All About Sisters - Norman's New Normal

This has been quite a week.





I'm at my sister's house. We've cleaned the refrigerator, organized the laundry room, vacuumed, mopped, knit, crocheted, watched old movies, knit, crocheted, cleaned, packed away a months worth of meat into the freezer, did I mention knitting?



We are together making life a little simpler and assessing her next few months, waiting for some test results for her hubbie, Norman, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last December ('07).

He has had so many BAD days lately, severe pain, that he is undergoing another invasive test on Friday, and will get the results then. My sister is in the FROZEN mental state, fear can grip us like a tightening rope, even when we're trusting the Lord, each little bit of information can give the rope of fear another jerk, and blind us from enjoying the moment.



We have laughed, cried, hugged, reasoned, thrown out reason, had near accidents waiting on the drug store manager to open the public bathroom, stopped for drive-through cokes, sat at the dinner table together, sipped coffee in our nightgowns, and stayed up till weird hours of the night I haven't seen since women's overnighters years ago.



I've hooked up with some of my nieces, and great nieces and nephews. Some I'd never met...soo adorable - her grandkiddos.



But most of all it really isn't all about SISTERS. Right now it is ALL ABOUT NORMAN and NORMAN'S NEW NORMAL!!



The new normal hits when our day-to-day life smacks into an invisible wall called dsappointment. It's not really that simple but whether its Katrina, Gustov, tornado, fire, divorce, an accident or terminal illness, whatever stops us in our tracks and causes us to pause and reassess our day-to-day life, that's the new normal.

I've come to the conclusion that the new normal is a new day. Each day is exactly what we make of it, in the areas that we have control, and the outside influences (or inside our body controling factors) are the day's challenge, our reaction to the task at hand is what makes us who we are, who people recognize - our true character.

Norman is a true man of God. He trusts God for a healing, while he rests on a complete understanding that every man dies eventually, but his untimely diagnosis, even though it interupted his retirement plans, caused hm to cancel many events on the calendar, and has stressed my sis to the limit, he stands firm that GOD IS IN CONTROL. When he is in a lot of pain he is tempted to fear, but is so thankful for the last 10 months since the diagnosis, and thankful for family.

Know what - I want to be as gracious as my Norman if i ever suffer the way he has, his suffering has made him a powerful witness of God's love and grace.

Yep, we really are 3 knitting sisters. We just don't get to knit together like this very often, and I am a blessed woman!! (I finished another bag tonight!!)