Hope and Peace with Terminal Cancer

 I'm writing this even though I am so tired, am having trouble eating, sleeping, and walking. Since I'm also having trouble focusing, my husband has volunteered to see what I have typed with my eyes closed and fix it for me. Why am I even trying to write when my health is going down so quickly? I am doing this, making this effort for those who despair, who feel overwhelmed and discouraged. So many are so young and don't see the bright future that lies ahead of them.

So, how have I had hope and peace through 60+ years of health problems, chronic fatigue, pain, and now terminal ovarian cancer? 

Making It To Trail's End

Thursday, my husband and I went to the Valley of Fire in Nevada. Though I couldn't keep up with the other hikers, or make it to the end of the trail, it didn't matter. I am grateful that I can get out and walk a trail, and that I can experience the beauty all around me.

After a year of treatments for stage 3 ovarian cancer, I am grateful simply to be alive and that the cancer is gone for now. I have experienced so many miracles this last year and feel very loved. Though I don't know how much longer I will be here, I know my Savior will help me to have the strength to face whatever I will need to and that He is helping me be happier and more at peace than I ever have before. 

Are we a becoming a nation of bullies?

I've been thinking about bullying since last week when a friend warned me about a new Facebook "hack" where a hurtful comment, supposedly from you and invisible to you, is inserted into your Facebook responses. I've been thinking about all the hate and just pure meanness that we see all around us, and I have been wondering why this is happening. 

Are people seeing this cruel behavior modeled as "normal" in their entertainment? Yes, that is probably a factor, but you will have to evaluate the extent because I quit watching TV shows and current movies (except for the Hallmark type) years ago. When I saw darkness, hopelessness, violence, rudeness, crudeness, dishonesty, mocking the good, and selfishly using people portrayed as "normal", I flicked to the next channel, until finally, I just turned my TV off. The same with movies. When even the short advertising trailers made me cringe inside, I knew it would hurt me to watch it and make it a permanent part of my "memory banks", so I quit watching most new movies. 

Perhaps, I am more shocked by the bullying today because my "frog" stayed out of the "pot" by avoiding the hidden agendas of those in Hollywood.