Lessons from having Cancer

I've always believed that every experience in life gives us an opportunity to learn and grow- even cancer? Yes.  At least, I'm learning a lot from it. 

My learning began when I was told that I would have, at the most, four more months to live. At that moment what is most important to me came into clear focus - my family. My heart yearned to be with my husband and to be a part of my grandchildren's lives as they grow up. Tears flowed, and my life has changed. I am spending more time on what matters most to me and less time on doing things that matter little. I am trying to share my talents more and quit wasting time doing "expected" things which stress me. I am making more of an effort to express gratitude to my husband for all he is doing each day to care for me, and I'm "putting myself out there" by making more effort to communicate better with him.  

My doctor presented me with another opportunity to grow. There was a decision I had to make. Was I willing to die in a few months, or did I have the courage and strength to go through many months of chemo treatments and surgery which might give me the possibility of healing? With my long history of health problems and allergic reactions, it was not very hopeful that I could complete this painful and demanding program. This is where my growth really began. I knew that the only way I would be able to complete the treatments would be with the Lord's help. I needed to have more faith in Him.

This year has been like a replacing a burned out bulb

This morning we replaced a burnt out lightbulb in our fan light. It was amazing! Actually, changing a lightbulb really isn't that amazing, but it was pretty astounding how it ended up changing the whole room. 

We have lived here for four years thinking that the lights in our family room were a dull yellow-brown. It had always seemed so dingy in the room, even though, we had added two other light fixtures.  

What we discovered when we put a new bulb into the fixture was that the glass shade really was white! Immediately, I had my husband replace the other bulbs. It changed the whole atmosphere in the room. We hadn't realized until the bulb went out that all we needed to do was put brighter bulbs in the fixtures. What a difference it makes!

Several times this evening, I've gone out to our family room just to stand there and admire the light.  It seems that many times it isn't until we are stopped from going along our normal way, that we discover that changes need to be made in our lives. 

For me, this last year has been challenging, but it certainly hasn't been a wasted year. It has made me stop and think about what I've been doing, and not doing. This year has given me an opportunity to change out my dim, yellow-brown bulbs for bright clean light. It has helped me develop a closer relationship with God and my family. It has given me a chance to change my life for the better. I don't think I'll ever view a burnt out bulb the same, or look back on this year without feeling grateful for the opportunity I've had to change.