Spirituality
A Gift For My Family by Nancy Lee Editor's Note: The following letter was written by Nancy Lee of Charlottetown for her family, after her diagnosis of terminal cancer. She has allowed us to share this with you in the hopes that it will help you celebrate your gifts. Thank you Nancy for your love and courage as you face this challenge. In March of this year I received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Although this fate is not one anyone would wish for, it has given me a great gift. For years I had heard about how you should live in the moment or live for today but I could never quite get the feeling. I would always get stuck in fears or worries about tomorrow and even worse, sometimes, I would worry and act upon things that might happen 20 years in the future. After about 45 seconds of panic when I was told about my cancer, I began to enjoy life in a way I had never done before. It seems a shame that it took this diagnosis to receive this gift so I wanted to share it with people in hopes that they could have this wonderful present now. My two greatest weaknesses in my life were feeling responsible for the whole world, and thinking I had to be completely self-sufficient. I'm also a terrible money manager and that didn't help either. About the same time as my diagnosis, the motor seized in my car, so I had no transportation. I started out by taking every gift that was offered - like do you want a drive to the beach? How about going out for dinner? As this evolved, I became clearer on what I wanted, and learned to say yes to some things and no to others.. Eventually, this meant that everyday I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. Although this might sound selfish, I don't believe it was because I wanted to give a lot of the time as well. The difference was that my giving was always unconditional, and usually didn't cost money. I listened more carefully to others and received great joy in being accurately empathic. As I listened to people, I got to know them well, and found when you know a person well you always like them. Now I had all these lovely people around me all the time. I soon found my condition deteriorated less when I had some sort of project on the go, so anytime I started feeling sick, I devised a new project. I decided to write a book; made sure I had a ride on a water slide; went on a roller coaster; saw the eagles; fed the squirrels with my little nephews; and countless other fun things that seemed less significant before. I reviewed my life to make sure there were no amends I felt important to make. I reviewed my mistakes and learning experiences, in terms of intent rather than results, I came out okay, and that helped a lot. Today I have a little less breath than yesterday, but I'm truly a happy person. I want you to have this gift without the illness. Try it, it's lots of fun ! Love Nancy Nancy Lee has dedicated her life to service through a number of Child and Family Agencies in Atlantic Canada. She continues to celebrate her gift as she deals with the challenge she has been give. God Bless you, Nancy |