The Best Gift Ever!

Would a new car be a great Christmas gift? Would a cruise make you happy? Maybe you want concert tickets, a new computer, jewelry or cash! These all pale in comparison to the gift I want.

I get up at two or three most mornings so I go to bed very early. I was almost asleep last night when I heard my phone ring. I looked over and saw it was my parents number and immediately got scared. My dad is eighty years old and my mom is seventy-eight, so when they call at an unusual time I start to think the worse. I have been through many of the false alarms over the past few years; but last night was different.

      It was my dad on the phone. When I visited them over Thanksgiving my dad was having problems breathing. He had a cat scan done early this week and was calling to tell me they had found enlarged lymph nodes in his lung and abdomen. They told him it looked like B cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I was totally caught off guard and did not know what to say. My dad is John Wayne ... he can't be sick!

    I remember what it felt like when I was first told about my cancer and knew what he was going through. The worst part is that time frame when you really don't know what your diagnosis is. They really don't know a lot yet and will have to do blood work and a biopsy to know exactly what is happening. That will all start on Monday.

   This Christmas all I want is for my dad to be ok. I am asking for prayers this Christmas. I just want everyone to pray for my dad and everyone who is getting similar news.

I know the power of prayer because I myself have benefited from this awesome power. The most precious thing we all have is time. Remember that as you gather with loved ones this Holiday season.