THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Line Upon Line, Precept upon Precept

GUEST POST

I have been thinking lately about the fact that much of life is a process. As we go through our experiences here, most situations take a great deal of time to master. For instance, when I started my job at the bank over 15 years ago, I have never worked on a computer; I barely knew how to email my friends! During those first few months I felt absolutely lost. I decided to listen and learn all I could from those around me. I worked hard, made lists to memorize commands on the computer, and gave it my best effort. Now, fifteen years later, I am quite competent and I love my job. There are still occasional situations I have problems with, but they are the exception not the rule, and there are always people to help me when I need them.

Another example is my father who is making the adjustment, after 61 years of marriage, of living without my mother who died just over a month ago. I talked to him after a particularly rough day and tried to explain to him that after being married for 61 years, he couldn’t hope to adjust to this new phase of his life in one month. I told him although he is progressing well, that this is a process with ups and downs along the way. It reminded me of a scripture that reads,“ Be not weary in well doing for ye are laying the foundation of a great work and out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” I have never thought of that passage in this light, but it certainly applies.

I remember my cancer diagnosis. It came out of nowhere and left me absolutely stunned. Learning to deal with it and to handle the emotions it presented was once again a process. There was surgery to be followed by radiation treatments; there were financial concerns and family worries like how to tell everyone; how would things work with my job? And the list goes on. Lifting Hearts, now 100 members strong, has assisted and continues to assist those of us who are progressing through our own Cancer journeys. They help us deal with this disease on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Little by little we become stronger as we move along. I want to close with the words to a song I heard in a musical play over 25 years ago (words by Lex De Azivado) because it expresses how I feel about the various progressions in our lives.

Line upon line
Precept on precept
That is how he lifts us
That is how he teaches his children

Line upon line
Precept on precept
Like a summer shower
Giving us each hour his wisdom

If we are patient we shall see
How the pieces fit together in harmony
We’ll know who we are in this big universe
And we will live with him forever.

How wonderful it is to know that one so much wiser than we are is guiding us through the progressions in our lives and sending us the help we need. I know this to be true.

Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts