Done for Week 2 AJ Challenge found here: https://oscraps.com/community/threads/may-art-journaling-challenge-week-2-fortitude.42083/

Patience and fortitude conquer all things - Ralph Waldo Emerson
…..including fear! Eight years ago today, May 8, 2017, our 41st anniversary, my husband faced brain surgery to remove a golf ball sized melanoma tumor from the right side of his brain. It was affecting his eyesight and causing double vision. Little did we know that day, as my girls and I gathered around his hospital bed before the surgery, fearing the unknown, that ultimately the surgery would only give him 3 more months of life. That was my anniversary gift. The cancer came back in no time, eventually affecting his balance and the other body functions. He kept getting weaker and weaker, falling even while using a walker. I would have to call the EMTs to come to the house and lift him off of the floor. Be patient, Vicky, I would tell myself over and over. We had special prayer at church for the Lord to heal him so he could return to his preaching. The Lord answered that prayer, just not in the way we hoped for. Tim’s body began to shut down the first of August. My back was strained from trying to move him around. The words I wish I could take back?…..”I can’t do this anymore!” In reality, I would love the chance to do it all over again! But I wouldn’t want him to suffer all over again! We fought the demon for 5 years. On August 4th, I finally got him to agree to go to the hospital since his bowels were not working and he was not able to eat. The CT scan confirmed his body was shutting down and the family was called in. On August 8, 2017 my sweet husband was eternally healed as he entered the gates of heaven to see his Savior face to face! Bittersweet, for sure, for those of us who remained, but we are encouraged for the hope we have that we will see him again one day. With that hope the fear and dread of losing our beloved Tim is gone. Fortitude pulled me through the grief to experience love again, yet I miss Tim every day, just not like I did at first. Mark has filled that hole, thank You, Lord! Tears are a language God understands! May 8, 2025