I’ve watched a lot of HGTV since I’ve been in isolation. Property Brothers, House Hunters Renovation, Flip or Flop and Beachfront Bargain Hunt have given me lots of ideas for projects to do around the house after cancer and life returns to “normal.” I’m sure Gary is thrilled. My latest binge is a show called Good Bones with a mother-daughter duo who take houses that have basically been condemned and abandoned—filled with squatters, animals, filth and rot—and turn them into beautiful designer homes with hardwood floors and granite countertops. From trash to treasure in less than an hour!
The entire process begins with demo day. The crew will literally tear everything out of the house except the studs in the walls, the roof and the floor; sometimes even the roof and the floor joists have to go because they are rotted and unsalvageable. All they are left with is a shell—the “bones” of the house. After they create a design and a vision for what the house could become, the hard work of making this condemned, abandoned and unloved structure into a home begins. New plumbing and electrical systems are put in place so that the house functions safely. The walls are painted, the finishes applied and voila! Where a condemned, abandoned, rotting structure once stood, now we have a beautiful, functional, well-designed home for a family.
Lately, my life kind of feels like one of those houses that needs some work to make it useful again. Having cancer during COVID has forced a lot of my every day life to be stripped away and all that’s left are the “bones.” The activities and relationships that consumed my life six months or a year ago are no longer part of my structure. My “demo day” has shifted my priorities and refocused my attention on some things that needed to be addressed. With time slowed to a standstill, I’ve been able to think and listen to the direction God is leading me, and begin to see how He will refashion my life after this season of cancer. “So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
I don’t know yet exactly what my post-cancer/COVID life will look like. The paring down of responsibilities and activities is not something I would have chosen, but perhaps it was necessary to make way for other opportunities God has planned. It will be a while before I am able to return to Kenya, but I feel God refocusing my attention in that direction. My life has “good bones”—my faith, my family, my friends. Whatever the structure of my post-cancer life becomes, I know God will use the “wounds” of my cancer experience to minister to others if I let Him.
Friday will be my last chemotherapy infusion. Before my first infusion in March, my oncologist cautioned I would probably have one or two infusions delayed because my blood counts were too low. That did not happen; my blood counts have stayed steady throughout my treatment. Even though I never experienced nausea or any of the other debilitating side-effects chemotherapy can cause, I am ready to be done with this part of my treatment. I am looking forward to having 18 straight days at home before we gear up for surgery on August 31.
T.S.CONLAY 