He just keeps inspiring… Tony bore his testimony during Fast & Testimony Meeting today.

(For our friends of other faiths… Once a month we fast and give the money we would have spent on meals to the church to be used for those that need welfare help. During Sacrament Meeting, attendees are invited to go up to the pulpit to an ‘open mic’ and share a brief faith-promoting message.)

It is a miracle that Tony is already able to speak in a way that is largely understood. Many people were deeply touched as he shared his testimony that our trials in life are not punishments from God, but opportunities for us to learn and grow.

Tony had his white shirt pressed and ready last night with full intention of going to High Council meeting at 6:30 am. Then, he had two nose bleeds that kept him up and he just didn’t have the energy he needed.

He looks good and makes it all seem easy. The harsh reality is that he is still trying to learn how to swallow his own saliva. For most of us, it is a reflex that we don’t even think about. For Tony, it requires concentration.

Tonight he made smoked salmon for our Sunday dinner. It gives him joy to cook for us even though he can’t eat it. (I really had a hard time – throw a tantrum kind of hard time – when he started doing this post-surgery. I really don’t like to cook, so I have all kinds of respect and appreciation for his willingness to do this for our family when he can’t eat it himself.) I prepared some thin mashed potatoes for him and they were less than satisfying.

We’ve got a couple of good weeks where things will seem almost normal before radiation begins. Tony is going to head off to work in the morning and see how it goes.

During clinic last Monday the reconstructive surgeon reminded us what is yet to come… He said the first three weeks of radiation won’t seem so bad. The last three weeks will be extremely 😖 painful, and it will last for several weeks after.

During our pre-op appointment, he told us that by Christmas Tony should be feeling good again. By this time next year, he will be settled into what will be his new normal.