Misadventure, video, and unexpected grace.

Today was a day of misadventure, covert video, and unexpected grace.

I decided to get some video of my radiation treatment and smuggled my camera into the therapy session. As I reported earlier this week, the staff often plays music during the procedure and I wanted to show my blog readers what it was like when a certain song started playing. The loud "buzz" sounds you hear are the actual radiation emitters, and as I also said earlier in my blog, there's a static electric charge that plays ticklish over my chest hair as it zaps me. The radiation itself is starting to really do its job, and I'm glad there's at last some pain to feel that I'm doing some damage back at the cancer.

Here's my video.

 But my adventure today didn't end with my video. I was hustling to reach my appointment in time and had thought my jeep would have enough gas to skip refueling until afterwards. I was wrong. Jenny (that's my jeep's name) got me to the appointment in time, but alas she must have been running on fumes because I returned to discover her gas tank as empty as I felt. So there was in inevitable calling of friends, then approaching strangers to borrow a gas can, and then a walk to a gas station, return with a gallon, drive to gas station, drive to return the gas can, and then home to rest.

But something happened this morning that transformed everything.

When I arrived at my appointment I discovered the same volunteer playing piano who had been playing last week. It turns out he does this every Thursday. I decided to catch a bit of his performance on video, and accidentally got an exchange between a little girl present for her treatment along with her brother. Both looked to be around 8 or 9 years old.

 If you listen you can hear the brother talking about his sister. This little girl has an amazing brother, and although you can't see them in the video (just listen for their voices), he had shaved his head to help show support for his sister. That children should have to endure this ... it tests every foundation of faith from every perspective. At least it does mine. Those kids are the real heroes in this battle, and I found myself praying for them. The agnostic in me had no choice.

I got the volunteer to talk a bit during a break. He is doing something amazing just by being there and playing his music. There is grace and transcendence in music. I wish I could express it better.

A Very Special Piano Man