In the Book of Mormon, there is a record of a family who traveled from the Tower of Babel to the American continent. The family of Jared soon received their first glimpse of a vast, stormy ocean, having been required of the Lord to crawl into some mysterious air-tight vessels they were promised would carry them safely to a better place. As they gazed into the deep, moving water, they breathed the unfamiliar sea salt and felt the ice cold water lap at their feet. "What will become of our family?" "Can we do this thing that God requires of us?"

These were the questions we asked as our family stood on the edge of a new journey in February 2011. Before Cathi was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, we saw the waves of an unfamiliar storm brewing and felt the fear of anticipation. When the cancer was certain, our family was required to wade into the cold water, crawl into a mysterious vessel and trust the Lord would be in charge.

The family of Jared was given stones touched by the finger of the Lord that provided light inside their vessels "that they might not cross the great waters in darkness......and it came to pass that...(they) set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." Read the rest: http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng

This blog is the captain's log of our family's journey. It will serve to keep all of you updated on Cathi's condition but also be a place where I can express the lessons we are learning so that it might be a source of strength for others who are going through difficult challenges. We are certainly not unique in this regard. I hope to continue trusting in the light we have been given and to lead our family when we are encompassed by the dark ocean or tossed by its waves. We sincerely seek for your faith in asking the Lord to calm the water, give strength beyond our own and lead all of us of us to a better place.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Cancer Survivors Celebration

Nearly a week ago, I attended a wonderful celebration, which had a positive impact on my life. It was a "Celebration of Hope" in honor of Cancer Survivors Day, and it was held at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center at Sky Ridge Medical Center. When I first received an invitation to attend this event, I sort of dismissed it and thought it wasn't for me. First of all, it might be too "touchy-feely" and not my style. Second, it might be too sad, seeing lots of people who are currently going through treatment. (That's dumb, because I was going through treatment last year, and I certainly didn't expect survivors to feel sad when they saw me.) Third, it would conflict with my Monday piano lesson schedule. (What a minor inconvenience.) A couple of weeks passed, and when I picked up the invitation once more, I realized that my reasons for not attending were pretty lame and that I truly DID need to attend this event. I knew it would be helpful for my emotional healing (which is a really challenging part of overcoming cancer). So I called the RMCC and said that I would be attending, I re-arranged my piano lesson schedule, and then asked my daughter Leah if she'd go with me.




Well, it turned out to be a lovely, life-affirming experience. The celebration was held outside, in the "healing gardens" which are located in the middle of the cancer center and the physical therapy/sports medicine building at Sky Ridge. Wow, those are two places I've gone to many, many times during the past sixteen months! A nice luncheon was served, and there were umbrella tables set up everywhere, with blue or white balloons tied to every chair. It was wonderful to be there with Leah and with Jerry (who had been able to get away from work for this). As we ate, quite a few staff members from the RMCC introduced themselves. It was good to see several of my former radiation nurses, as well as my radiation oncologist, Dr. Charles Mateskon. Several people from the crowd got up and shared comments about their cancer experiences and told how long they'd been survivors. It was great to hear their words of courage, gratitude, hope, and faith. Next, a woman minister gave a prayer, and it was very simple, heartfelt, and powerful. After the prayer, we all took our balloons (on which we'd written messages of hope) and released them into the air at the same time. It was absolutely beautiful to see many blue and white balloons going skyward, on a gorgeous, cloudless summer day. I didn't expect to feel such a wave of emotion from this simple experience, but the symbolism of the balloons going skyward really had an impact on me. I came away from the celebration with a greater feeling of hope and gratitude for what I've been through and for where I am today. God is in charge, and He has blessed me immeasurably!



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2 comments:

  1. wjmomJune 10, 2012 at 11:34 PM

    You look beautiful, too. It counts.

    Love you!

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  2. LaVonJune 11, 2012 at 6:56 AM

    Congratulations! You have been blessed and are an inspirational survivor! It is always important to be aware of the blessings we have, and this was an opportunity to recognize that you, indeed, are blessed with life and a wonderful future. Love your family!

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