The Choice

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Margaret

You blog readers and many others have gifted Mary with everything from daily prayers to letters, greeting cards, flowers, books, cozy clothing items, two prayer shawls, health foods, and more. She’s made use of everything, gratefully wrapping herself in the blessings you’ve shared.

Recently we were talking about all this bounty and she told me (with exclamation points in her voice) how astounded she’s been at the way each gift has been perfectly matched to her need-of-the-moment. “Of course it’s God putting these things together like that,” she said, “but he’s using the generosity of friends to do it. It just amazes me.”

But I think Mary has something to do with it, too. Even in her debilitated condition, now with nausea plaguing her on top of fatigue, she’s making a conscious choice every day to embrace what people send. She could have chosen the opposite approach, thinking, “I don’t deserve these gifts. I’m just going to set them aside. Besides, I can’t read all the books, can’t absorb all the messages.”

Instead she has received each one eagerly, knowing it’s the Lord who’s behind the perfectly-timed arrival of every item. And she doesn’t want to miss anything he’s trying to say to her, through these gifts.

As we talked further, Mary gave me an example: “Somebody sent me Sarah Young’s new book, Jesus Today,” she said. During a discouraging moment I opened it to entry #9 and found God’s exact instruction of what I needed to do to lift my mood. Writing from a first-person point of view as if she was Jesus talking, Sarah wrote, ‘As you go through this day, you will encounter things that make you cringe, things that are wrong or ugly. […like cancer] Do not let them become your focus’.”

Mary went on to tell me how the devotional challenged her to “look the right way,” which is to look at Jesus. Ms. Young wrote, “You yearn for perfection, and I [Jesus] am the fulfillment of that deep longing. I am able to stay close to you as you walk through this sin-stained world. So look the right way – toward blessings, toward Me – and the Joy of My Presence will shine upon you.”

Mary marveled at God’s well timed delivery of personal encouragement that day, as he’s done over and over with the gifts she’s received. But when she said, “I want to choose to do that, to ‘look the right way’,” I had to smile. I’d say she’s been doing pretty well at that already.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)

Praising and Praying with Mary

Praise for sisters in “Club Chemo” who have come alongside with tips and encouragement
Praise that today was a day with minimal nausea; please pray that this will continue
Pray for the strength to get through the 4 busy days ahead

So Much Good

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Margaret

Today when I asked Mary for her choice of prayer requests for tonight’s blog, she paused. “You know,” she said, “I can’t think of a single request. Only praises.”

Of course some of her requests from recent days are still relevant, but she had no new ones. “I have so much to be grateful for,” she said. At the time we were sitting on a Michigan beach under blue skies enjoying 85 degrees.

I said, “Maybe you’re all about praises because cancer has rearranged the way you look at things, at everything.”

Mary agreed. “It’s so easy to take life’s good things for granted. Cancer changes that. Nothing can be assumed after that, not even the small things.”

It’s the old conundrum of not appreciating what we have until we’ve lost it. In one sense, Mary’s lost something important: good health. But as we talked, we realized she’s already gained more than she’s lost. After all, the only thing on her mind today was the many ways she felt like praising God.

“Ok,” I said. “Let’s list them.”

She jumped right in. “I praise God for a husband who has insisted I learn to say ‘no’ to people. It has always gone against me to say no, but during this season, especially after I start chemo next week, I know it’s the right thing to do.”

She went on. “I praise the Lord that my adult children and my grandchildren want to be with me, with us. After watching them rally around as they have for the last 2 months, I’ll never again take them or their love for granted.”

She continued. “I praise God for the cards, letters, and gifts that keep coming in! And the best part is that time and time again, exactly the right encouraging word arrives, just when I need it most. It’s God doing that, I’m sure.”

As I scribbled down what she was saying, she kept going. “I’m thankful for my new car and for driving privileges. After totaling my old one in an accident just before my diagnosis, we didn’t shop for another one, since I might not have been well enough to drive it. But here I am, driving again and enjoying it more than ever.”

And there was more. “I praise God for this beautiful summer day and time to sit in a beach chair, right in the middle of the busiest week I’ve had in a long time. Even this day is programmed with wedding planning and errand running, but for the moment, being on this beach is a balm to my soul.

“Even the popsicles Stina brought to the beach just now were a wonderful treat. I don’t know what life will be like during 6 months of chemo, but today I want to praise God for these last weeks when I can honestly say I’ve had more good days than bad. I’ve decided,” she said, “that from here on I’m going to work at appreciating what I do have, rather than what I don’t.”

….a good philosophy for us all.

“Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven.” (James 1:17)

No requests today!

A Pinning

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Margaret

Internet users might know the word “pinning” from the site pinterest.com where they can pin photos of personal interest to “pinboards”, like yummy-looking recipes, clever decorating ideas, or hoped-for travel destinations.

But this isn’t the only kind of pinning. Wrestlers can win a match by “pinning” their oppo- nent’s shoulders to the mat for a required number of seconds.

And surgeons sometimes perform “pinnings” to stabilize unsteady joints. Our mom had this kind of surgery after breaking her hip.

Back in the 1950’s a college girl could be “pinned” with her boyfriend’s fraternity pin as a pre-engagement commitment. This “pinning” was followed several months later by a diamond ring and soon after that, a wedding band.

One other kind of “pinning” is accompanied by a formal ceremony in a crowded room filled with people taking pictures. It’s the official welcoming of a nursing student into the profession, and each one receives a pin representing the college where they were trained.

Mary and Bervin attended Stina’s pinning today in Chicago, excited to see their newly-graduated daughter step into the next phase of her life. It was especially meaningful for Mary, who remembers her own 1966 pinning ceremony. Stina’s tender heart, much like her mother’s, guarantees that she will be the kind of nurse who consistently blesses her patients.

All of these pinnings have something in common: each one is the outward evidence of what’s been going on inside. For example, Pinterest lets us know what someone is about to do, try, or make. A wrestler’s pinning informs the crowd of his determination to dominate his opponent. A fraternity pinning reveals the strong love of a guy for a girl, and a nurse’s pinning tells the world she’s learned how to medically assist a patient.

And there’s one other pinning, a more important event than all the others combined. It’s the moment we fasten ourselves to our heavenly Father in a permanent partnership. Once we’re pinned to him, there’s no way we can be unpinned. Nothing exists strong enough to pull us apart. And our joy in this pinning lets others know how we feel about the One to whom we’ve been pinned.

As Stina moves into the busy world of active nursing, may the pin she wears be a steady reminder of her permanent, personal connection with the Lord. May she take advantage of his expertise with hospital patients and health problems, by first getting his opinion about what each patient needs. And if she follows his instructions, she’ll end up the most popular nurse in the whole hospital.