Some Things are Scarier Than Snakes

I found out last week there that are thing much scarier than snakes, spiders and drug addled drivers on the wrong side of the road. 
What scared the living daylights out of me was an irregular shaped spot the size of a pencil eraser that appeared on Jilda’s forearm just above her left wrist.
Jilda has blonde hair, blue eyes and skin that’s as white as Casper the friendly ghost. She is super mindful about the sun – I think she wears sun block to bed at night, but even with all the caution, a place came up on her face last year.
She went to one doctor at UAB who looked at the tiny place on her nose and said it was nothing to be concerned with. 
Jilda had a feeling that didn’t sit well so she got a second opinion and as it turns out, the tiny spot was basal cell carcinoma. It had to go. 
The doctor did a remarkable job with the surgery leaving only a tiny scar that only she can see.
His instructions to her were very clear - if ANYTHING comes up that looks odd, come see me immediately. “Tell the receptionist you need an appointment now.”
Ever since then, I routinely check her like I’m looking for ticks. 
She was out of town in yoga training when the place appeared and she showed it to me when she got home on Sunday.
I wanted to call the doctor right then, but she convinced me to wait until the morning.
That Sunday night was a very long night for me. I slept fitfully and each time I woke up, I laid awake wondering what on earth I would do if something happened to her.
We started dating on my graduation night in May of 1968. We broke up for a while during my stint in the Army but we were thick as thieves when my tour was over and we tied the knot in 1974.
Some married couples practically live separate lives, having different hobbies, interests and world views. That’s not the case with us. 
We’ve always enjoyed a lot of the same things. We love writing and playing music, traveling, gardening and entertaining friends. 
I always thought culture was what grew on cheese when it stayed in your fridge too long, but she’s taught me through the years about the finer things in life that would have slipped right by me.
She’s one of the most creative people I know and she’s down right funny.
Heck, I wouldn’t have anything to write about if it weren’t for her.
I went to the doctor with her on Tuesday. To say that I was wound up tight as a piano wire, as we waited to be called back to see the dermatologist, is an understatement.
When the doctor told her the small place was a type of bruise and nothing to worry about, I was so relieved, I almost wet my pants.
I’m not a pray-er by nature. I figure the Good Lord has a lot more important things to worry about than most of my petty grievances. 
I save my requests for my closest friends and family members when they are hurting, sick or in need.
I did say a prayer on Tuesday, and I made a promise to never take my wife for granted again.