Friday, October 20, 2017

There is more to this life....


     “Fly Like an Eagle,” the song by the Steve Miller Band in 1973 sings the familiar words of “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future.” My 18-year anniversary for breast cancer survival just passed on September 9. To the day, 17-years later, it was my mom’s one-year anniversary as well. I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 30, and although I had major surgery and radiation, I’m so thankful that I did not have to endure chemotherapy. Though, if I could have taken the chemo for my mom, I would have. It was hard to see someone I love have to endure such a crude therapy. It was both life-draining and life-saving at the same time. At one point, I was fearful that I would lose my mom to the effects of neutropenic sepsis. 

     Psalms 103:15-16 says, “The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows it over and it is gone, and it’s place remembers it no more.” I’ve thought of my mortality many times in my many survival years, as I’ve seen others perish. Not just from cancer, but from all of the harsh effects of this life. In the past two weeks, several people near my age have passed away. This week, I have a dear friend recovering from a triple bypass surgery, another one in the hospital with sepsis, and another one in the hospital with bilateral pulmonary emboli (lung blood clots). The weight of the grief and sadness we encounter in this life can sometimes be too heavy to bear. 

     The thing is, we are all here on this earth for a specified time. Our days are numbered. It matters what we do with that time, how we treat others, how we love and are loved, and what legacy we leave behind for our children. Having survived breast cancer, along with many other survivors, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have more time with the ones I love and more time to make a difference. 

     The clock ticks away, each day passes.  I believe we each have a God-given purpose. Some of us strive to fulfill it, while others might still be searching for it. Remember to stop each day, and think about what is really important. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Laugh at the ridiculous. Observe the hints of Fall all around you. Don’t put off spending time with the ones you love. We take nothing with us when we leave this world, and none of us know when that day will be. Steven Curtis Chapman sings, “But there’s more to this life than living and dying, more than just trying to make it through the day,” in his song “More to this Life.” I believe that we are supposed to work hard, but that we are also to live fully with joy and to love abundantly. Thankfully, God gave us a way to live beyond this physical life. So we have hope for better days, hope to see the ones we’ve lost, and hope for a future unlike anything we’ve imagined. Take time to care for your body and soul. 


1 comment:

  1. Thanks for this post Denise. Such a good reminder to live each day to the fullest and to enjoy all the blessings God has given us.

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