There are dates in our lifetime we will never be able to re-live or erase as much as we wish and as hard as we pray to God. Today is the second day of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, I now live knowing this horrendous disease takes wives from their husbands and mothers from their children with no sense of compassion.
When a loved one is battling cancer, she is not alone. We battle together.
Oh grief, do not consume me. I fear to stop grieving because I simply don’t want to forget her, but at the same time, I’m tired of answering everyone’s questions on how we are doing. You’ve become a slow, calculated, and nagging process; but then you wonder why most choose to skip you. Running away from you was enticing, but choosing you was the most reasonable option. You promise faster healing and relief, while running away from you would have led me bitterly back to you anyway.
If your house burns down today, what will be the one item (or person) you will grab on your way out to safety? Who or/and what fulfills us? Most importantly, are we willing to sacrifice ourselves to ensure someone else’s safety? All these questions have been invading my mind in the last few weeks because what I thought mattered most doesn’t anymore.
I am my mother’s daughter.
My mom didn’t lose her battle to cancer and we didn’t lose her. Loss describes defeat and misplacement. Ovarian Cancer did not defeat her and she isn’t misplaced. My mom won the prize of Heaven, which she didn’t deserve through her own deeds, but was given to her graciously through the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the reassurance of her own faith, we know she’s in Heaven. Ovarian Cancer may have taken her body, but it did not take her spirit.
A good reminder is to always find that “peace that surpasses all understanding” in the discomfort we may be feeling to understand that we are not the only ones suffering, but to look at our surroundings and comfort those who are also in this struggle of life. To find joy in the trials and afflictions by appreciating how good and faithful our Lord is in other areas of our lives. To find empathy and consideration for others is what Jesus constantly practiced as He lived among us, but now as He resides in our hearts, may that be our expression to others: His unconditional love!
Ally Velsor 