Thanksgiving in the US is the kick off to the holiday season, a time that can be very difficult for many of us here. There is something about them that tends to bring out our emotions in strong ways both good and bad even when we are not dealing with the C word. If you are going through treatment, healing from the loss of a loved one or trying to deal with the uncertainty of the coming year it is at times difficult to know what to be grateful for. It can feel almost impossible to deal with a world that is decorated and celebrating when you do not feel like a part of it. For those in our blc family who will find the upcoming holidays hard may I wish for you the gift of hope? Hope that time will help heal losses, hope that treatment will be successful and hope that this community will continue to grow and support those in need.
I thought I would share with you something I wrote at a time in my life that I really could not find much to be grateful for around the holidays. While sitting in the Oncologists office one day there was a man about my age sitting a few chairs away. We all have had situations where we did not want to eavesdrop but could not help it unless we left the area or put our fingers in our ears and this was one of them. The man was angry about his bladder cancer and he was taking it out on an obviously loving wife, the doctors and anyone else that could be blamed, bitterness his main focus. This was a turning point in my thinking on the subject of being thankful for the every day miracles that my life contained and here is what I wrote.
Miracles
Once there was a grumpy ungrateful man. He was never happy………..if it was sunny he complained that rain was needed. He never saw the beauty of the night sky because he was too busy cursing the darkness. He didn’t have friends because they would take up to much of his time. He got rid of his dog because he ate too much food. His family was just too much trouble and always needed something.
One day this man became ill, and the doctors told him he had cancer and needed treatment. He complained that the nurses hurt him. He yelled at the Oncologists because the treatment made him ill. He became angry with his cancer support group because he didn’t like what was said all the time. So the man gave up and he sent them all away.
When the man died he found himself in a white room with a young man holding a clip board. “Hello” said the young man “I am with the Miracle Output Committee. We felt that we needed to talk to you, as you have sent back every miracle we have sent you and we wondered why?” “Miracles? I was sent no miracles” yelled the grumpy ungrateful man.” “All I was sent was problems.” Immediately the young man said “Oh no you are very mistaken” he started sorting though his paperwork. “Here is the list of what we sent you and it is a very long one indeed.” Reading on he said. “An intelligent strong mind as well as sight, touch and smell glorious sunsets, the beauty of a spring morning and the joys of nature” and the list went on and on. “And when you got cancer we sent you more miracles” “When I got cancer all I got was trouble and pain, I saw no miracles, I am here aren’t I?” complained the grumpy ungrateful man. The young man looked at him with great pity and said “The cancer we did not send it just was. The miracle we sent you when you got cancer was one of our most wonderful miracles of all, the love of your fellow man.” The young man was shaking his head sadly for he knew the grumpy ungrateful man could not see. “We sent family and friend to comfort and care for you. We sent you other cancer survivors that where willing to share your sorrows and joys. We sent you advocacy groups working to make life brighter for all cancer survivors. We sent intelligent, talented people so filled with love for their fellow man that they dedicated their lives to them. Researchers to find a cure, nurses filled with compassion, Oncologists, Surgeons, and Radiologist with staffs to work tirelessly to help you. And through them all we sent you the greatest miracle of all…………hope”
Thank you all for being my miracles, and may this upcoming holiday season be filled with every day miracles and the gift of hope for each and every one of you.
