Loss and Freedom

Biz and I had to return to Children's Hospital yesterday for an infusion of two units of red blood cells. She and Deb were allowed to return home on Tuesday, a little earlier than expected, with the caveat that Biz have daily blood tests at the island clinic. Their concern was that her counts were borderline, and they wanted to see improvement, which unfortunately never came. So on Friday we made the trip (Deb stayed home) back to Seattle for needed care. Today, Biz is at the ranch and doing fine. Praise the Lord for his goodness.
One thing that made the trip especially disappointing was that her cousins (Deb's sister and her family) had just arrived Thursday night and she didn't want to miss time with them. One thing about illness and treatment is that it's full of sacrifice and loss--like it or not. So today the three girls all went to the ranch together, which I'm sure will be a highlight for all of them.
Lydia arrived safely at "The Lord's Boot Camp" in Florida to prepare for her missions trip to Malawi. When Deb and Biz are gone that makes the house noticeably empty--three guys, that's all. Since Deb and Biz will begin the final round on July 2nd, the boys and I made our Fourth of July plans. We're going to camp on the boat in Fisherman's Bay to watch the Lopez fireworks. And we're going to celebrate the fact that we live in the greatest country on earth, where the research and treatment that Biz needed flourish because of the power of freedom in industry and optimism in human endeavor that pervades our society.