Prayer

Our sermon at church today was all about prayer. My friend with colon cancer is in the hospital with pneumonia. She asked Pastor David yesterday if he still believed in a miracle for her. The answer is a resounding YES. It may not be the miracle we want, complete healing, but God listens to us and knows. We heard of a young 26 year old woman who is friends with someone in church who passed away two weeks ago from throat cancer. Ric and I just held hands and told each other we were lucky. Kori's husband is hanging in there. They are planning a trip to Disney World to make memories while he is still able to get around. Prayers are answered every day. Another woman from church has breast cancer, underwent surgery, and was told she would not have to go through chemo. Praise God. Sometimes it seems as if the cure is worse than the disease. I know in our case, it was a toss up, but with Ric being cancer free right now, we are still dealing with the aftermath of the chemo and radiation. It is an ongoing and very slow process.

We were lucky. We know it. There are days when things seem "back to normal". We argue, we disagree, and we love, just like any other day before the cancer turned our world upside down. But now, when we get back into those old habits, it is very easy for one of us to say stop. We don't need to argue. We may have been together for nine years, but we've only been married for two and a half and one of those years was taken from us by the cancer. It is so much easier to see the daily blessings in our lives because we know they may not be there tomorrow.

I know Marti is struggling. She doesn't want to see anyone right now. No, that isn't right. It isn't that she doesn't want to see them, it is that she is too exhausted and tired. She has fought for years with this cancer. She knows it is a matter of time. Are we still praying for a miracle? By all means, yes. Will it be the miracle of a complete cure for her, for Richard? Probably not, but God knows, the miracle will be when they meet him face to face and are no longer in pain. Do I want this to happen so soon? No, I want Marti to live for a long time. I want Richard to live for a long time for his family.

Giving up is not an option. God didn't allow us to find cures for diseases that would have been an immediate death sentence only 20 years ago. No, he gave us the ability to experiment and learn and to find cures. I pray every day for a cure for cancer. I want so much to not have been thrown down that path, kicking and screaming, and cursing God. I didn't want Ric to be struggling months after his treatment has ended. I didn't want to fell anxious when his PET scan was scheduled. I don't want to feel terrified that the call will come and we will have to start this whole process over again.

We were lucky. But we didn't get through this alone. We have become much more in tune with each other and our faith in God and the doctors. Because without them and our families, we would be lost. God hears our prayers. He answers our prayers, maybe not in the way we want him to, but he does. Kori's blog about her life with Richard and the boys will forever be a testament to her love of God and her family. Richard will leave a legacy when it is his time. Maybe more people will want to help find cures for cystic fibrosis and cancer.

We were lucky, and I thank God every day for giving us one more day together.