On Saturday, my day was fully bracketed by God's majesty.
Up early - at our church Family Life Center - on a drizzly gray morning - I glanced out to see this.
(sorry, cell phone shot)
Just the glimmering streaky lights of the sun peeking through.
As we went about getting ready - I found myself gravitating back to the front to watch the sun come up.
Bathing the morning with a stunning glow.
I saw the sun spot - called people to the door to see.
Noel Dobbs - looked at me and said
"you have a thing for sunrise and sunset"
I do have a thing for them
I did not die on April 8, 2010
Bleeding internally from a cancerous tumor destroying my left kidney.
Requiring blood to stabilize me.
Shaken and scared.
I didn't try to bargain with God.
I faced the next several days getting really well acquainted with him.
Facing the entire situation with prayer, faith, and humor.
And here's a part of the story you may not know.
I witnessed - just by being myself.
By allowing my faith to show.
By having humor on my side.
I tried to be gracious and grateful for every person I came into contact with.
The aides.
The nurses.
The food service people.
The custodians.
That lady who awakened me to take vitals (yes even her)
On Sunday - that first weekend.
Knowing I had cancer in me.
Knowing I would face a major surgery the following week.
Still scared - still shaking.
I was walking the halls.
They let me out of bed - my blood count was finally safe.
I swung into the hall - rolling IV stand with me - and announced loudly
"LET THE POLE DANCING BEGIN"
And up and down those halls I paraded.
Laughing and facing my illness the best way I could.
Sunday afternoon - the vitals lady - found me in one of the waiting rooms on that hall.
I was wandering around and it was time for my vitals.
She asked me my name and birthdate.
Completed her job right there in that waiting room.
Then sat down and looked at me.
Questions on her face.
She asked - how can you be so nice and cheerful and at peace with this?
Aren't you scared?
Are you pretending?
I answered - carefully measuring my words
"I have a faith basis."
Her face invited me to go on.
I told her about my God.
About my life with him in it.
About losing my Dad
About losing MaggieGrace
About the first cancer.
I told her about God's grace and his beauty
about prospering us
about choosing.
She nodded and said
I want all that.
She considered herself a Christian
what she was missing was the personal relationship with God.
after about 30 minutes - we separated - I've never seen her again.
I still wonder if she found it.
So yes NOEL - I have a thing for sunrise and sunset.
Saturday night - headed to meet Molly and Ben for dinner
The golden glow of the sunset was breathtaking.
A Eucharisteo moment
I take all these beautiful moments and raise great thanks to God
for bringing me new days
Each one with an opportunity to see and thank Him for the day.
I breathe the words from something I read long ago
"peace is seeing a sunrise (sunset) and knowing who to thank"
Molly shared her pictures of the sunset too.
As did so many others on Instagram and facebook.
Then early Sunday morning.
Looking through my feeds and seeing the likes and comments that had been left on these images,
I posted ----
I am not a great morning person. But I am learning that it is not horrible to get up and going. Im learning that there is beauty in every moment. And to put my spin on something i read in the past - by being up early, i can watch God make a morning. This morning at 6 my text tone was there. "Good morning, i love you" i read. These five words remind me that every morning is good now. And every morning is to have its own little celebration of living and loving. Happy Sunday.
Good day God
Thank you for making another morning that I get to be a part of.
Good morning - I love you.
Yes - every sunrise - every morning is good now
Yes - every sunset - every evening is good now.
Yes - every moment day and night between the sunrise and sunset - every minute is good now.
I got a second chance to live
Yes - I have a thing for each very special minute of each very special day.
And dang those stunning sunsets.
I think of them as God's gift to celebrate just how special these days are.
Cancer did not win.
And I am dang well gonna live fully.
No comments:
Post a Comment