Yesterday my brother, Philip, started treatment for prostate cancer. That is sobering news. He had a rough go with the anesthesia - and the whole process of adding a radioactive "seed" inside his body was tough, too. He is recovering at home and will be away from work until after the New Year. I once called him my "little brother" - he is three years younger - until at 15 he said, "knock that shit off, man, I am your younger brother - ain't nothing little 'bout me!" And he was right.
+ It made me think of all the loss in the family over just this past year: Dianne's mother, my colleague and friend at church, Vicki, other church members. Now we hear that my daughter's husband's grandma, sweet Loretta, is wrestling with a tough form of cancer, too. And let's not forget my dad's declining health.
+ As Scott Cairns has noted, when these kinds of truths reach up and grab you they can either be a healthy wake up call or an invitation to depression. Most of the time, after a good cry, they wake me up to the blessings all around me in addition to the pain and loss.
Today it snowed - and rained - and was totally nasty outside. At the same time, it was lovely and quiet, too. That both/and thing happening all over the place, yes? So, after snow blowing and shoveling (twice) I have a great driveway that is safe and my shoulder aches... hmmmm. It is winter - outside and in my soul - and now I have to go pick up Dianne who had to walk to work this morning in the snow because we couldn't get out of the driveway.
Life is funny - and good - and often hard all at the same time. I have always loved this song by Lou Reed - What's Good from Magic and Loss - an album I fell in love with at the same time my sister, Linda, was dying of cancer. Thank God for St. Lou... (this skips a little but is still worth it to me.)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
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a blue december offering: sunday, december 22 @ 3 pm
This coming Sunday, 12/22, we reprise our Blue December presentation at Richmond Congregational Church, (515 State Rd, Richmond, MA 01254) a...
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There is a story about St. Francis and the Sultan - greatly embellished to be sure and often treated in apocryphal ways in the 2 1st centur...
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NOTE: Here are my Sunday worship notes for the Feast of the Epiphany. They are a bit late - in theory I wasn't going to do much work ...
3 comments:
I am sorry to read that tough news. I hear you! I can only hold you and those you have concern for up to light! It seems that after the last two years that is the form my prayer takes!
exactly...
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