This day, three years ago, Rocky’s journey ended. A man who had great strength and a big heart.

After fifty-one years since high-school we found one another and were married. We were living our dream when a simple check-up showed Rocky had colon cancer. Our doctor gave Rocky about 4-months but we determined to beat the odds and make it as long as we could. (He did live two years after the diagnosis.)

Later we found this is a battle unlike any other and no matter how hard we resolved it would eventually take his life. We have seen many people, famous or otherwise, who swear to beat cancer but in most cases it simply takes the life or the quality of life. Therefore, our days were spent very carefully. Most cancer patients will tell you it gave them a new lease on life. The memories of some of those wonderfully ordinary days are what continues to fuel and feed me.

The deck became our place to observe God’s creatures doing what they were made to do. As we sat one afternoon Rocky noticed butterflies going over our house……and pointed them out to me. Unusual for them to be so high, we thought. Then a full scale sky-full began going over and we realized it was migration time. We sat holding hands, not speaking……just watching. Winter would soon come.

The next Spring we were taking a break on the deck and a mother squirrel was running across our yard. She had a baby hanging from her mouth and darted up a tree at the back of our yard. We watched as she came down and followed her same path across our yard, across the street and up another tree. Without hesitation she made the same trip back and forth until she had her babies safe in their new home. To witness that was pure joy.

There is always so much to see, hear and touch in God’s world. We just need to make ourselves available to it. God gave Rocky and me the miracle of finding one another again and bringing us together in His time……….for now, our paths have separated but there will come a day when our paths will meet again.

Until then my journey must be alone……..

Essentially Esther