July
9, 2001
Prayers
Momentarily Answered
“Roger’s
cancer is back.” With those
words, we all began to feel emptiness in our stomachs and soon tears came to our
eyes. His wife and a long-time
friend from Oklahoma stood in our entryway and shared with us the news on
Friday. It hit us especially hard, as Saturday was to be a celebration of his
cancer being in remission and his birthday.
I first introduced Roger to you March 26th
when I wrote The Neighborhood. He
was the retired military friend whom I would walk with.
It was a simple act of visiting him at his house that inspired one of my
first messages titled, I’ve Been Meaning To Call (February 19th).
After months of chemo Roger called one evening many
weeks ago and told us the cancer was gone and he wanted to share the good news
with us. During those long days of
chemo in the spring I made many trips to the hospital to visit.
We would just talk about whatever came to mind.
Often I would ask him about his travels.
It was a great reminder that material things come and go, but memories
are forever.
He would also talk about getting his trailer ready
for the summer to go camping and fishing. The
propane tanks needed to be replaced, a glass window repaired, and a host of
other small items needed attention. It
was troubling to him to be lying in bed with tubes running out of his arms while
there were important things to be done at home.
I have always believed in prayer and Roger was
included in mine several times a day. Many
of those who were becoming regular readers of Awaken also included him in their
prayers. His beautiful wife spoke
quietly of her own ongoing dialogue with God and her aching knees as a result.
Then, I got the call from Roger about his remission
and I immediately thought about the power of prayer. When he talked about having a celebration on July 7th,
I began to create that week’s message in my mind. Little did I know that it would be about the event, but with
a very different twist.
The party took place as planned and it was a
celebration. Many people gathered
to eat, drink, and be merry. We
listened to Roger tell us about his fishing and camping trip in his rejuvenated
trailer thanks to his strength of the past few weeks.
Most of us were aware of the new battle he is about to undergo, but
yesterday was a day to give thanks for answered prayers no matter how momentary.
It was a day to energize Roger and each other for the months to come,
which will include more chemo and a bone marrow transplant.
I am a person of faith even when it is tested.
In the quiet moments of despair we experience we can get angry and
question why things happen the way they do.
It’s ironic that even at those times, I carry on a dialogue with God.
As my soul becomes a participant in the conversation, I begin to find my
way out of despair and back to a place of faith and optimism.
Roger and I have a great deal to still learn from
each other and a friendship to make deeper.
The same goes for his beautiful wife and sons. Yesterday was a celebration of Roger’s and his family’s
strength and character. It was a
celebration of answered prayers and renewed commitments to be there for the
duration. These are the true
moments for our souls to guide us to faith, compassion, and love.
With respect, acceptance, and love,