Blessings and Tragedy

I have not written in over a week. The time passed quickly. It was a week of blessings and tragedy. It started with the arrival of our friends/family (Tony and I were separated at birth) from Las Vegas. We had an amazing weekend with them that made the prior two weeks spent painting and donning the guest room with new linens and curtains completely worthwhile. Now it is no longer considered the guest room but is now Tony and Ruthies Room. Looking back on the weekend it is amazing to me how two people who were strangers 6 years ago can be soooo much alike. It was with a heavy heart that we watched them pull away from the drive to head south. It was short lived as a mere hour later I was sawing logs. They wore us out.
  Monday at work was such a shock to my system I opted to play hooky on Tuesday to go salmon fishing with my brother and dad at bouy 10 near the mouth of the Columbia river. The fishing trip started great. I brought a 10 pound coho into the boat 20 minutes into the trip. I had to throw it back as it was a wild fish but still it was a very good start. I never got a chance to catch another. A phone call from my mom cut the trip short.
   Monday evening a 15 year old girl and her 18 year old sister were hit by a car while walking a dark, winding, country road. They were dressed in dark clothing. The younger sister died at the scene. Alcohol, drugs, or speed, were not factors in the accident. The driver did not see the girls until the moment of impact. He was blinded by oncoming headlights as he crested the hill. The girls were in the middle of the road on the other side of the hill. They never knew what hit them. The driver was my nephew. He is 22 years old and feels his life is over. The girl who died was a very popular athlete in our small town high school as well as an honor student and class president. Her father is the maintenance planner for the paper machine that I work on. I live in a small town.  Such a tragedy.  I fear the healing will be painfully slow. I wonder if it will ever come at all.
   Yesterday I found out my P.S.A. feell by 75% to 5.62 in the two weeks since beginning Zytiga.  The side effects are rough on me. Weight loss, loss of appetite,  nausea,  extreme fatigue, and a hacking cough.
   I am alive. It appears I will be for some time. Life is weird. Blessings and tragedy.  The moments pass quickly and whether we know it or not the end is just over the hill. I am thankful for my life and my many blessings. I hope I never take them for granted. My heart is filled with sadness for my nephew and the family mourning the loss of their sister and daughter.
   Life could end tomorrow.  There us no guarantee the breath I am taking wont be my last. I hope we all can keep from wasting this beautiful gift. When we do, we dishonor those who were taken from us far too early. :-( Todd