Cancer at Christmas by Alan Anderson

 

Cancer News

 

“You have cancer.” These three words were directed at my wife five years ago, in October 2017. I remember my first thought after this message penetrated my brain. “No, not again!”

 

 

Christmas 2017 soon settled in on us. We experienced a sense of peace stronger than our upset. Here is a response to how we processed our cancer reality in the 2017 Christmas season.

 

“By faith, I recognize trials give evidence that even in this experience my wife is going through, we can rejoice together. This is not saying that we think cancer is good or that I am happy my wife has cancer. I can say we can be joyful, for God knows all about it. This trial has not taken God by surprise. He has given us assurance of his love and comfort in a very real way.”

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/37258556/7108807865702777159

 

 

Thank God for Healing

 

In mid-November 2017, a friend at church gave us some healing oil he had brought from the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco. Terry’s cancer experience included a bleeding issue we were concerned about. We used the oil as a step of faith and prayed God would heal her. The next morning, the bleeding stopped, never to return. We didn’t try to explain it but accepted it as from God. His love, mercy, and will are stronger than our skepticism.

 

 

On January 8, 2018, Terry had surgery to arrest her uterine cancer. Her surgeon presented himself as a compassionate healer. Thanks be to God, Terry’s surgery lasted only thirty-five minutes. Prior to the operation, the surgeon informed me it would take anywhere from forty-five to ninety minutes. Even the surgeon was surprised at the surgery’s duration.

 

To date, Terry has been cancer free for almost five years. We do not take this measure of healing for granted. Instead, we thank God for His love and mercy on us.

 

A Reflection

 

In times of personal struggle, I retreat to the ever-ready embrace of poetry. Here is a poem I wrote as my reflection of Terry’s cancer experience.

 

 

Cancer At Christmas: a husband’s poem for his wife

 

The news is more than sad, but this year

we celebrate Christmas,

not cancer.

 

I will be honest in my heart,

share cries and whimpers,

feel numb,

shake a fist at heaven.

 

My head held up only by my hands,

offers you, my love, who brings me this news,

a face wet with tears,

frozen fear.

 

Why God, I ask, would there be cancer

at Christmas? Help me, I pray, help

my darling.

 

My love—you amaze me.

Yes, you live.

Yes, we live.

 

We hang decorations, drink eggnog,

romance each other, your words slipping

out like healing hands, touching me,

but it’s me who wants to support you.

 

We celebrate Christmas,

not cancer. In this together,

we hold on.

 

Never let go of the moment,

any moment.

 

This illness will not be forever.

We have peace, stillness.

 

So, my love, sleep like a baby

in the arms of He who loves us.

God is not dumbfounded,

by this fiend,… cancer.

 

Joy is our companion.

We weep, yes,

Yet we rejoice. We are not alone.

 

Immanuel, God with us,

Is unseen yet present.

 

Let Him love us.

Let me hold you, my love, you, not cancer.

This year,

 We celebrate Christmas.

 

 

Dear Reader Friends

If you or a loved one are living with an illness, please know you are not alone. Your illness, your tears, do not take God by surprise. Dear ones, not even cancer can separate us from the love of God.

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. He is currently working on a book expressing the grief of grieving grandparents entitled Hidden Poetic Voices: A Reflective Work of Grief, Faith, and Poetry. Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.

A Memorable Christmas - Guest Post by Ruth Keighley

Christmas memories are common to everyone. Some may not be good memories but most of them are worth remembering. I grew up in a family of seven where Christmas was one of the most important days of the year. The birth of Christ was the centre of the holiday season and extended family came to celebrate together. 

Excitement and anticipation were high as we prepared for that special day. Mom and Dad gave each of us kids a little money so we could buy some presents for our parents and siblings and it was fun to wrap the gifts in my parents’ bedroom feeling just a little trepidation that someone uninvited would open the door to peek in. 

It was tradition in our home to open most of the presents on the evening of Christmas Eve after everyone had their baths and were dressed in their pjs and sipping hot chocolate. Dad would always read the Christmas story and pray but we were impatient to get to the gift opening. There were a lot of exclamations of joy as we opened our gifts to each other and watched as Mom opened the big parcel sent from our grandparents in another province. 

One Christmas I had ordered a special gift for my mom from the Eaton’s catalogue. It was a pair of white fancy gloves that reached to the elbow. My mom never dressed in fancy clothes that would suit those gloves but I thought they would look beautiful on her. She graciously wore them to church a couple times and showed them off to her friends. I wasn’t aware until much later how funny she would have looked in those gloves. I just knew that Mom had truly appreciated my gift of love and wasn’t embarrassed to display what I had done for her. 

 We kids got up that Christmas morning and quietly went into the living room to see what we had under the tree. Those were our gifts from Mom and Dad and they were unwrapped, with a piece of paper with our names on top of each display. Mom and Dad stayed in their bed across the hall and listened to us and waited for us to come and thank them.

One Christmas morning I knelt in front of the tree and found my name on my gift. There it was, a pair of beautiful hand-knitted mittens that Mom had made, lying on top of some wrinkled cellophane paper. I picked up those mittens and my first thought was, “Is that all I got?” I felt guilty that I was so disappointed and I struggled to feel truly thankful before going into my parents’ bedroom. I thanked them for the mitts and Mom asked me, “Is that all you found? Go back and look again.” I lifted the cellophane and there underneath was a lovely wristwatch, something I had desired for a long time. My thankfulness turned to real joy as I ran into my parents’ bedroom and thanked them for my Christmas gift. 

I learned something important that Christmas. I must be thankful for the little things. Life is made up of a lot of little things that we may not recognize as true gifts but I Thessalonians 6:18 tells us, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I learned that I could be truly thankful despite disappointment. It was a lesson I was to learn over again many times throughout my life. 

