…It’s Good to Be Back Home

Although we don’t live on a farm, the late John Denver’s classic, Back Home Again, beautifully captures my feelings, when after 16 days in Tampa, we arrived back home in Sanibel.

We can’t say enough good things about the Moffitt Cancer Center, where Vickie, who never smoked, underwent lung cancer surgery, or the staff at the Marriott Moffitt Residence Inn where we stayed.

Over the course of my life I have had six highly skilled surgeons who have operated on me, but none spent nearly the amount of time empathetically responding to concerns and answering questions as Dr. Samuel Freyaldenhoven did with Vickie and me

The new McKinley Avenue Campus of the Moffitt Center with spacious private rooms for every patient is the most beautiful hospital I have ever seen, but the six days we spent there were more than enough. We stayed in Tampa so that Vickie would still be “in town” for her follow up tests and appointment with “Dr. Frey.”

Our children, Leo, Sarah and Ben, along with their wonderful spouses, Liz, Clive and Kristin, have been so wonderfully comforting and supportive. Our Bat Yam congregational community, tennis-playing friends and our Farm Trail neighbors have all warmed our hearts with their genuine caring and concern.

Thank you FaceBook!

We are well aware of Facebooks flaws. Hacking and countless ads are a pain. But we are so very grateful that FB has enabled us to receive wonderfully encouraging messages of support from around the world and from every period in our lives. They mean so much to both of us.

Nevertheless, Vickie still deals with very significant pain. Though her doctors say it will abate soon, soon cannot come soon enough. I am in awe of the courage and strength with which Vickie has coped with all of it. Taking care of her, and watching her get better is a great privilege for me.

John Denver captures my feelings better than I can express them:

It’s the sweetest thing I know of

Just spending time with you

It’s the little things that make a house a home.

Like a fire softly burning …

The light in your eyes, it makes me warm.

Yes, without a doubt, it’s good to be back home again.