How is Paddy? Not sure.

Pads has had a fairly normal week of it. He's avoided the early season colds that have plagued his younger brothers. His favorite place is certainly bed. It's cosy, comfy and the i-pad provides him with entertainment.
So, no change, either for the better or for the worse, for ages. People regularly ask how he is and it's never been all that easy to say, partly because I'm never sure he'd tell me either way. There are probably other people around who would more likely get nearer the truth. For us it's a bit of a question of wondering which part of the 'roller-coaster' we're on at the moment. Is it the big climb up to the big swoop or are we pootling around a bend, anticipating shooting off again soon? Either way, we know that the Lord is in control.
But, after so long in this condition, it's getting so that people are starting to wonder whether he's really going to survive a lot longer than anyone was expecting. Whether this gets put down to a 'miracle' or not, there's no real sign of a dramatic improvement, just a steady state. When we talked to the consultant about him, she was saying that the chemo had clearly worked well, but we could expect a boost in survival by a couple of years. The longer that extends, the more of an 'outlier' (which is a sortof statistical term for something unlikely) Paddy becomes. Stranger things have happened.
But, as anyone who's had or observed someone with cancer knows, you're almost never really in the clear. Pads made it out to the dedication of Daniel this morning, although he says he mostly slept through the service. In fact he missed a great sermon about our 'thorough salvation' with a tremendous note of hope from the verses:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 

As life passes, the likelihood of 'something' getting us increases, whether a disease or a mad hit-and-run driver. But with David we can sing:

Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. (Psalm 130:7).

good night until about 4am

They'd just been congratulating themselves on a 'good night' when things started to 'happen' - nothing life-threatening, but it was a bit of a shock, and then Al had a coughing fit for an hour.
Last night we were having a chat about 'after' chemo and to what extent P would recover and how quickly. Rhys is predicted to need a year before he feels well. It's tempting to see just two outcomes - return to normal or enduring defecits that are life diminishing. The reality will be neither, or at least a mixture of the two. Looking back it is also tempting to see a year plus laid waste. In fact, in many ways, even because of the harshness of it, it has been a jubilee year. Few will suffer like Job, whose wife said, 'curse God and die' (charming!). Yet the Lord has made us more than conquerers over sin, death and hell, and though... 'My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.' (Psalm 73)
Today Boaz is incredibly motivated to be in school with Mrs B, doing craft and design, plus hockey after school. He even ate his oats when I said I doubted he was well enough.