There are no less than three articles on today's New York Times web-site regarding vegetables. One was about the first lady and her continued campaign to get kids to eat better food; another was about the American propensity to choose fries over vegetables, and the final one was about Dr. Preston Maring, a California surgeon who, now in his retirement, has opened a Farmer's Market. His crusade is to make "the kitchen as crucial as the clinic".
As I move into the next phase of my cancer battle, I am working even more on my diet than I have in the past. Incorporating vegetables three times a day is a challenge so I am now throwing spinach into my daily smoothies. Then if I don't have time to anything especially creative, I am just steaming vegetables and dipping them in one of the many fabulous sauces and dips that are now available. This makes it less difficult than one might think.
As Americans, we do seem to have a mixed relationship with vegetables. One man in the article about fries vs. vegetables said: "I'm not afraid of zucchinis; I just don't know how to cook them". I suppose if we don't know how to cook zucchinis we can always use them to fend off bears which is what a woman in Helena, MT did this week when a bear wandered into her garden. She hit it with a giant zucchini!
When all is said and done, God calls us to take care of "this earthly tent" as St. Paul calls our bodies. Stewardship of the body may be the most important form of stewardship out there.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Relationships Rich in Possibility
Many people go through the day without experiencing authentic relationships. When people participate in small groups they often find that wealth of possibility. Sometimes the ability for authentic relationships comes in surprising places. Such was the case when I took my daughter to a class called Kids Kicking Cancer. The class is a martial arts class for kids who have/had cancer and for kids whose lives have been touched by cancer. I thought I would just show up, watch the class and go home. Boy, was I wrong. Suddenly in the midst of this place of calm and hope (The Michigan Wellness Center) I was draw into the fabric of lives touched by cancer.
I did watch the class for a while but when a young girl age 6 started singing the song she sings to her port, I just melted away. For the fortunately uninitiated, the port is where chemo patients receive their drugs. Apparently the custom is for kids to give their ports a name and then talk about giving Pete or Eddie (the port) a drink (the chemo). Well this little girl went a step beyond and made up a song. Still being quite emotional from my own treatment, I left the kids area and went to talk to the parents. Here we were, a group of moms who have never met suddenly sharing at a level many people never achieve in a lifetime. It was beautiful.
I'm not sure why my daughter likes this class so much. She is older than the other kids and she is the one kid in the class who has never had cancer but she loves it. For that I am thankful.
I did watch the class for a while but when a young girl age 6 started singing the song she sings to her port, I just melted away. For the fortunately uninitiated, the port is where chemo patients receive their drugs. Apparently the custom is for kids to give their ports a name and then talk about giving Pete or Eddie (the port) a drink (the chemo). Well this little girl went a step beyond and made up a song. Still being quite emotional from my own treatment, I left the kids area and went to talk to the parents. Here we were, a group of moms who have never met suddenly sharing at a level many people never achieve in a lifetime. It was beautiful.
I'm not sure why my daughter likes this class so much. She is older than the other kids and she is the one kid in the class who has never had cancer but she loves it. For that I am thankful.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Spiritual Calm
For many years, I have wanted to attend the Jewish high holy day services. I have often been stopped by the difficulty of getting tickets, my own schedule etc. and the years went by. This year it finally happened. Last night my husband and I attended a Yom Kippur service with my sister and her husband. The day was especially meaningful because yesterday was the 20th anniversary of our father's death. How powerful to sit next to my sister and hear our father's name read in the list of those who were being remembered, a part of the ritual that is very similar to the remembrance of the dead which we do on All Saints Day.
Yom Kippur is a beautiful service. It is largely a day of atonement with many prayers of confession but there are many other parts as well. The nearly two hours flew by! The music was wonderful and the prayers rich in poetry and meaning. I was especially soothed by the Hebrew. It is a beautiful language to listen to even if you don't understand it. When I was in seminary, I studied Hebrew for two years. Most of the language is lost to me now but I still understand the occasional word and suspect that if I put some time into it my understanding might return. When will I ever have time for that!?
Another part of the liturgy included prayers for healing. As someone who has just, as of September 8, finished an eight month regime of treatment for breast cancer, I could personally appreciate the prayers. At one point the rabbi talked about how we never think illness will cross our paths, that it will always be someone else. That certainly fits me!
