Looking Forward

Jennifer Jenkins, a chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance visits me. Weeks ago, Jennifer offered the blessing of stem cells and poems along the way. I explained to her that with all the big deal about Happy Transplant Day that happened here -- including an over-sized card from the nursing staff -- I'm now looking forward to engraftment. Someone at sometime in the middle of the night is going to get the read-out of my midnight drawn labs and they will see the bump in numbers that will signify that we have engraftment. Wake me up. I tell them. Come down the hall running with your hands held in the air celebrating.

Jennifer, will you help me mark this anticipated occasion? Jennifer brings me Miriam's Song -- Music and Lyrics by Deborah Lynn Friedman:........ And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song. Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted. Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long. And Miriam, the Prophet took her timbrel in her hand, And all the women followed her just as she had planned. And Miriam raised her voice with song. She sang with praise and might, We've just lived through a miracle, we're going to dance tonight. As Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea, The wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe. Whoever thought the seas would part with an outstretched hand, And we would pass to freedom, and march to the promised land.