One year down !!!!!!

Tomorrow, October 10th, marks the one year anniversary of Ryan's surgery to remove the tumor. Last Friday was a tough day because the 5th was the day he was diagnosed a year earlier. With that said I've been reminded this week of several times throughout the past year when various people, many of whom we do not even know personally, have stepped up and provided support for our family at our lowest times. Throughout the past twelve months we've had people bringing us meals, sending restaurant gift certificates and gas cards for us to use, calling and emailing us encouragement, visiting at the hospital, letting Addie spend the night at their home while Ryan is at the hospital for treatment, sending cards and letters to Ryan (you truly don't know how awesome he thinks it is to get a card with a dime or nickel taped inside), and countless other acts of kindness toward our family. Ryan has been able to a lot of cool things thanks to friends and friends of friends. Things such as checking out all the fire engines and stuff at the fire hall in Cookeville, driving construction equipment in White House, riding jet skis in Alabama, and tons of other fun stuff. It has been amazing to see letters and cards from churches from North Carolina to California and everywhere in between with people we don't even know saying they are praying for us each day. It has been a long, long, longggggggggg, year but it has been made better by all of ya'll who have checked up on us and supported us throughout this process. I'm about as cynical as a person can get so you know that if I've been touched by your kindness and love then you must have went way above and beyond the call. Today Ryan and I were at Vandy to have another hearing test before this Thursday's chemotherapy (the hearing test came out good!). We walked up the street to eat at Pizza Perfect and I glanced across the street at Sportsman's Grill. It made me think of the day of Ryan's surgery when, after a very long and grueling day for us in the waiting area, a friend of Mary Lee's Uncle Keith paid for enough food from Sportsman's Grill to feed an army of folks and our whole extended family shared a great meal together, thankful that God had brought Ryan out of surgery. Sitting there that night eating that meal I was thankful that God had spared him but was still scared of what was to come. Now, a year later, I'm amazed that God gave us a full year we weren't certain we would have and I'm hopeful that we'll get to continue celebrating October 10th as a happy anniversary each year for the next fifty or sixty years as Ryan grows into old age. Keep up your prayers, even more in earnest, as we near the end of his chemotherapy treatments (Thanksgiving will be the last treatment). Thanks for everything. Our God is an awesome God. Our family is a testament to his abounding grace and love. Thank you God for the gift you've given us!