If I Had a Magic Wand
As a child I often picked up sticks and pretended they were magic wands. Thank goodness they weren’t real or my brother might still be a frog. My granddaughters have pretty magic wands with glitter inside them and a star on the end of it, but mine were just sticks. Still, when you have as powerful an imagination as I did, a stick can do magic. I loved waving them around and playing make believe.
I probably got the idea of changing my brother into a frog from a television show I watched every week. Elizabeth Montgomery starred in the t.v. series Bewitched and she could do magic just by wiggling her nose. I tried that and it didn’t work for me, so I resorted to what I could find. We had a huge tree in the front yard that was constantly shedding branches. Small branches can make big magic.
Eventually I realized that no matter how hard I tried my brother was not going to turn into a frog (and now I’m glad he didn’t).
Even though I gave up the hope of finding a magic wand there have been times in my life where I really could have used one. I’m sure you know what I mean. It would come in real handy when it comes to dealing with cancer.
1 in 2 MEN & 1 in 3 WOMEN in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
You may have heard by now that Joan Lunden was diagnosed with breast cancer in June. Her particular type did not show up on a mammogram but was detected during an ultrasound. Joan decided not to wait for her hair to fall out and instead shaved her head herself. Joan appears on the newest issue of People magazine with no hair, a big smile and a vow to beat cancer.
Joan is beautiful with our without hair but if I had that wand I keep talking about, I would loan it to her and to every other man, woman and child who fights cancer.
When it comes to cancer there is no magic.
Just hard work and research. That’s why I hope you will take a few minutes of your day and visit SU2C and learn how you can help. They are making a difference and if each of us pitched in a couple of dollars, they could do it faster.
We can also give of our time.
When someone we know is diagnosed with cancer there are so many things we can do to help but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. I found some great suggestions here that may help you know how to cope with a loved one’s cancer.
Here are a few more suggestions you might want to consider.
1. Send a card. Wait a day or so and send another. Then another. Too often we send cards only once and while that’s nice, for someone who is fighting cancer for weeks, months or years, one card just isn’t enough.
2. Offer to go get their groceries. Shopping takes energy and on tough days they probably won’t feel like going to a store.
3. Tell them you will pray for them and then do it every single day. James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
4. Show their family love. One of the best ways you can show someone you love them is by loving their family. Find ways to minister to their spouse, children or grandchildren.
5. Listen. Too often we want to talk instead of listen. Really listen. Listen with your whole body, not just your ears. Focus on every word and don’t reply with something about yourself. This isn’t about you.
6. Love. There are as many ways to show love as there are people in the world. No small gesture is too small. Sometimes just holding someone’s hand is even more powerful than a magic wand.
