Plans

This week we met with the medical oncologist who will be our Cancerland tour guide. He spelled out, in great detail, our itinerary for the coming months. We start with some educational sessions to equip us with all we need to know about side effects of chemotherapy, what to be on the lookout for, and how to alleviate some of the discomfort.

Then we move on to the port. No, not a bustling harbor on a scenic coastline. A chemo port. A long-term access point for chemotherapy, blood draws, and IV fluids.

And then finally, the treatments. Four cycles of two weeks on, one week off of the chemo/immunotherapy. It’s a full itinerary that will keep us busy for most of the summer.

Sounds like a plan.

It’s comforting to have a plan but at the same time, it’s not the kind of planning I’m used to.

I’ve always been a planner. I think ahead and try to anticipate needs and address them. I don’t like surprises. I like to have things under control. In Cancerland, I get the feeling there are surprises around every corner and that has me a bit unsettled. I’m not sure what to anticipate, so no amount of pre-planning will cover all the bases. There is a plan, but it’s a bit precarious compared to the plans I usually make.

I woke very early this morning as is my routine these days, so I went on the Hallow app I have on my phone in hopes of finding some prayer or meditation that would put me back to sleep. I noticed, for the first time, on the menu of options, a group of prayer sessions called PLANS. I clicked on it and went to a meditation that incorporated a beautiful prayer at the end, using various promises and truths from God’s word. God’s promise in Jeremiah really hit home.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13

We have the plan now from our Cancerland tour guide, which is comforting, but we also have the promise of an even better plan from God that brings the ultimate comfort. If I let it.

Joan