Cancer

May 13, 2020.  Wednesday.  The day I learned my father has cancer.

Here we are again.  Facing that dreaded word.  I was thankful he called to talk to me personally about it.  I wish I could have been more encouraging or comforting.  My practicality pushed aside my emotions and I took the news rather well, I think.

Our shared faith in the one, true God is a foundation of peace and comfort with news like this.  Even without fully realizing the ramifications of a cancer diagnosis, he and I both know and discussed that God's hand is in this and His will be done.

My thoughts swirl around.  I'm not buried in them, but they are there.  I return to the early posts of this blog when I went through cancer with my hubby.  I remember the emotions and the fears.  The hours of researching and the amount of energy and time my emotions and thoughts consumed.

I remember the lessons I learned through that experience.  I wish I had a book I could hand my parents and tell them, "This is everything you need to know and understand to make it through cancer."  But, alas, no such book exists and none ever will.  Each individual must learn their own lessons in their own way.  My experiences and lessons may comfort or encourage.  There may even be a light-bulb breakthrough here and there, but my parent's journey of faith by trial will be theirs.  A valuable, refining fire like no other.  They will emerge, hopefully with a stronger, deeper faith.