She
recounted this to me several weeks after I was discharged home. I knew immediately what had happened. I had seen “the other side” and was deciding
to continue my life on this side rather than give in to death.
Steve
Jobs’ sister said that as he was dying he was looking ahead at a certain spot
and exclaimed, “OH WOW! OH WOW! OH WOW!” That’s how good it is across the veil and why the process of choosing to
stay here meant wrestling in the depths of despair.
It was a
brave decision in a certain sense because what lay ahead of me was six weeks of
the most grueling, painful ordeal I have ever endured. I did not turn the corner in my recuperation
until the week of Leap Day.
My belief
is that purgatory is actually lived out in whole or in part here on Earth
before death. Suffering is an integral part
of that process of burning off the dross of our misdeeds, wrongful thoughts and
sins of omission. Thus I also regard my
depths of despair and my rugged period of initial recovery as a purgatory.
Fortunately,
I cannot recall those excruciating six weeks in much detail. I know the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA)
had a nurse at our home the day after my discharge from the hospital and at
least weekly thereafter. I also had a VNA physical therapist and a VNA occupational therapist who each came twice weekly. And John would take me to at least two doctors’ appointments every week as well.
All these
visits with healers buoyed me. The doctors
and the VNA women each gave me a compassionate ear as well as expert
information. They supported my progress as well as my sense of myself as a
worthy and worthwhile woman.
It is a
genuine spiritual mystery to me how it was that so many people reached out to me with love,
prayers, good thoughts, healing vibrations, and other gifts and cards. There is not one scintilla of doubt in my
mind that this was absolutely critical to my determined drive to live and to rise up through the pain and sorrow.
“Feeling
the import of the possibility of cancer on the way home [from the doctor’s
office], I asked for a sign. I saw the
extraordinary: an egret standing by the pond in the parkway near my home. I felt soothed and grateful. This is all going to be okay” (see, “The Long and Winding
Road
But I did not expect it to be the journey I in fact have been living, what with chemotherapy, surgery and a shockingly slow recovery. I did not expect to pay this price.
Then again I did not expect to receive such abundant grace and know this depth of maturity. I am renewed, refreshed, reborn. And optimistic.
I appreciate the synchronicity with the great Christian remembrances of sorrowful Good Friday, restful Holy Saturday, and joyful Resurrection Sunday. I intend to meld all my suffering with the Crucified Christ on Friday, rest with Him on Saturday and rise to even greater spiritual joy on Easter.
©
Jean DiMotto, 2012 Website: www.jeandimotto.com
Jean,
ReplyDeleteEven as a Jew, I can relate to the spirituality that you write about. It is a blessing to feel that there is a plan in place, be it God's plan or our plan in response to our perception of God. Life is a journey and what comes after depends on how we've taken that journey. I'm sorry that your journey has been so difficult, of late, but I hope it is a sign of better things than you could've hoped for to come.
And thanks for your eloquent writing, Jean.
Dean, thank you. You write eloquently and thoughtfully yourself. I am glad to hear that the transcendent message comes through regardless of our faith traditions. That is as it should be. I appreciate your meaningful comments, prayers and good intentions. --Jean
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