TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,

And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall make your path straight.

- Proverbs 3:5-6







Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Interesting conversations

This idea of blaming cancer victims for their cancer is more pervasive than I thought. Husband has had several discussions at Cancer Treatment Centers with other patients who, when they went to their homeopath or chiropractor or clergy got blamed for their illness. One woman was even told that her negative feelings toward her mother festered and she let them and,therefore, she gave herself breast cancer. Up to that point all she knew was her mother was the most positive influence in her life. What in the world is she supposed to DO with this new information? Another was told that seeking treatment as she was was WrongWrongWrong so she's, apparently extra bad and extra guilty. Does the healthcare provider who claimed this position have any idea what she is facing without him adding to it with his cheap two cents? Probably not. Bottom line as far as I can tell is, yes, we are responsible for what we put into our bodies and some of our experience including our ability to forgive and find joy, but, for pity's sake, be kind. Doesn't the Hippocratic oath say something about "First, do no harm"?!

Quietly making noise

I find that after this last year I am less inclined to talk. I don' t know if it's acquiring a greater comfort with being quiet or having quiet or it's just that I think what I have to say is less important. It's just mostly my opinion and I made it all up.   Alot of stuff is less important.  What I think; what everyone else thinks of me, certainly. I find myself wearing things I would not have earlier like hats and extravagant fashion. Fun stuff that gloriously has no impact on anything, but adds a bit of joy to my heart and serendipity to the world. (Interestingly enough, I tend to receive loads of compliments when I do step out.) So, I stay quieter and am learning to be still so I hear better... Hear people and, hopefully, hear Him better, too.


What I will talk about is that there is a short list of priceless things life affords us. Most of the rest is, as He said, vanity.

Family. Oh, Lord how gracious you are to give us this abundance.  The birth kind of family as well as the chosen family, even the season of life family- those that come and add to us and then move on .  Love them all and be grateful.

Forgive. No qualifications. You can wreck your mood, your day, your entire life carrying around the burden of unforgiveness. Consider that an apology goes a long way expressed with love and take a shot at letting go of the burden. It's too heavy and useless to keep honoring it by letting it direct your path, if you can move under its weight at all.  Including forgiving yourself. How sad are those that torture themselves and deny themselves happiness mired in self loathing and dragged down by their tired unforgiving hearts.

This means, to me, apologizing to yourself AND graciously and tenderly accepting the apology, too. Don't think there's anything to apologize to yourself for, that it's a silly notion? Try asking yourself. You might be surprised at what comes up. 

Beauty--- especially the kind that's free. Everything that calms your mind or tickles your fancy. Sites that somehow give you hope and reaffirm that God had a plan for us to be happy. I know, without reservation, that beauty feeds my soul.  Actively looking for it is an art, but a skill well worth developing.

Silliness. This is in drastically short supply. Silliness, again, this is my opinion, should be one of the food groups necessary for healthy long life.

I imagine if I thought harder I could come up with more, I could certainly be content with what's here.

Sorry I promised this and forgot to post it... Painkillers have their drawbacks...

I had an interesting request via email, recently... Seems people read the blog I started during cancer treatment and want more. Kind of neat as I fancy my thoughts readable. ...but surprised that they are memorable, too! This was just the encouragement that I needed to introduce a new thought:
People who pontificate on the "why" of cancer might consider the impact of their words on those who have had the misfortune of suffering cancer. I use the word "misfortune" very purposefully. I did not earn my cancer. I was not evil. I did not maintain bad habits with food or inhalants or spend too much time swimming in a cesspool of carcinogens any more than my non-cancer expressing sisters. And, yet, I indeed ended up with one quite large tumor and a systemic involvement that made my chances of recovery dicey, statistically speaking.

Only God knows what knocked my health to the ground. For some reason (still waiting on that answer) I just got the opportunity to experience the misfortune of having a big dangerous growth invade my temple garden. Sometimes noxious invasive weeds take hold in a well-tended garden. Do you blame the garden? Can you totally place blame on the gardener? In previous postings (Godistakingcareofme.blogspot.com) I have claimed my right to health by listing all the health smart things I do. The good food and mind work and exercise and chiropractic and acupuncture, and abstenance from obvious no-no's. So, why DID I get cancer? And, frankly, who are you to contend that I got it from something I did or did not do?

I got insulted by this accusation at a seminar on health, for Pete's sake! How many people spend their weekends at seminars on health? Well, I do and, while at this one, I listened to a well respected doctor intimate, by his discourse, that if you did "X,Y, and Z" you wouldn't get cancer. That's what he said. He, therefore, was saying that I did not do "X,Y, and Z". I know I did. I was there eating those dark geen leafies and standing on my head. I seriously doubt that he set out to insult me. I certainly didn't expect to get insulted, but, there you are.

And here I am, suggesting to you that you might just consider that people who develop cancer didn't earn it. Actually, from my perspective, I feel as though I am serving time for a crime I didn't commit. I might also say that at sentencing I was given a specific penalty, but had the rug pulled out from under me when I was informed that time could be added on to my sentence -at random- or (and I mean this in the most literal sense) be given a death sentence later on. So, for future reference, I would prefer not to get kicked by an observer while I am down here trying to pick up my life and rebuild my burned out temple and make it beautiful and useful, again. God is taking care of me and I am hopeful and determined but, if you don't mind, have some consideration, please.