Sandy and I have learned more about life this year than all our previous years combined. We had no idea how powerful the spiritual side was. As a matter of fact we have discovered that there is no separation. There is no good or bad, no more right or wrong; there is only the next loving thing. Our twenty years of sobriety and service in A.A. have paid unexpected dividends.
When the brain tumor and cancer struck Bill last March, the spiritual principles of the program of 12 Step Fellowships leapt into play. As he was lying in the PET scan after the preliminary diagnosis, he was overwhelmed with a feeling of acceptance and gratitude. Instead of being a death sentence (he was given two weeks to live) the tumor and lung cancer proved to be the springboard to a true understanding of the meaning of life.
Helpfulness to others is the one constant that has kept the pain and fear away through this whole treatment process. That doesn’t mean that Bill was leaping around showering others with rose petals. Chemo hurts, it makes you dizzy and you feel like you have a constant case of the flu. Nothing tastes very good and you feel really tired all the time. So we handed out at least two hundred Spiritual Principles Cards all over Swedish Hospital. Here’s a card for you………………….
These are the things of real value in our lives. There isn’t a single problem that doesn’t fit under the umbrella of recovery. Please don’t get the impression that we are some kind of saints. All the red flags of the human condition are up before us every morning. It took a while to get back to our art but it is a new and wonderful depth we are discovering. We have been working on two enormous eagles to be cast in bronze. What an awesome and relentless project! Creativity is one of the best meditations in the world.
We created several other pieces of furniture and some delightful glass work also. We have endeavored to do all the things we love—Our August trip to Casey Key. The Western Design Conference in September, and a tour of the four-corners states in October with stops at Zion NP, Grand Canyon NP, Phoenix, Albuquerque and home to Colorado!
So, as we close in on the last of the chemo, PET scans and MRI’s, the cancer is disappearing and the doctors are awed by the miracle of healing. We love you all, and hope your hearts are at peace and your minds are quiet.
God bless you, Bill and Sandy