Tears of Joy

Those of you who know me and my family, probably know that we are going through some tough times right now. My father-in-law is battling a cancer, and there doesn't appear to be any treatment options.

It's so difficult to watch the people you love suffer through pain and discomfort. I've been extremely fortunate in my life. I have not had to see or witness the death of anyone close to my before. I've hardly even had to witness people I love in pain. This is breaking my heart.

My father-in-law is a rock though. He's so strong for the whole family. Cancer is a cruel disease that brings pain, and discomfort, and tiredness. But you wouldn't know that from the temperment of my father-in-law. I believe his faith plays a huge part in this comfort. It's clear from any conversation with him, that he is confident in his love of God, and has faith that he will be joining Jesus in heaven when he leaves this world. His faith inspires me. None of us know how long we have on this earth - but all of us have the opportunity to love and accept God into our hearts and lives. Dad is at peace.

Perhaps the most diffficult part of this process thus far has been the fact that we learned about this presence of the cancer only two weeks before the wedding of my brother-in-law. The thought of Dad not being able to attend the wedding of his son still brings me to tears. We did everything we could to prepare for this day. Booking wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, disability transportation, etc. But in the end, Dad was not healthy enough to attend. Fortunately, with the help of some amazing hospital staff, we were able to set-up an internet connection for him as a back-up plan.

This was the first virtual wedding I have ever witnessed. I was honoured to be the one to hold onto our iPad as the ceremony began so that Dad could watch the entire event live along with us through FaceTime. It was a very emotional day for everyone. Not just because we were watching our brother marry the woman he loves, but also because we all wished Dad could have been there in person. Still, I praise God for his health and happiness on that day.  It was an honour to see the joy on his face throughout the wedding ceremony. Many tears of joy were wept that day.

{love}