ROBERT D. NOVAK RETIRES

At first Novak was going to take a hiatus, due to a diagnosis of brain tumor. Now he is retiring:

Robert Novak has announced his immediate retirement following the diagnosis of a brain tumor, a prognosis the Sun-Times' political columnist describes as "dire."

"The details are being worked out with the doctors this week, but the tentative plan is for radiation and chemotherapy," Novak said....

Likely, he has brain cancer. And with his stating the grim prognosis, he could well have glioblastoma multiforme, the worst possible diagnosis.

TONY SNOW'S FAITH

When you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change.

--Tony Snow

My respect and admiration for Tony Snow has only increased the more I have grown to know him.

I first heard him when he would be a guest host for Rush on his radio show. Then I watched him on Fox News Sunday and then I became a fan of his radio show.

He is a guy who has firm beliefs and principles, he is a man who loves God and his family and he's just a very nice guy. Unless you are a Kos kiddie I would think it would be very hard to dislike Tony Snow.

All of this explains why I was SO EXCITED when he became Bush's press secretary. Since then we have seen him deal with cancer with grace, strength, faith and optimism. When his cancer returned I had sent him an email just letting him know that I was praying for him. His response was very touching even though I'm sure it was the response he sent to all of us who offered up our prayers. Here is the email:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington

Thanks so much for the kind note - and for including me in your thoughts
and prayers.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate you thinking of me and raising my
name in prayer. Prayers have enormous power. They're good medicine - and
they certainly have lifted my spirits. I feel as if I have been borne on
the shoulders of thousands of friends, all of whom have made the ride
easier than I ever could have imagined.

We're blessed to live in a land where people just want an excuse to do
something good for someone else. Thanks for taking advantage of that
opportunity with me. Please encourage others to do it closer to home for
other friends in need. Kind words, notes, emails, and small gestures
have a way of lightening the load, while making our own lives richer and
more rewarding.

Again, thanks for the incredible gift of caring.

God bless,
TONY SNOW

Last night, a friend of mine sent me the link to an interview that Christianity Today did with Tony Snow entitled, Cancer's Unexpected Blessings. It just reaffirmed why I think so highly of him and I was so impressed with his faith and his outlook on life. Here are some excerpts but I encourage you to read the whole article:

...we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease—smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see—but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and comprehension—and yet don't. By his love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.
............................
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us—that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us partway there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two people's worries and fears.

Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love.
.............................
Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?

TONY SNOW AND ELIZABETH EDWARDS

I'm sure everyone was dismayed as was I to learn yesterday that Elizabeth Edwards cancer has spread and is no longer curable. Breast cancer is so curable now that women often get treated and go on to live long, normal lives. So I was saddened to learn that Edwards' cancer had spread. I pray that she is able to live a fulfilling life with the years that she has left and that she might outlive what is expected for her. I don't agree with her husband's politics and still don't think the man has a prayer of getting the Dem nomination but I wish her well in her personal life.

Tony Snow's Doctors are taking a precaution and removing a growth in his abdomen because of his previous colon cancer. He urged people not to overreact about the news and is being his usual optimistic self. The growth is probably not a recurrence of the cancer but the Doctors don't want to take any chances. Deputy press secretary Dana Perino will fill in for him while he is recovering.

I applaud both Tony Snow and Elizabeth Edward's optimism and wish both of them Godspeed!!