Thursday, July 26, 2012

Day Before: Walking the walk again?


Here I go again. I will be literally walking the walk for the next three days. Well actually, here we go again. I am walking with Greg again this year. Hard to believe that our first 3Day walk for Breast Cancer was twelve years ago.  Over these years I have come to know more woman who have died from breast cancer. And I have gotten to know many more woman who have been diagnosed or are breast cancer survivors. Amazing stories each time. Amazing woman, each and every one of them. I do not know what it is like to wake up every day and wonder if “it is back”. I do not have exams every six months to see if I am clear.  Like anyone living with or the possibility of a terminal diagnosis, each person I have met has an amazing capacity to keep living life all the while caring for their bodies. Most of the women I know has access to health care (they have health insurance), thanks God. A few do not.

I am inspired by the woman who everyday make the choice“ I will NOT live my life in fear or  I WILL live my life in hope”. Rabbi Kushner reminds us that bad things do happen to good people every day. The question of faith is how do people/we respond to bad things. People of faith are defined by their actions/reactions to regular life events (cancer, car accidents, war, illness, unemployment, etc). I have come to believe (and agree with Kushner) that God does not cause suffering in our lives/world. God loves you – God loves all people – God loves all creation too much. God gives us the strength, resources and companionship to respond.

Tomorrow, when Greg and I set off to walk for three days with thousands of woman (and a few men), I will look to them hope, inspiration, strength, mind over pain to walk the walk as my body will inevitably fail me.

I choose hope today. Will you?

No comments:

Post a Comment