On May 18th my sister, nephew and I will be participating in the Relay for Life. That is 84 days from now so the countdown is on. What was originally intended to be a walk in honor of our dad’s five year remission mark has now turned into a show of force in his newest battle of cancer! That means we have 84 days to prepare….to get in shape physically and mentally, to raise money and bring awareness to finding a cure.
In the last few days I have learned of three more friends and family members whose lives have now been touched in some way by cancer. This does not include a long list of friends and family that were already engaged in their own fight against cancer or other serious health issues. I am sure I am more sensitive to the news now simply because I know how lives will be changed because of this diagnosis. I cannot imagine how many more people’s lives will be touched and changed in the next 84 days due to a cancer diagnosis. Some of those will be people that I know and love and others will be complete and total strangers. Regardless my heart goes out to all of them and their families! I can relate to the initial shock, sadness, fear, anger and then the eventual feeling of HOPE…at least in my case… as we decide to fight this dreaded disease.
I honestly wish I could do more for others that find themselves fighting for their health. This has been heavy on my mind and heart for the last few weeks. I believe we all want to be there for our family and friends during their times of trials. We often extend our prayers and offers of help. I want to do more! I don’t want my words to be just words. I want to put action behind them. While praying is important....I want to be able to do more than add someone to my prayer list. I want to be able to truly be there….doing something…offering encouragement…helping meet their needs in their time of need!
So in my time of quiet reflection this week, this has brought me to really examine what is the purpose of my life. Please don’t mistake this as me questioning the meaning of life. I’m certainly not ready to delve into something quiet that deep. I’ve just paused to consider…what is MY purpose? Sure, I have many roles to which I bring purpose…as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, etc…. but in the big picture of life what has been MY purpose? What have I accomplished? Have I made a difference in the lives of others? I want to! Have I helped when I could? I’ve tried to! Have I done more good than bad? I hope so! Have I reached out when I should? I’m not sure… I think I may have fallen short .
Is it possible that cancer has forced me to seek purpose for my life? I think so…..
The way you get meaning into your life
is to devote yourself to loving others,
devote yourself to your community around you,
and devote yourself to creating something
that gives you purpose and meaning
- Mitch Albom
For more information on you can donate to Relay for Life please click on the following link. http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jrkidwell
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