One Year Ago

A year. It’s hard to believe. My father, who had been so present in our lives, so loving vital and supportive, is no longer with us. In many ways this past year seems to have flown by like so many before and at the same time, seems to have ticked by as slowly as a clock on the last day of school. Event after event: birthdays, celebrations, family gatherings, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, anniversaries; all painfully ticked off as if counting days in prison. Each event holding so many memories and feelings of joy and sorrow.

In this past year, I, as I know many, have felt a hole in my life that Dad’s passing has left. I still find it hard to believe that when I turn into that driveway on Maine Street my

Dad won’t be at the door with his welcoming smile, open arms and that sparkle in his eye as he greeted us. The hole he left in my life is immense; yet, I now feel his presence with me like I have never before. Now, in times of sadness and strife, happiness and joy, I feel him right here with me. And while I will always miss his warm embracing hugs, his beautiful contagious smile, the joyful twinkle in his eyes, his unwavering support and love, his laughter, his voice, his compassion and wisdom, his eagerness to hear what is new in my life, where there is growth in my life and how Spirit has made Itself present in my life… an endless list that we all know when someone we love so deeply has departed, while I will always miss that part of him, I now feel him with me always. I know he is here guiding me, loving me and supporting me beyond ways he did while on this plane.

Yes, my father’s death has left a hole in my heart but in that opening, his presence has expanded, and when I look, I feel him as never before, always there, always loving, always eyes sparkling.

We miss you Dad.

Mark

The Great Storm is Over

Howard W. Gamble

December 7, 1929 – June 18, 2010

After nearly six months of fighting a very difficult battle, my father passed away yesterday afternoon very peacefully with our family holding him in loving arms.  Since Dad decided to end his battle with this disease just eight days ago, our family and friends gathered to shower him in the love that he shared with us over the years. We are all very sad as we try to understand a world without my Dad, but relieved that he is no longer in pain and is now free to fly with the angels.  My brother, Peter, is with him now, showing him around to all the special fishing holes.  I’m sure they are having a wonderful reunion!

Services will be held on Monday, June 21, at 4pm at the  Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Kennebunk, Maine and on Wednesday, June 23, at 4pm at The Church of St. Andrew in Marblehead, MA.

In lieu of flowers we would appreciate donations be made to any of the following organizations;

Maine Cancer Foundation

Habitat for Humanity York County

The Memorial Fund of St. Andrew’s

We will miss my Dad so much but we also know that over the last few months he was not living the active, vibrant life he so enjoyed. We will celebrate his life by embracing the loving, compassionate spirit that made him such a special man. The whole family thanks you so much for all you have done over the months.  We read each of your blog entries to him and I know he appreciated all your kind words as he prepared for his passing.

Peace be with you,

Chris

“I’ve had a great life…” Ward

My Dad is sitting in his chair, this Saturday afternoon, surrounded by loved ones.  He is very weak and is having a hard time keeping his eyes open but he seems peaceful and relatively pain free.

As we had suspected, his ct scan came back showing the disease had spread.  The choices that his doctor offered were to continue fighting with another type of chemotherapy or begin hospice care.  As the title suggests, my Dad said he has had a great life and it’s time to stop the fight.

We are trying our best to keep him comfortable.  Mark and his family arrived last night and Leslie and her family will be making the drive up from VA tomorrow.  Sandra and the kids will also be stopping in tomorrow as our family gathers to spread our love and give thanks for having in our lives such a special person.

We will keep you all posted as things move on.  Thank you, to all, for the loving words of kindness.  It has been truly a gift to hear the stories and love that you have all shared through this blog.  Please feel free to share more stories and memories you may have and we will be sure to pass them on to my Dad.

Thank you and keep my Dad in your prayers as we all move through this next difficult, yet love-filled time.

Each Moment a Gift to Behold

Memorial Day morning and all’s quiet at 20 Maine Street. The purple and gold finches zoom from bird bath to feeder, the blue iris stand tall with their chins up, overlooking the courtyard with regal elegance.

It’s been a busy few weeks for the Gamble family. Ward/Poppy finished another round of chemo last week, under the incredible care of  his well liked oncologist, and seems happiest when resting in his recliner in the center of all the swirling family activity. Joanne has been recently inspired by a new healer, a nurse practitioner who practices integrative therapies in the care of cancer patients, and has been mixing up new concoctions(acai berry smoothies, beet and ginger cocktails!) for Poppy to try.

Nancy (Joanne’s sister) and Rob flew in from Wisconsin, bringing much cheer and incredible productivity, fixing and cleaning places we rarely see.

Miss Madi raised more for the Relay for Life (American Cancer Society)at Dartmouth than anyone else (thank you contributors!) and she and Sandra (and friends) walked last weekend. Maybe Madi will add more details when finals are over because I’m not really doing it justice here.

