Design….

To be specific….Intelligent Design. Is there or isn’t there? In the secular world that we live in today, the debate seems never ending. I am a Christian. If you know me well enough, you also know I’m something else….a complete Weirdo. I call meetings at 4:03. I say “Happy New Year!” well past January 16^th. I eat a cheeseburger by “securing the perimeter” and then “attacking the interior”.

(As I’m writing this I’ve come to a conclusion: I should really seek professional help when Abby’s treatment is complete)

Anyway, back to Intelligent Design. As a self-admitted weirdo, it’s only natural that my faith in Him was solidified by something weird. Oh yes, I believe in prayer and scripture just like the next guy. But THIS is when I knew……

For the first 20 years of my life, I slept in and woke up with the same mental struggle each and every morning…. “I don’t have to pee…..I can fall back asleep before it becomes too painful…..I really don’t have to pee…..ok I quit, it’s been 20 minutes since I woke up and I REALLY HAVE TO PEE!”

Maybe you can relate? Anyway, back to the story. So there I was…..sleeping on the floor at my friends Condo. I wake up, and for some reason on this morning…..No Debate. I darted into the bathroom. Man it felt good. Two minutes later (Yes, I washed my hands!), I walked out of the bathroom and there it was……a MONSTER of a Ceiling Fan, with a well defined point at the end, the thing had to weigh 60 pounds…….it was resting on my Pillow. It fell from the ceiling during my 2 minute bathroom trip.

Why did I wake up right then? Why did I immediately rush to the bathroom? I’m not gonna lie, it scared the &$%! out of me. There was no doubt in my mind: No way this just “happened”………Design.

So where is this going? Over the last few weeks I’ve really had something on my mind. Our family could not be MORE PREPARED for this challenging year. We live in our hometown. We’re surrounded by friends and family. Our companies are amazing. We are in the perfect position to handle this. No way this just “happened”. What follows here are just a few stories that helped us prepare for today.

1. When I graduated from college, Abby and I really didn’t have a plan for where we’d go next. I knew I wanted to stay with my credit union, so we settled into life in Gainesville. Sure enough, just a few months after graduation, the credit union announced plans for a 2^nd branch in Marion County……a building on the East Side of Ocala that I must’ve passed 2,647 times in my life. So, we moved back home. We planted roots in our hometown. Over the last week we’ve seen the uprising of Team Jones. As I’ve thought back, this is where Team Jones started. Moving Home……..Design.

2. Abby and I are blessed with great family, and a stable of best friends. Benefits of Ocala! It just so happens that one of my best friends (incidentally this person is also my arch-rival on the golf course) is a doctor. Studying radiology. He also loves Abby dearly. We’ve exchanged about 3,217 texts with him since the diagnosis. A doctor and friend that’s always just a text away……Design.

3. Abby’s best friend is like a sister. To her, and to me. She resides in the Big Apple and just so happens to be a Registered Nurse (studying to be a Nurse Practitioner). Did I mention that she used to do At-Home Care for woman whom just had a Mastectomy?   Design.

4. The Jones family members are self-admitted Disney geeks. I keep this under wraps, but it’s true. Mickey is the man. Abs and I had penciled in Judd’s 2^nd birthday for the time to go meet Mickey. Then this came up and it hit me: September could be a mess. We need to go there now. So, I sent a text to my brother: “We need to go get pictures with Mickey before Abby’s chemo”. The wheels were set in motion. It turns out my brother and wife had free passes. My uncle, a Disney Cast member, pitched in 5 more. Our nieces had passes. Judd got in free. On a whim, we pulled off 12 of our closest family members going to Disney…….we paid for 2 tickets. The pictures turned out perfect…….Design.

5. When the Kidney diagnosis came in; Abs and I came to the realization: Abby needs to quit her job. A tough decision financially, AND because Abby loves her job and the family she works for. That same day, without me asking, my friend sends me a text. “I need your SSN and a copy of your driver’s license”. To which I replied,  “Sketchiest text you’ve ever sent me”. Then he spilled the beans, Team Jones was forming a fundraiser………Design.

6. This year is going to be tough. Abs and I are really beginning to understand the scope of this grind. Just then my phone vibrates with an email: “Your friend has started a Meal Train for The Jones Family”. Well, I guess we don’t need to worry about food…………Design.

7. Stick with me here…….this story develops fast. Abby, Judd, and I live across the street from my parents. Seemed nuts at the time. Now it’s a huge blessing. BUT, let me elaborate. 35 years ago my parents became friends with another newlywed couple in Deland, FL. They’ve been best friends ever since; even though this couple moved and started a family back home in Castalia, OHIO. Two years ago this family endured a lot of challenges and eventually the loss of their son-in law to Cancer. Since then, they decided to buy a “retirement” home DIRECTLY across the street from my parents in Ocala, FL. They fixed up the home. Painted the home. Made it a great place. Then they switched gears and decided to retire in 5 years and thus rent the home in the meantime. Coincidentally, Abby and I wanted to sell our condo. So guess what? The family agreed to “hold” the house until we could sell our condo. So, we listed our condo and hoped it would sell in a month or two. We sold it in one week. It just so happens the guy who bought it was “friendly” with a lady down the street. So the plan came together. One cancer family is living in the home of another cancer family, directly across the street from their parents, 35 years after a friendship was sparked………..Design (oh, and some old dude may be having a “good time” right now in our old place)

We had a tough week last week with a couple of losses. The kidney diagnosis was tough, and the fertility issues were a kick while we were down. BUT, they say He gives you nothing you can’t handle. Well, this week we got a couple of WINS. A clear bonescan, and much to our surprise, a clear exam of Abby’s lymph nodes. Two wins that offset two losses and get the Momentum back on our side.

Undeniable……Design.