When Chuck and Max were young, one night I told them that as a teenager I was kind of square, as in unhip. They looked at each other and right away said, “Well, duh.” A statement couldn’t have seemed more obvious to them.

That the diagnosis of a pancreatic tumor would change one’s life seems rather obvious on the surface, and certainly one year later. This month marks a year ago since I went for a CT scan that would change our year and our lives. Our news came the next day when LeBron James announced that he was coming home to Cleveland to bring them a championship. We came home that same day to the start of a new journey as well.

LeBron didn’t bring home an NBA championship this year, but the Cavaliers got oh so close and built strong hopes to finish the journey another year. As much as we wanted, we couldn’t wish away the tumor and surgery, but our close call became God’s gift and our greatest blessing. Life seen through a new lens each day makes us younger even as the year progresses.

In sports the joy of cheering for winners seems obvious, like Chuck has done with the Dallas Cowboys from his youth in their glory days of Deion and Emmitt, and now Max with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors as NBA champions. For Hal and me our teams fall more in the category of the Cubs mantra of “Wait ’til Next Year.”

Our last year was filled with fear, faith, family and friends. Our next years are looking pretty good. And pretty hip.