ancer.  The very word can make us shudder!  Most of us know someone who has cancer.   Some of us know the devastation of hearing the news that we have it in our bodies.  How helpless we feel.   What a rude awakening, that we're not in complete control.  I was diagnosed with a Uveal Melanoma [cancer within the eye] in the winter of 1996.  My mom died of cancer.  I've never seen the disease as much of a friend.

How helpful it is when others are there to support us.  How awesome it is when those who have the same kind of cancer come to us to share their experiences.  We are not alone!  Just as cancer is a threat, it can be a blessing as well.  It can help us see what is really important in life.   Our vulnerability can help us appreciate how much we need family members and friends ... and most of all, how much we need God.

On the left you'll see a photo of me with Calvin.  We were diagnosed with cancer about the same time, and we're both cancer survivors!

And so we continue!  We learn how important it is to enjoy each moment of each day.  No matter how hard we try, we find that we're feeling every possible symptom of the progression of the disease ... right before the time of our 3 month blood tests.  And what a miracle it is when they go away immediately afterward.  I share some thoughts that were recently shared with me.   They were passed on to our <US>Usual Suspects mail group and have engendered many comments.  Take a look ...

Cancer is limited ...

It cannot cripple love,
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot eat away peace,
It cannot destroy confidence,
It cannot shut out memories
It cannot silence courage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot reduce eternal life,
It cannot quench the spirit,
It cannot lessen the power
of the Resurrection.

From the funeral of R.R. Johnson,
shared by <US>Usual Suspects member Steve.