Cancer is Bad, I know this is first hand.

No one wants to hear that awful word, cancer, the big C, and you don't want to hear it about a relative or a friend, not even mean people. It is an illness that no one wants and no one wants anyone else to have. But it is a reality. We need to remember we go through the valley of the shadow of death, we don't stay there. Attitude is vital when facing any catastrophic illness or any distressing event in life. How we go through this can be our gift to others. I know that sounds corny but it is true. No one likes being around people who are grumpy and unhappy, I would image even those who are grumpy and unhappy don't even like being around themselves. It isn't easy at first, but with the grace of God we can be positive and remember this too shall pass. Sometimes I've thought it is easier to be the patient that those around me that don't know what to say or do to help me through Cancer.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Chin in the UP Position!

I really did pretty well with “keeping my chin up” so to speak. I developed the “Miss Scarlett” attitude. Hopefully you all know exactly who I am talking about, Miss Scarlett from “Gone With The Wind.” Her last words in the movie are . . . “Oh Well, I can’t think about that today, I’ll have to think about that tomorrow, and after all, tomorrow is another day”. It isn’t so easy to do to begin with but the longer you do, the easier it gets. Don’t get me wrong, you will have times where you just want to go and cry for a while. Just don’t let yourself stay there. You really can control it if you set your mind to it, especially if you pray and have others praying to help you.
I remember one of those days where I was discouraged (trust me; I had more than one day I was discouraged). I had gone to get my radiation treatment and the next day was my day for chemo. I was tired and hadn’t felt good for several days. I wasn’t sick, just really, really tired. My children were 9 and 12 at the time, they were at home and I didn’t want them to see me crying. I drove around after the treatment, crying and getting it out of my system. I turned on the radio it was set to the local Christian Station. I heard these beautiful voices singing “You raised me up, so I can stand on Mountains,” the group Selah was singing it. Even though the song was a very simple one, it was just what I needed at the time. While driving around, I found myself near our local Christian Book Store. I stopped, red nose and eyes and all and went into the book store. Thankfully they know me there and knew my situation. I asked one of the owners if she could help me find a song, I didn’t get the name of it from the radio so I told her what some of the words were, she knew what it was immediately and went to the store stereo and played it for me. I bought the CD on the spot. The CD had several wonderful songs on it and with prayer and listening to the music; I composed myself and proceeded to drive myself home. It was nice to relieve a little tension but even better to listen to the music. I get a lot of inspiration through music; it is something I love. If you are going through a tough time with any illness, take a little time for yourself, do something that makes you happy. Listen to music, read a book, watch a favorite movie, work on some crafts, just do something you really enjoy from time to time so you don’t feel like you are missing out on so much. It’s good therapy.

No comments:

Post a Comment