkable.  When they refer to someone as a rock, Rhiannon is it.

Mike and Rhiannon Harry

So my request tonight is simple.  Please storm the heavens for this truly incredible man and his amazing wife.  Obviously we are all begging God for a miracle where science has failed, but barring that, please pray for strength and comfort and peace and hope and HEALING for this one-in-a-billion guy.  Pray that he will not suffer or be in pain.  Mike knows--we all know--whatever happens, the BEST is yet to come.  Please pray for Mike.

Thanks, friends.  I love you.

Gratitude Project, Day 11

Today I'm thankful for my teapot! It was a Christmas gift from my folks a few years ago, and I LOVE IT! I use it almost every day to heat water for tea or hot chocolate or cider or something. It's always on my stove. I love it. :) Tonight's drink of choice is Stephen's Gourmet Hot Chocolate (it's the BEST!!) with French Vanilla mini marshmallows--perfect for a cold night when the lovely weather we've been having is making it's exit, and soooooo delicious.

Last night I must have slept wrong or something, because I woke up in EXCRUCIATING pain. Anytime I try to move my head or neck, I have this incredibly sharp pain in my neck and shoulder. I worked for a few hours, but it was no fun, and now I'm pretty much down for the count. So today I'm super thankful for sick time at work (so I could give up and come home early), good pain meds, and the awesome rice bag my mom made me years ago. They are definitely helping, even if only a little.

I'm also thankful it's college basketball season again! You know I love my Gonzaga basketball!!!!! Tonight was the first regular season game, and since my budget does not allow for cable (which I normally don't care too much about anyway) and I wasn't feeling up to going out, I was bummed I wouldn't get to watch it. However, leave it to the Zag fans, because one quick post on facebook elicited a couple places to watch it online (plus an invite to another friend's house to watch it). So I got to see it after all, and the first game of the season was a WIN! :) GO GONZAGA!!

I'm also excited and so, so thankful that I will get to spend my goddaughter's 2nd birthday WITH her this year!!!! :) Janna and Ryan's sweet baby girl, Olivia, is my goddaughter, and I haven't seen her since she was four months old! Originally I had thought Jan and Ryan weren't coming until late on the 23rd, or maybe even the 24th, but Jan just texted me that they'll be there on the 22nd, and I am sooooo excited!! I love my sweet Livy and I can't wait to see her! Living far apart is hard because I want to have a relationship with her, but we're doing the best we can. :)

Finally, today I am so thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, and more importantly, for the men and women in the military who fight and sacrifice and risk everything to guarantee those freedoms. I'm also thankful for their families, who give up so much to support the troops in a very real way. Tonight I'm especially thankful for my Uncle Jim and Aunt Joan, who were both in the Navy; for my Grandpa Einar, who fought in WW2; for my friend Mike, who is on his second tour and currently serving in Afghanistan, and his wife Sarah and son Patrick--Sarah is raising a two-year old AND completing her first year of PT school while Mike's deployed, which is certainly no small feat--they are an amazing family; despite the struggles of the past few months, for Zack and his dad, who are both military men; and for the rest of my family and friends who are serving right now or who have served in the past, and for all veterans and military men and women out there. Thank you for your service.

Also...Happy 11/11/11!!

What are you thankful for today?