A friend of mine from high school was diagnosed with cancer this past May. She wasn't a close friend, but when I heard she had cancer, I felt my heart scrunch up for her and her family. At this point in my life, I realize I can look back at any number of the people I have known, especially during pivotal times, and see that simply having known them is enough for me to care about them.
So my friend. She posts these online updates through CarePages and I signed up so I could connect with her, read her posts, reply. I've posted only one comment and now I find myself simply reading her words and I feel sort of sneaky about it, like I'm spying on her. Maybe I am. I can't seem to think of anything to write to her that would make a difference. All my words sound pithy and look pitiful compared to what's she's going through and writing about.
And her words are so beautiful and free. She just posted something about how she doesn't feel cancer is a blessing, although many people sometimes do feel that way, saying it has changed them for the better. Instead, my friend says cancer itself is horrible, but the support and love she's received and the way her relationships have changed since her diagnosis are the blessings.
She makes a very important distinction I think: When something bad happens to you, you can't always turn it around by proclaiming it a blessing, saying that you had to endure this terrible thing just to experience the blessings of life. Often, bad things are simply bad things and there isn't any good in them at all. This is life. I think we should create blessings all around us and be thankful for them as often as we can remember to, with or without experiencing something as horrifying and threatening as cancer. That's a thought I need to keep in mind.
I think I'll keep lurking on my friend's CarePage, as long as she doesn't mind.
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