Leaves and Vistas

This is the magnificent time of the year in Western North Carolina when the mountains and valleys combine to show off God's artistry in splendid color.

The views from the Blue Ridge Parkway are breathtaking and the view from the front porch ain't bad, either.

New Friends, New Places, Frozen Faces

We joined the Chariots of Light Carolina Tour on Tuesday and stayed with them until Thursday, when we had to return home. It was wonderful seeing some old friends and meeting new members of this Christian bikers club. The big news was announced at dinner on Tuesday night -- Bill and Ginger Horn, who had been running the East Coast Chapter, will become the national directors of Chariots. They will get to stay in North Carolina even though national headquarters have been at Jerry Savelle Ministries International in Texas. This picture shows Ginger and Bill flanking Dr. Savelle at a scenic overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The temperature at the time was about 30 degrees.

Sylvia's sprained ankle kept us from riding the bike on the tour but we enjoyed the fellowship anyway. Here is Sylvia with Shelley Cochran of Miami. Shelley's husband, Pastor Chris Cochran, is on the right. They are good friends from Voice for Jesus Church in Miami. Chris is the chapter director there.

Fall and early winter are definitely here. We had sub-freezing temperatures on the tour and got home to lower 50s. The foliage is beautiful. It is such a treat to be able to simply look out the window and see all these beautiful colors.

Glorious Weather, Beautiful Views

We have moved into Fall full speed now. Beautiful sunny days, cool and crisp nights. The leaves are in their fall colors in the mountains. Our trees are half-and-half, prettier each morning.

However ... they do shed leaves and acorns. I felt well enough to undertake some yard work but as I told my sister Bettye -- it is hard to determine if I am still suffering from fatigue or if I am suffering from laziness. Probably the latter because I did the yard work without much trouble once I convinced myself to get started.

Sylvia fell while on a walk last Sunday and sprained her left ankle. She is on crutches. The x-rays showed it to be a soft tissue injury but often that is worse than a break. She will see the orthopedist for a follow-up Monday.

The word from Texas is that my brother-in-law Pete is still doing good with his radiation treatments. He has finished three weeks and is on the downhill side of the therapy now. His doctor says all signs are good.

I think that I will commandeer Sylvia's Mini Cooper on Sunday and take her and the car for a cruise on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is really beautiful this time of year. The Chariots of Light Christian bikers' club starts is Carolina tour Sunday. We will join the group in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, go with them to Greenville, SC, and then return home Thursday. We will take the car instead of the bike because of Sylvia's ankle.

Hallelujah!

At 1:17 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006, my radiation oncologist peered through his laryngoscope up my right nostril and down my throat to the vocal cords and said, ""It looks good. This looks good!"

Thirty-three days earlier I received the last of 28 radiation treatments on what this doctor and two others had diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma on my right vocal cord. Radiation therapy came after three attempts to remove it surgically. Two doctors had tried but found the structure of my throat prevented them from removing it completely.

I have completely recovered my voice but -- alas -- I do not sing any better than I did before the therapy.

You can imagine the joy we felt when we got the "all clear" even though we had been expecting a good report. Statistically this kind of treatment is successful about 95 percent of the time. But we also believe God heals. I had the support not only of the prayers of my family but also the prayers of friends and strangers scattered in a dozen different countries. So we felt before driving up to Ann Arbor that the report would be good.

We had lunch after the exam and then started driving back to North Carolina. The great news spread quickly. Sylvia fielded cell phone calls all the way across the state of Ohio and into Kentucky. It was an amazing and humbling feeling as I heard those calls come in. So many people had been praying for me or thinking of me. Wayne Cochran, pastor of Voice for Jesus Church in Miami, told the congregation Wednesday night. They responded with shouts of joy and a standing ovation for God's healing love. Pastor Wayne was also able to tell the pastors affiliated with Voice for Jesus because they were in conference in Miami when we got the news. They, and their congregations, had been praying for us for months.

Friends and family I had not heard from in years called or messaged. It is truly a time of joy.

I still get tired pretty easily but each day I am stronger and more eager to get on with enjoying this wonderful life. The leaves are just about ready to turn in our part of North Carolina. Fall is always a spectacular time here. This fall will be especially beatiful.

Our prayers are with my brother-in-law Pete who has exactly the same diagnosis I had. He started his radiation therapy on Monday, Oct. 2.