Update on Grizelda

I appreciate so much those of you who have been praying for me. I believe in prayer and I have felt those prayers sustaining me. Thank you. Today I had an MRI and Friday the doctor will tell me if Grizelda is still hanging around or if she accepted my invitation to leave. I don’t mean to be inhospitable, but I think she’s overstayed her welcome and will be more than happy if she’s left.

I didn’t mention it here before because I looked so ugly I couldn’t bear to think about it let alone write about it, but we did the skin cancer treatments on my face during December and I am about back to normal now. The scabbing only lasted a week this time and the big red splotches are now disappearing, but the doctor told me we’d need to do it again in about September. I’m not looking forward to that but maybe next time it won’t be as bad. Maybe I should talk the doctor into waiting until October and I can do it for Halloween. I’d fit right in!

Thanks again for your prayers. I’ll let you know what I find out on Friday.

Cancer Lessons

This has been a year of intense learning for me. A few weeks ago it was discovered that I had some spots of skin cancer on my face. The first thing I learned is that many, many people have been through this. Skin cancer is like the common cold and is treated just as easily. For that I am very grateful. To get rid of the spots, the doctor gave me a chemo cream that I simply rub on them. He warned me that at first it would turn red, but then it would fester and scab and I’d look like I had leprosy. He was right.

There are now two ugly spots on my face, one large and one small, that are absolutely grotesque. Here’s where the second thing I learned comes in. At first it was difficult to go out in public. I can’t cover the wounds with bandages or dressings because of the position they are in. The large one is in the outside corner of my right eye and goes around and down onto my cheek. The other is on the top lip. I feel bad for people who have to look at me, like my students. Some people would just not go out in public, but I can’t do that. So I determined that when I encountered people, I’d send them as much love as I could exude so that they’d feel the love instead of the shock at what they saw. So when they stare, I smile (even though it hurts to smile because the scabs crack) and just love. It has been very interesting to watch people’s reactions. Some turn away embarrassed. Some awkwardly pretend they don’t notice. Their eyes strain to look elsewhere, but keep darting back to the spots on my face. Some make eye contact and accept the love I am sending, and send love back. Some relax from the awkward how-shall-I-handle-this state to she’s-not-embarrassed-why–should-I-be state. Usually those people then simply ask, “What happened?” And I tell them.

Like all of you, I’ve been on both sides of these kinds of situations. But another thing I’ve learned is that I appreciate people who sincerely and simply ask, “What happened?” and let me explain. The problem is that not everyone appreciates that kind of response and so the rest of us don’t know what to do or say. So I’d like to pose two questions. (1) When something like this happens to you, how do you like others to respond? And (2) If we were all living in Truth, what would be the response? Or would there be only one? Leave your comments and let me know what you think.