My problem? I need to pay attention to what’s important. You may not have this difficulty in your kitchen, but each of us can have problems paying attention to what’s important when things get difficult.

One day I took my 4 year old son Garrett and his 8 year old friend Andrew to the pool. For permission to swim in the deep end, you had to swim the length of the pool. Both boys got in line to pass the test. The problem was Garrett could not swim across the pool. How did I know? Because three hours earlier, Garrett had a swim lesson in the exact same pool and he could NOT swim across it. Mostly of the lesson he clung very tightly to his kick board.

It’s easy to see the importance of building volunteer teams, but not as easy to see how to establish their foundation. Here are some tips that we have seen work amazingly well for Cancer Companion volunteer teams.

In the land of the free and the home of the brave, jury duty is a fact of life.  Everyone thinks juries are a good idea but most people don’t want to be on one.  Jury duty usually finds us hoping the “other guy” will be chosen for the jury and we just get to go home.  After all, there are plenty of people that can serve on a jury and do a great job.  Why do you have to be the one chosen? 

Even though Jesus didn’t have the benefit of a good garden hose, He was a foot washer. John 13 tells us the night before He died Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and everyone seemed to like it- except Peter. Peter couldn’t handle Jesus, the long awaited Messiah, humbling Himself by washing Peter’s feet.

One Easter when my daughter Heidi was a preschooler our family attended a St Louis Cardinal baseball game. Picture this: surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, my husband, son and myself are in jeans and cardinal t shirts but Heidi is still decked out in her Easter finery- shiny shoes, foofy dress and a bow bigger than her head. Heidi is sitting in my lap with ruffles galore and we are cheering. But this is no ordinary cheer, we’re cheering our Easter cheer.

Lord, you know each and every person with cancer. We ask you to bring healing to their bodies, their mind and their spirits.

There have been times I have not taken problems to God in prayer.

In hindsight, I can see that I was avoiding God. You see, when I place my problems before the Lord in prayer, I am submitting to handling my problems His way- not mine. My way often looks like pretending to be a strong person that does not need the help of others (even when I do.)

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas Story is the appearances of angels. They show up in dreams to Joseph, come face-to-face with Mary and fill the skies for the shepherds. As a child and even today, these stories make me eager to see an angel, even if only for a moment. As we look at these three sightings of angels, we see they each had one thing in common.

Has anyone told you that with cancer, you have to find your new normal? This seems to me to be a kind way of saying, “You know that thing you used to do and now you can’t do, or if you are still doing it, you used to do faster, easier or better? Well, you many never do those things like you used to do them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a fulfilling life. So, look for your new normal.”

Has anyone told you that with cancer, you have to find your new normal? This seems to me to be a kind way of saying, “You know that thing you used to do and now you can’t do, or if you are still doing it, you used to do faster, easier or better? Well, you many never do those things like you used to do them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a fulfilling life. So, look for your new normal.”

In the struggle of cancer, it’s easy to see that prayer is a precious, unending gift from God. Cancer can drive us to seek God out for wisdom, strength and perhaps most often, peace. Nothing can produce awe like the sweetness of God’s peace touching you even through a bad cancer day.

Cancer can bring turmoil and intense emotions for both patients and caregivers. As a matter of fact, due to cancer, people can experience more intense feelings than they ever have before.

A typical attitude when a person is diagnosed with cancer is, “I’m not going to let cancer get in the way of my life.” It might sound like this… “If what I usually do is wake up and make breakfast for my kids and drive them to school, do you know what I’m doing tomorrow? I’m making breakfast for my kids and driving them to school!”

There are lots of weird things about cancer. One weird thing is that on the day of diagnosis, many people don’t feel like they have cancer. Why? Because they don’t really feel sick.

How’s your cancer walk going? Now, that’s a complicated question, and yet you might have plenty of people ready to share their opinion of your progress.

God has wired our bodies to turn our view inward when we’re sick. It’s like our body nudges us and says, “Look here! Pay attention to this!” Could be the nausea of a stomach flu or the aches of a head cold that bring thoughts like, “Ugh, I feel terrible.” “I’m not sure I can do that today.” “Maybe this is something worse. Should I call my doctor?”

You never imagined having a Christmas invaded by cancer, and yet here you are. When you were diagnosed, they told you how long the treatments would last, but maybe you didn’t realize that you’d be dealing with the mess of cancer past Thanksgiving, through Christmas and even into the New Year. I bet you are ready to just be done.

Cancer treatment comes with a plan. The plan typically includes multiple doctors, procedures, medicines and countless waiting rooms. Good cancer news typically sounds like: “Good news! Things are going as planned.” Of course, the plan is to get rid of the cancer, so it is great news to know that the plan is working. You see, if you’re excited about the plan, you’re excited when the plan is working.

Cancer journeys are often more about waiting than doing. Waiting for the next treatment, the next scan, the next test, the next doctor’s appointment and ultimately the next bit of news. When you’re busy doing things, it’s easier to think that the news will be good.