It’s been nearly a month since I last sat down to write and record a post on this blog.

It has been the longest stretch without writing I have had in a very long time.’

I ached to do so!

First of all, my apologies for essentially dropping off the radar with zero notice!

I thank you for your patience as vaporizing is most assuredly not my style.

Have you ever had one of those stretches where no matter how hard you try or how honorable your intentions what you desire to do simply does not happen?

If you have, thanks for the company. At least I know I am not alone!

This essentially describes the blur of the past month of my life.

In case you are not aware, Moving Day 2015 a la Cross was the last time we had to visit.

Much has occurred in the past four weeks.

Certain situations or tasks were anticipated as part of the equation. Some were not.

Boxes were unloaded from not one, but two moving trucks as our “stuff” required extra cargo capacity.

By the end of the first two weeks in our new house we were reasonably settled with respect to the move-in process.

Other than a few miscellaneous things to do, we were headed in the right direction.

However, an unwanted visitor decided to pay a visit for the second time this year.

I wrote about how Uncertainty entered my world in a previous post which you can find here if you care to follow along.

In Round Two, Uncertainty came calling again this time draped in a boxer’s robe with the name Biopsy written across the back.

It required something of me – stepping into the ring!

During Round One in early February the referee declared me the winner on a technical knock-out.

At the time all tests for “suspicious cells” were negative and my appearance on “Man TV” signaled no issues.

However, the doctor recommended a three-month follow up.

Although I was inclined to by-pass the appointment, wisdom (and my loving wife) decided it was best to err on the side of caution and I went to the appointment as scheduled.

Due to the transient nature of my life the first half of this year, I had to find another specialist close to my new location.

I was requested to give another sample of “liquid gold” as part of a specialized DNA based test. In fact, I did a redo on the test the day before our move as the first sample went bogus for some reason.

A few days after our move, I had the follow up appointment with the specialist.

The DNA test came back with an unwanted read – some sort of chromosomal possibility of abnormal genes associated with bladder cancer.

I can honestly say I did not want to hear anything of the sort.

It did play on my mind a bit – OK, a lot, when I let it.

Letting it play on my mind did not occur often, but it did exist from time to time.

Talk about the mind traveling many roads – many which seemed to twist and turn!

I am thankful for Jackie’s encouragement in the process.  She kept me reasonably settled and spoke words whispered to her in prayer – “clean report“.

I was also grateful to draw on the wisdom imparted in Michele Cushatt’s Undone story, which I read and reviewed in February, in an effort to keep my mind on straight.

I reached out to Michele on Twitter and she was kind enough to respond with an encouragement:

Simple, but profound words to keep me going and an affirmation of who is in control!

Thank you Michele!

Incidentally, an update on Michele’s Undone Journey can be found here.  It is worth every word of encouragement that it brings!

My own prayers were answered in one word a day or two before the procedure – “insignificant“.

The next step in the journey occurred last week with another appearance on “Man TV” to explore inside my delicate parts.

Don’t check your TV Guide for viewing times!

This time, as opposed to the first, I was sent on a trip to “La-la Land” and did not know what they were doing with me. I was given the gift of Sweet Dreams!

Post-procedure, the specialist relayed to Jackie all looked fine.

However, the visual assessment needed to be confirmed by the pathology report which spelled one nice word in this context –NEGATIVE as conveyed to me by the doctor via a phone call!

Victorious in Round Two by unanimous decision!

Another blow to the mid-section dodged!

Although I do not want to make excuses, my absence here over the past few weeks can at least be explained.

The week of Father’s Day, without saying a word to anyone, I had a secret desire to buy the entire series of Rocky movies as the theme of overcoming played over and over in my mind during this recent test.

They resonate with me, as they do with many people.

Unbeknownst to me and not knowing of my inner request, Jackie decided to purchase a set of the first four movies as a Father’s Day gift for me.

I added the final two movies today which should arrive in a few days.

Over the course of the next several weeks, I plan on watching at least one movie per week and sharing with you, my readers, a key take-away or two to which most of us can relate.

Keep Jackie in your prayers.

Chick flicks will be taking a back seat in our DVD viewing and I might have to subject her to at least twelve hours of boxing fun. She may be hearing the Rocky theme song in her sleep!

However, it was Rocky that yelled, “Yo, Adrienne!” so there is a love story within the story, right?

Life, rather, the opposition to our lives comes at us all.

It takes on countless forms and it is relentless, barely giving us a chance to catch our breath.

In the words of the fictitious, former champ “…it’s not how many times you get hit that counts, it’s how many times you get hit and get back up that matters!”

It is time to get back up!

It’s time to step into the ring as some fights are worth fighting!

I invite you to journey with me as we attempt to distill from the Rocky collection some important observations and lessons.

Once again, thanks for your patience while I was off the grid.

I look forward to reconnecting with you and hopefully adding some value to you in the days ahead.