The Wake-up Call of Cancer

                                                         First visit with my granddaughter                                                                                                                             after cancer diagnosis. 

       We all know people who have had cancer, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. We know people who have survived, and we know people who have died. Still, cancer is an abstract concept - until it becomes all too concrete.

       I never thought cancer would seek me out. After all, I live a healthier lifestyle than the average American. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. No one in my immediate family has had cancer other than the skin cancer we all asked for when we baked in the sun all through the fifties and sixties. 

       My only risk factor is age. And yet, just five weeks ago I was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Suddenly I experienced the same wake-up call as have millions of others. I have written about many wonderful "bridges to oneness" but now I am part of a bridge "club" I had never hoped to join.

       When the diagnosis was first received, the idea of having cancer was abstract.  I wondered how this will affect my life, and how much longer is my life going to be? Should I sign up for invasive treatments, or should I gracefully accept whatever is to come and start writing farewell notes to my loved ones?

       My first thought was that, since I have no fear of death, and I have lived a good and full life, why should I put myself through the travails of chemotherapy? Then came the wake-up call: this isn't just about me. How can I leave my husband alone? As he quotes from the Fleetwood Mac song, "I've built my life around you."  I picture him at our breakfast table, all alone, and it breaks my heart. 

      My daughter is crying on the phone, my son is at a loss for words, but wants to visit ASAP. They come the first weekend after my diagnosis. It was the first time our original family of four has been together since partners and grandchildren were added. They look at the scrapbook of my life that I put together four years ago. We share a lot of memories, love, and hugs. It is a time of healing. A time for gratefulness. 

       I had my first chemo treatment a week ago. We'll see how it goes. The diagnosis is less abstract now that I've had numerous procedures and started treatment. I recognize the wake-up call of cancer is to cherish each moment with loved ones, not knowing when it will be the last. We all live with the realization that death comes to everyone, we know not when or how. But cancer makes that knowledge more concrete. Not just that it's going to happen someday, but that it's likely to happen sooner than later. 

       The perks of cancer, and yes, there are some - are that my family is making the effort to spend as much time with me as possible. They are more affectionate, more attentive, and more generous with their love. Extended family and friends are showering me with kindness, love, and prayers. My illness is opening a floodgate of love into the world. Perhaps this will be my final gift to humanity before I embark on the next adventure. 

       

Many Mansions

       When I was seventeen a pen pal sent me the book, Many Mansions: The Edgar Cayce Story on Reincarnation by Gina Cerminara. This book opened my eyes to the reality of reincarnation as part of the Divine Plan for humanity. I tried to share this revelation with others, only to be met with incredulity by everyone I knew. Christians cannot accept this concept because it's not spelled out in the Bible, and non-Christians can't accept it because there is no scientific proof. 

    I am not setting out to prove the reality of reincarnation because there are many books and articles on that topic. But in the interest of Building Bridges of Oneness, I'd like to point out how a belief in reincarnation aids this goal. 

    I think most people disbelieve reincarnation because they don't remember any of their other lives. Some do remember at least their most recent past life, and many can return to past lives under hypnosis. There is a veil of forgetfulness that each soul passes through on their way to a new physical life. If I was to remember everything my soul has experienced prior to this life as Emily, it would be very difficult to focus on my current life lessons. However, knowing that I have lived before as both male and female, as a member of multiple races, religions, and cultures, helps me to recognize my oneness with all of humanity. 

    The soul's ability to reincarnate explains many of life's mysteries. Why are people born into so many different circumstances - some into poverty, some with a silver spoon in their mouths, some with a disability, some unattractive, and some beautiful? Each of our souls has experienced a myriad of circumstances, learning different lessons from each lifetime. For example, one person might be born blind because he caused another to lose his sight in a past life. The soul has chosen to be born blind, not as a punishment, but as a way of learning what it was like for the person he had harmed. There are no punishments from God. It is we, ourselves, who decide with guidance from more advanced souls, what we want to learn in each lifetime. 

     Some people who dismiss the concept of reincarnation think that it means they won't go to heaven when they die, but this is not the case. Our souls have a lot to learn on other planes of existence - maybe heavenly or maybe somewhere else in the infinite universe. We only return to earth when we decide it's what we need to do next.

    The age-old question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is answered by the realization that the "bad thing" is a lesson that person's soul needs to learn in this particular life. No one soul suffers more than it has chosen to. This might be easier to understand when you look at the horrible ways some people treat others. Then imagine what that person will need to learn in the next life. 

    The concept of reincarnation is difficult for many to believe. If you are a non-believer, please respect those who believe. There are many wonderful books and articles that support this concept, and I do believe that it demonstrates wonderfully the oneness of all humanity. Life after life, we relate to one another in different ways, learning how to love, challenge, and forgive one another as we grow together on the path to remembering who we truly are: divine brothers and sisters with God as our common parent.

For further reading: buddhaweekly.com/the-science-of-reincarnation/