Thank you, Lord, for the little things.

Ruth Keighley is a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother living in Warman, SK. She loves writing, reading, jigsaw puzzles, and hand embroidery. She has authored one book, Healing for an Unquiet Mind, and co-authored one book, Making the Crooked Places Straight.

Hope: The Message of Christmas by Carol Harrison

I have always loved the Christmas season. As a child, this time of year had a simplicity I never realized. Our family didn’t have much money and there were few presents under the tree and no lavish, over-the-top decorations. Yet I loved it – the time spent with family and extended family, the church services and Christmas carols, the concerts, and the Bible story from the gospel of Luke.

When I take time to reflect, I realize I grew up rich in relationships with a legacy of being shown the love of God in tangible ways by my family. My parents and grandparents lived out their faith and shared this with me.

But, this time of year can be stressful when the tough things of life happen. The messages bombarding us about the latest and greatest gift, the best way to entertain, or even the right décor can fill us with a feeling of not having enough or not being good enough. How do view this time of year, no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in? Where is our hope? Why do we celebrate?

As I write this blog post late the night before it is time to post it, I think about these questions. I ponder Immanuel – God with us and what that means and has meant to me. Is there a significant time at Christmas where this came alive to me? Maybe I put off writing this post because I couldn’t think of the scenario to describe. Part of the procrastination happened due to the invasion of bronchitis and asthma for a few weeks. These unwanted guests didn’t want to leave and made life difficult. Maybe it is only because I never paused long enough to really think about how God is with me and all of us who follow Him at any time of year.

A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to travel to Prince Albert to speak at the Christian Women’s Club Christmas meetings in the morning and evening. I had promised them months ago to be their speaker. The topic was Life’s Tough but There’s Hope or as they changed it around a bit to fit the time of year it read Hope - the Message of Christmas. As the day drew near, the exhaustion from being sick for weeks made me wonder if I could keep the commitment and yet I felt a peace that God was wanting me to go.

My granddaughter offered to drive so all I had to do was the speaking and interacting with the ladies present. It gave us a special time together from early morning until late at night. I pulled out my notes. Yes, I love Christmas but sometimes it is a tough time for people. Health concerns – I have those in my own life and in my husbands too. Finances – I love giving gifts and the budget runs out long before I wish it did but I am more fortunate than many. Relationship issues – some are fragile while others can be toxic. Grief – death does not care it is close to Christmas any more than health related concerns. We all get the picture.

Life for me has been in a tough season due to many issues and yet I know God is still God. He promises new mercies every morning. He is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, and strength. I know this. I’ve experienced it many times. So I trusted Him for the words to say, the strength of voice to speak, and for open hearts to hear God and know He is our Hope and Joy. 

  God with us – Immanuel. Oh how I felt that a couple of days ago. Various ladies remarked about how what I shared must have been just for them and shared a bit of their stories – tough things with me. One lady said, “When I closed my eyes, your voice was beautiful and like and eighteen-year-old.”

Wow, only God could provide a voice for people to hear that had no trace of bronchitis or asthma to it. So I pause in the middle of tough circumstances and Christmas coming quickly and wonder at the goodness of God who loves me so much He sent Jesus to take my punishment. How can I not praise His name.

Merry Christmas and may Jesus, the Hope of Christmas, fill us with hope and peace as we trust in Him each day to use the gifts, He has given us. 

 

Carol Harrison loves to share stories and the good news of hope in Jesus with people of all ages and abilities. She enjoys speaking and writing as well as scrapbooking and making junk journals.

 

God With Us by Sharon Heagy

 

When I read, read and re-read this month’s theme my mind kept going to one place – crisis. But it’s Christmas, I reasoned. Nobody wants to hear about crisis at Christmas. But crisis is when I always sense the presence of the Lord. More than at any other time.

Like when my sons faced trouble, mostly as a result of their own choices, God was there. Tough times on the farm when funds were short and debts were high, God was there. During back-to-back surgeries for my husband and myself during a pandemic. God’s presence was tangible to the point of almost overwhelming. 

In times of death and loss. Loss of my faith filled Father-in-Law when we were young and farmed together. My big brother, followed 8 months later by my wonderful Mom. The tragic loss of a two-year-old daughter of dear friends when I needed to find words for the eulogy. My Mom in law, my own dear Dad and most recently my caring brother-in-law. God was there.

Yes, I know God is always there, but I am talking of times when there is supernatural strength and peace, like being entirely covered by a cloak of comfort. A sense of protection, well-being and calm that cannot be explained. Heavenly guidance that strengthens each step. Wisdom that provides the right words to say and the right time to say them. Such overwhelming presence, so close that you could almost swear you can feel His heartbeat. It’s amazing.

This gave me pause. Why? Why do I have such extraordinary experiences in times of trouble? I sense His presence other times, ordinary daily grind times but this is different. The answer is simple. It’s because I seek Him more earnestly, more desperately when chaos is afoot. What a revelation!

Yet, why don’t I seek out His presence like this more. Apparently, this is going to take lots of training, to find Him and to be desperate for that heartbeat all the time. 

This reminds me of some of the events of Christmas. The shepherds leaving field and flock to seek Him. The Magi, leaving home and family, following a star, seeking…Him.   They wanted to see Him. They needed to see Him. Yet, once they saw Him, once they found Him, did their passion wane like mine? Who knows? God knows, He was there.

My prayer for each of you this Christmas season is that God will ignite a fire within that becomes an all-consuming desire to seek Him, without the chaos. Without the crisis. May you come close enough to hear His heartbeat. Merry Christmas.