We’ve all enjoyed the sunny weekend , mixing tasks with rest and play; pruning lilacs, weeding, throwing softballs in the yard, even taking a few hours at Gooches beach(Maya and Shannon).

Last night we all crammed around the round table overlooking the courtyard and Poppy spoke the prayer, the familiar words resting in the air for a moment, a deep appreciation settling down into my bones. The hopefulness, love and sadness are with us always as we move through the days, spring melting into summer. The lupines droop in the hazy sun, Ward claps and smiles as the marching band goes by and Sierra feeds an injured baby bird on the porch, each moment a gift to behold. With love, Shannon

A Trip to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

A glorious spring morning seemed to inspire Ward to suggest we travel north to the botanical gardens in Boothbay ME. Great! Lets go! The four of us packed up snacks, coats and plenty of meds and headed out. Chris stayed behind with the three dogs to get some work done.

Mark and I had never been to the gardens but had heard about the visit last year when David and Karen Bergstrom and Ward and Joanne had been so impressed by its beauty. It was not a disappointment! Tulips higher than my knee in pinks, purples, yellow swayed in the warm breeze, delighting our eyes as we strolled along well-groomed paths. Poppy did great on the ride and we all enjoyed the spring flowers and impressive scenery.

Its been busy here in Kennebunkport. Last week, the Lepages arrived with a wave of energy, laughter and loving care. Henri, almost one, was crawling about in his typical adorable way and the older boys brought their loving attention and playfulness, the perfect medicine for all.

On Thursday, Ward started on his third round of chemo. We are praying for it to do its work. Madi is coming for a visit next week, in between classes at Dartmouth. The love and strength of this family is thick as thieves. Despite the challenging circumstances, blessings abound and your kindness and prayers are part of that.

With Gratitude, Shannon

Another Update

We met with my Dad’s doctor yesterday and learned that he will not be a candidate for any of the clinical trials that Dana Farber is running.  So, we will meet with his Maine oncologist for further treatment options tomorrow.

The immediate challenge is for my Dad to gain some weight and strength so that he will be strong enough to handle another round of chemo, if there is one his doctor thinks will help.  He is very weak and needs all the prayers and good thoughts at this point for us to get to the next step.

We’ll try to keep you posted in the coming days.

Chris

Update

Yesterday my Dad’s oncologist in Maine spoke directly with our doctor at Dana Farber and it looks like, according to the molecular testing done earlier at Dana Farber, my Dad may be qualified for a few clinical trials.  We will learn more details on Tuesday but we wanted to pass this information on to everyone.

Thanks for all your good thoughts and prayers.

Chris

New CT Scan

I wish I had better news to share but the CT scan taken last Friday revealed  that the chemotherapy that my Dad had been taking for the last several weeks is no longer working.  We are currently trying to schedule an appointment with Dr Johnson at Dana Farber again to discuss our options.  You may remember we had an appointment with Dr Johnson in January and we were very impressed and encouraged by him and his staff.  We are anxious to hear his analysis of the scans and treatment option he suggests.

We will keep you all posted as we learn more.  Please continue to keep my Dad in your prayers.

Chris

The Easter Mystery

The Easter Mystery is perhaps my favorite.  I am a fan of mystery.  For those who can’t simply embrace mystery miss  a huge part of what it means to be alive.  Life seems one dimensional when it is not.  I guess I just  can’t pass up an opportunity to preach a little.  Sorry.  But I sit here with all that stuff going on inside me, cancer, chemo, prayers, love and it is a mystery how it will all be resolved.  I do believe God intends new life, but have no idea what it will look like.  But I am grateful it is a loving God who is in charge.  Greetings and Happy Easter to you all.

Ward

Moving Along

There seems to be a little ‘slog’ in our ‘blog’.  We’re either too busy or too tired.  However, things are moving along.  Joanne flew to Virginia last week for a little diversion with the Lepages while Chris and I “bached it.”  We made out fine while Joanne had a little different experience than anticipated.  Started out as expected with Leslie and her shopping together (which they do best) and having a ball.  Leslie had sniffles which by Monday night turned into pneumonia entailing a visit to the ER.  Fortunately, with Joanne there David was able to get Les to the hospital and she was home again by 4:00 am with strict rest for 5 days.  We extended Joanne’s flight till Saturday and she was able to handle those great grandchildren with aplomb!  Everything worked out and Leslie is back in the swing of things.  How fortunate things worked out so well.

My progress is coming along well.  I’m on my 4th round of Chemo and will be checked again with a CT scan in about 2 weeks.  Hoping and expecting the results will be as favorable as the last.  I seem to have a little more energy this round and am happy for all your concern and prayers.

Love to all,

Ward