Sunday, January 10, 2010

Life's lessons

I got a call the other night from a lady that I know and she had just been diagnosed with Cancer. I went over to see her and to try and explain some of the information that she had already been given in her previous appointments. She was scared, she was overwhelmed and wondering if she had the strength to handle what lied ahead of her. As I spoke, I tried to be careful NOT to say the word JUST.... " At least it is just a stage 2" or "Hopefully you will just have to have this one surgery and not two". No matter how you word some things they just don't come out right. Why is that? Because usually the person is still in shock, they don't know what to think or feel they are just scared.They don't know what the future is going to bring and many times wonder if there is going to even be a future. Now many things that others say to comfort you don't really help only because they have never been there. Still I caught myself planning out the words before they left my lips, well remembering how I felt when others said things that didn't help. Most people really don't mean to hurt your feelings or treat you and your situation lightly, most people just don't know what to say at all. So my suggestion for those who have just been hit with news of this depth, try not to take things too personally. Majority rule, people are concerned and just want to help.

Each time I talk or counsel with someone who has just been diagnosed with Cancer, I try to see where their faith is. I try to see what they believe in, I try to help them find hope, dig deep for their faith and help them... in some small way to be inspired, to keep trying and keep going. Life seems to stop for a little while, when something like this enters (uninvited) your life.

I hope that we will continue to remember that we are here to learn from our life's lessons. Some of the toughest trials teach us the most. I hope you will look around at your family, friends and associates and see if they are going through things in their lives that are, just too tough to go through alone. Remember you don't have to fix things, some things  you can't fix ...but you can be their friend. You can pray for them, remember that prayer is very powerful and truly does change lives. Remember if you are worried about finding the right thing to say...LESS IS MORE! Just a quick "I'M THINKING OF YOU", "YOU ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS" really help a lot.

So tonight I hope that my faith and prayers will go out to all of my dear friends who are struggling with some tough life's lessons. Even though I have had cancer twice, there is still much I don't know. Everyone is different too, we all have different bodies, different immune systems, different weaknesses and strengths. Let's be very careful before we say the words " I can imagine what you are going through", "I know how you must be feeling right now".  May we all be able to learn through our lessons in life, they will be hard but can always be a bit easier with the love and support of someone we love. Good night dear friends!

"Everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and it serves you."  ~ Anthony Robbins

 

"WE ARE NOT MORTAL BEINGS HAVING SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES. WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS HAVING MORTAL EXPERIENCES" 

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