Remembering Thursday, February 10, 2011

I first found out I had cervical cancer on February 10, 2011, a Thursday. Ken and I were in San Diego, where he was attending a conference. We were staying at a downtown hotel--the Omni, and that morning I had gone down for breakfast, which was provided for the wives as well as the men attending the conference. I went through the buffet and joined a few women sitting around a table. I didn't know any of them at the time. Renae was one of the women there, a woman I came to know fairly well in just a couple of days. Renae was talking about how she lost an infant son some years ago to a disease and how her second son needed a liver transplant when he was 13 months old. I heard her say how thankful she was that God had given her those 13 months with her son before discovering he had a liver disease, knowledge that changed their lives. Her son is 20 now and serving the Lord, even though the doctors said initially that he would not live long.

I was impressed and felt drawn to her. It's all too easy for us to become angry at God or come to the conclusion there is no God or purpose in life when something bad happens to us. Renae was expressing thanks to God and her faith in Him was evident, all of which put her experiences (some very difficult) in a perspective apart from the world's perspective (reminded me of the light and darkness metaphor so prevalent in God's Word). I was compelled to ask her if she was a Christian and was not surprised when she told me she was. To make a long story short, our visit resulted in me telling her I was waiting for a call from a doctor and expressing my anxiety to her. We met and talked several times during the next couple of days, and I was blessed to have a Christian woman to talk with, especially one with the faith and experiences Renae had. After I learned about my diagnosis, I was able to visit with Renae and talk through some of my initial shock and anxiety. I know Renae will remain a friend.

I am confident that God brought Renae to me for such a time as this. Praise Him!

"All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your
thoughts, O God!"
     Psalm 139:16-17