Avery unperfectly perfect life

 

 So David wrote this post on a family fun blog and I wanted to share it with everyone. He doesnt write very often but when he does it is really good. So enjoy....

New Beginnings

           So after much thinking about if I had enough time or even jaksaa ("feel like doing something" (finnish has the best verbs ;) I decided I would try to start a blog. Purpose of this said blog would keep you updated with me and my health, trips, projects, maybe school (too boring??), and anything I find fun or worth sharing.
           A mission friend on FB posted last night that yesterday (March 5) was the 5 year mark from when I entered the MTC. Of course I was shocked because time has gone by so quickly it's crazy to think of what has gone in since then and can not right all of it unfortunately because it would take too many entries and I need to study for tests I have coming up :)
           So something that's happened in the past 5 years that I'm sure people get tired of hearing would be my fight against cancer all last year. It was February 7th last year when everything kind of hit the fan. Danielle and I, as well as co-workers noticed that I was pale as a white-chocolate kit-kat bar, and I was feeling so swell            (my greeny city Kuopio in May)                                  either so we go to the ER. To keep the story short
                                                                                    I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma (took me a few tries to spell that right...). Of course family googles, I told myself I wouldn't search anything and I didn't want to hear anything on what people had found because I knew it wouldn't be good news. That night of receiving my diagnosis it was just Danielle and me after everyone had left, I put my head on her shoulder, hugged her... it was the only time I cried during my whole treatment process... for those of you who don't know what it feels like to get the news that you do not much time to live I can't explain it to you. i felt empty, cold, and alone even though I had family and friends by my side. You start to ask yourself questions "Did I live a good life? Did I accomplish everything I wanted to? What do I do now?" There are many other questions like that I asked myself.
 
          I'll save recovery for another time especially the story when Danielle fainted when I was geting my pick-line :) (that's a good one don't miss it!) Something that stuck with me through my whole experience was something that was said by one of the 12 Apostles and I'll paraphrase because I don't jaksa to look it up: "rather than asking yourself 'why me?' during trials, ask yourself 'what can I learn from this? How can I grow from it?'" I am glad to say (I don't intend so sound like I am bragging) but I never asked God why I had to go through this trial. I mean I had been married for JUST 6 months I had a decent job (worked for Nike and I got free shoes often!!), a new apartment that we were happy and and I just started school again. In my position I guess it would be easy to get mad, but I didn't allow myself to get myself into that mindset. One thing that helped me get through it was my patriarchal blessing (for those of you who aren't members, or familiar with the LDS faith, it is personal revelation that is given specifically for you from Heavenly Father, kind of like a road map for your life. It is filled with instruction and blessings that can be yours, so long as you are faithful and live the commandments). I knew that I had a blessing that was mine and that could make it though this if I had the faith to be healed.

           Trials can either bring you closer or further from God, thankfully this experience brought me closer to Him. I have never prayed harder than I ever have in my life at that time. As result of prayer and studying the scriptures I felt peace and a confirmation that everything would be alright wether I live or not. With that I felt that if He wanted me home then I was prepared to leave this Earth without question. That something else that near-death experience can do for you, it can strengthen your faith in such a drastic way. I don't know exactly why I had to go through all of this, or what He wanted me to learn, maybe He is preparing me for something greater that will require a lot of faith to get through, who knows? But I am thankful for everything that I have learned (more will come) through all of this, it's not over yet, I still have to get checked on every 2 months. I more than likely will need surgery to remove scar tissue from where my tumor used to be, and that's for a later entry. I feel like God has given me a second chance or a wake up call to keep me in line ;)

* more pictures will come I just have to find them and I don't think that later blogs will be longer than this or not as detailed, I will make it an objective to put more humor into these blogs :)
I hope you enjoyed this first entry of many

I will also find a different blog website so hopefully I can share through FB