Reflecting

 

I was going for my walk at the park a few days ago when I bumped into a couple that I have not seen for while, but I know very well. When I first started my business, they contracted me to do a lot of work in their beautiful home. I was there for a long time and got to know them well.

I had some challenges doing some things I had never done before and soon I was over budget. But because I have always protected my reputation that way, I stuck to my original quote and ended up making about $3.00 per hour, small for even those times. They wanted to pay me more, but I insisted and what resulted was a life long customer. I have worked for them many times since and we have become friends.

Back then, Sue (not her real name) was a beautiful young mom with three smart kids and a very successful husband. To that point, theirs was the most expensive house I had ever worked in. After a huge financial setback with some bad investments, they downsized to an older townhouse and have been there since.

It has been 5 years since I worked for them and when I met them they told be that they were considering giving me a call for some re-decorating. We chatted for a while and then I asked how their health was. (That is what we do at my age :)

They both turned somber at that point and then told me that they were just that day waiting for a call from the cancer clinic. Sue was diagnosed with liver and bowel cancer a few weeks ago and now she has this 'challenge' ahead of her. What a great attitude they both had, and I told them that I would be praying for her. They appreciated that very much and told me that they had a large support network.

I continued on my walk, and prayed. And I got to thinking. I looked down at my body, still relatively strong and healthy and gave great thanks, but at the same time realised that at any minute something similar could happen to me. Our bodies are dust, on their voyage to the tomb. It is inevitable. But getting cancer is like having a transmission in an old car, on a long trip, ready to fail. When it does, drastic measures need to be taken and it is costly.
And, the journey may not continue because of it. To get to the end of the trip burning a bit of oil, having a few cracks in the windshield, and having bald tires is one thing. A broken transmission is quit another thing. It is unexpected and usually means the demise of an older vehicle.

 

Cancer is horrendous! It is a bit of a lottery and forces one to make potentially lethal decisions. I hate cancer. I hate what it does to people, even when it does not kill them. I hate the industry that has sprung up around it with all its dishonesty, fear mongering, and misinformation. I hate how the cure is often so much worse than the disease. I hate all the unknowns surrounding it. It is straight from the devil himself and as such, will one day be damned to hell, where it belongs. 

And I pray for Sue.