The service last night helped me acknowledge that I am now moving into the rest of 2010 as a cancer free person. Given that my illness has dominated all of 2010 up to this point, I am still trying to adjust to what it means to be cancer free and treatment free. The months and months of driving to the hospital, the months and months of pain, fatigue, emotional ups and downs have now been reduced to one pill a day. What does it all mean?
Yom Kippur is a beautiful service. It is largely a day of atonement with many prayers of confession but there are many other parts as well. The nearly two hours flew by! The music was wonderful and the prayers rich in poetry and meaning. I was especially soothed by the Hebrew. It is a beautiful language to listen to even if you don't understand it. When I was in seminary, I studied Hebrew for two years. Most of the language is lost to me now but I still understand the occasional word and suspect that if I put some time into it my understanding might return. When will I ever have time for that!?
Another part of the liturgy included prayers for healing. As someone who has just, as of September 8, finished an eight month regime of treatment for breast cancer, I could personally appreciate the prayers. At one point the rabbi talked about how we never think illness will cross our paths, that it will always be someone else. That certainly fits me!
The service last night helped me acknowledge that I am now moving into the rest of 2010 as a cancer free person. Given that my illness has dominated all of 2010 up to this point, I am still trying to adjust to what it means to be cancer free and treatment free. The months and months of driving to the hospital, the months and months of pain, fatigue, emotional ups and downs have now been reduced to one pill a day. What does it all mean?
Monday, September 13, 2010
Reconciliation
For those who know me well, they know that reconciliation is a common theme of my life and ministry. Perhaps it is because I know only too well that if I had a penny for all the careless or hurtful comments I have made over the years, I would be a rich woman indeed!
When I consider the idea of reconciliation, I am reminded of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission which brought together persecuted black South Africans with their caucasian persecutors. I also think of one of the most powerful books I have read on this subject, Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza, who wrote about her experience of the genocide in Rwanda.
For most of us, the issue of forgiveness is much less global. Perhaps we are dealing with old family wounds or even simply what someone said to us this morning. It is easy to get lost in the swirl of anger, hurt and resentment. The problem is that staying lost in that swirl often ruins a perfectly good day or even a life rich with possibilities. Letting go of hurts and offenses blesses us with freedom of the heart. It really is not about letting "the other", whoever that may be, off the hook. It is about not giving power to those have hurt us and that often includes those who have moved on from this world! Oh, the power of the dead!
When there is genuine reconciliation between two people, it makes space for a much deeper relationship. If all of us could remember Jesus' words on the cross "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" in times of hurt, we might be able to move out of those dark places with grace and ease. Always easier to write about than to do but it is still a topic worthy of the pen!
When I consider the idea of reconciliation, I am reminded of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission which brought together persecuted black South Africans with their caucasian persecutors. I also think of one of the most powerful books I have read on this subject, Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza, who wrote about her experience of the genocide in Rwanda.
For most of us, the issue of forgiveness is much less global. Perhaps we are dealing with old family wounds or even simply what someone said to us this morning. It is easy to get lost in the swirl of anger, hurt and resentment. The problem is that staying lost in that swirl often ruins a perfectly good day or even a life rich with possibilities. Letting go of hurts and offenses blesses us with freedom of the heart. It really is not about letting "the other", whoever that may be, off the hook. It is about not giving power to those have hurt us and that often includes those who have moved on from this world! Oh, the power of the dead!
When there is genuine reconciliation between two people, it makes space for a much deeper relationship. If all of us could remember Jesus' words on the cross "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" in times of hurt, we might be able to move out of those dark places with grace and ease. Always easier to write about than to do but it is still a topic worthy of the pen!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Welcome to my new blog
Welcome to Dorian's Discourse. This is a continuation of my previous blog on Care Pages. I began writing when I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in January of 2010. Now that I have completed my cancer treatments, I have ended my Care Pages blog and moved to this site. Thank you to those who have followed me from Care Pages and a warm welcome to those who are new readers. Most of all I want to thank those who have encouraged me to continue writing. This new blog is because of you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)