A good day.

Last night it was very difficult to sleep.  We were all a bit worried about the surgery this morning.  Though the operation was a low risk operation according to the neurosurgeon, when he shared the risks associated with the procedure it didn't sound very "low risk" to us.  There was the potential of a "catastrophic" complication.

This made us all the more grateful to be the first surgery of the day at 7:45 am.  My dad Bruce made it to our room well before Pearce was carted down to the OR.  We spent some time praying and listening to praise music.  Pearce requested to listen to "Mercy Tree" by Lacy Strum.  We asked him if he wanted to pray too and he did.  He kicked off his prayer..."Dear Jesus, we thank you for this wonderful day..."  I was so proud of him.

He was afraid, like we all were, but talked about David probably being afraid when he faced Goliath and yet he still walked into the battle.

Watching him drift off to sleep after getting some anesthesia was quite scary.  What if that's the last time we hold hands and he looks us in the eyes and we can say we love him and are proud of him?  Yikes!

But, by God's grace, the procedure went much faster than we anticipated and the surgeon came marching out to us with a smile on his face.  We were ecstatic.

After the surgery Pearce did just great.  He didn't even nap this afternoon.  He ate like a champ and never felt nauseous.  He is taking some pain meds to help with the pain of the incision and the small part of his skull that they had to remove.  We are hopeful he will be able to go home tomorrow.

Now, we will tackle the challenge of entrusting Pearce to God every day, every week, etc.  The tumor is still in his brain.  We will be on alert for new symptoms and we will do regular MRI's.  But, we pray that God would remove the tumor or at the very least keep it from ever growing and causing more problems.

May this tumor be a blessing.  May it remind us that life is short and that our tomorrow's aren't guaranteed for us.  We need to put the first things first in our lives...bless, love, serve, listen, be present, and walk humbly.  We've seen so many of you demonstrate these virtues since we heard the horrible news on Saturday night.  We are humbled and grateful by the quick, loving and sacrificial response of all of you.  We love you!