When I was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago I had a friend who was very worried about me. (Actually, I had/have a lot of friends, but I’m just… Oh never mind.) I couldn’t reassure her that I would be fine. Then, in the midst of my treatment, she and her husband were driving along a country road and collided with a cow. The beast hit her side of the car and she was seriously hurt. The Old Boy and I visited her in hospital and she was almost unrecognisable. A week later the life-support was turned off and she was gone. Twenty years later I – the one she was so worried about – am still here.
A few years ago the Old Boy and I spent a lovely weekend on a friend’s houseboat. It was stinking hot, so I spent a lot of the day inside near the air-conditioning. (Let me just say, the river is lovely at twilight!) Mrs friend spent most of the day in her leopard print bathing suit on or in the river. She was lithe, tanned, healthy and fit; the physical opposite of me. Shortly after that holiday she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I thought, But she’s so healthy. She does triathlons for fun, for Pete’s sake! It should be me, not her. She lived for just over another year.
Seven months ago I received a lovely email from my son’s ex-mother in law. We were friends but after the divorce we were estranged for a while. Thanks to facebook we had reconnected about two years ago and were back on a friendly footing. She wrote to tell me how concerned she was for me and the family now that the cancer was back. She promised that we were in her prayers.
Five months ago she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This week, she died. I’ll be going to her funeral in a couple of days time. I’ve had the same spot of cancer sitting in my ribs for nearly two years, going nowhere, doing nothing. Go figure.
Life is a mystery. We kid ourselves that we know how things will pan out for us, but really we have no idea. Every day, every breath, every heart-beat is a gift we should cherish.
Live life joyously, kindly, generously and graciously, with celebration and thanksgiving. Here endeth the lesson.
Thanks, Wendy. Our new pastor’s wife is newly pregnant and has just found out she also has breast cancer. Had surgery yesterday, and the fate of the unborn child is in God;s hands. We cannot know what our journeys in this life will be like; we can only trust in God to be always true to us, as He will be, and give us hope in our eternal future. Thanks for sharing this.
Michael, I apologise if my last reply seemed a little terse. I just didn’t know what to say. I’m wishing her and her family all the very best. I’m sure your church will be lovingly supportive, too.
I am sorry to hear about your pastor’s wife, but I am sure she is in the best of hands. Thanks for your comment.
You are absolutely right about living life happily, all the other options seem like a lot less fun.
Yes, they usually are. 🙂
And a lovely lesson it was.always praying for you xxx
Thank you, Joan. I’m grateful. 🙂
Thanks for the lesson, Wendy. Our lord loves a grateful heart. And we all have so much to be grateful for, no matter what our situation is!
Hi Wendy, I just read this. Beautiful. So true. And a strong reminder that life is precious. And unpredictable. And we should not take a day .. or a person .. for granted. Thank you beautiful lady. xxxxxxxxxxx
Thank you, Julienne. I’m glad you appreciated it. 🙂