Christmas shopping follows hope

We went Christmas shopping Saturday. A year ago, the best we could say was, "We hope we will go Christmas shopping in 2008." Or, "We believe we will go Christmas shopping in 2008."

My wife, Linda, was scheduled to have a tiny lump in her breast diagnosed right after Christmas 2007. It was so small, she didn't find it. Her doctor found it during a routine exam in his officer. She had gone to see him about some other issue that has escaped me in the year since. 

I was driving home from Fountain County one gray, cold day, following hours of door knocking, trying to establish an Edward Jones office, when she called me with the results. 

"It isn't good," she said. 

Five surgeries later, we took our daughter, Amanda, Christmas shopping Saturday. 

That seems pretty amazing to me. 

I certainly thank the Lord we could do so. 

Linda worked at Riddell National Bank Saturday morning and Amanda arrived at our house a little after noon, beating her mom by five minutes. 

We had lunch at Steak & Shake in Terre Haute and then spent six hours going store to store, trying to fill Linda's Christmas shopping list. 

Amanda and I had a few ideas, but it was Linda's day. 

At one point, I left the girls in the mall and did some shopping for Linda. I didn't mind the two drivers who blew their horns at me because they thought I didn't move fast enough.

I was embarrassed at my own frustration because I couldn't find what I was looking for. After a few seconds of talking with God, I remembered something else Linda said she really wanted and I found it -- on a clearance table. Not just one, but three models of the item. 

A stop at Hardee's on the way home for a quick supper and the evening concluded with Joey, our yellow Lab puppy entertaining us by demanding attention from everyone while Amanda copied music for her iPod rounded out the evening. 

She will be a good mom. I don't know where she got the patience, but she managed to manipulate her laptop computer, her iPod and love the dog all at the same time. 

Linda agreed to be the Relay for Life team captain for the bank where she works next year. 

That is amazing in itself, because she has never shown such an inclination for leadership. But we both believe in the American Cancer Society. More strongly now than ever.