Happy Anniversary! April 7

Dear Friends,



It was just one year ago today that I received my diagnosis of cancer. At the time I was filled with many fears, now I have great peace. To celebrate I have this to share with you.



What has cancer taught me?



I was asked this on finishing my course of 33 radiation treatments. Now it is two months later and I am ready to share (in written form) what I have learned.



Having been diagnosed with cancer and dealing with it’s treatment has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life. There are all the hours you are awake in the middle of the night, the time spend locked behind a steel door in radiation and those twilight minutes between naps!



I have always considered myself to be a person of faith. I was so blessed to be brought up by a mother and father who saw to it that I had a relationship with God. My Grandmother McAdams passed away when I was 5 years old. My parents handled the potential of my being scared by death by calmly explaining to me that when a person dies that they go to heaven. What a gift! Of course, you do need to accept the gift and acknowledge it, have that gift become a part of your life.



Being a recipient of a gift so freely given is not so easy, I have discovered. It is a humbling experience. After all, I am a very independent, self-suffiencent person! Accepting the knowledge that I cannot do it all on, my own in fact that I NEED to let others give is new to me. I much prefer to be on the giving side. Somehow, that has been my nature. All the details in the giving create joy within me. Thinking of what the recipient could use, what they need and enjoy. Factored in also is will this gift delight? Will the recipient’s eyes light up? Did they even know such a thing existed?



How much are the above thoughts like those of God when he sent his son to save us?



My faith has become so much deeper over the last year. I see examples of God’s promises to us everywhere I look.



Several years ago, I heard. Ken McCaughey, the father of the sptuplets born in 1997 speak. He said that they left everything in God’s hands once they made the decision to carry all 7 babies to term as opposed to doing a selective reduction. I clearly remember thinking his faith was somewhat naive, that we need to work, to be reasonable in our prayer requests. Now I realize that at times prayer is all that is available. That it takes a humble person to honestly believe that God will provide exactly what you need. Not what you think you need.



All of my prayers have been answered. Many of the answers were not what I was expecting. Other answers came in the form of gifts. Yes some prayers I am still waiting to discover the answer.



It all reminds me of the newest GEICO commercial where the CEO does the “trust fall” with the Gecko. Yes, I trust God that much! My wish for you is that you can learn the lesson without the expensive tuition!