Photograph by Service1stGraphics
Stephen Colbert’s quote, “You’ve got to learn to love the bomb,” has been making the rounds. The bomb he learned to love was the loss of his father and two of his brothers in a plane crash. Did he want this to happen? No. Did his future happiness depend upon his learning to love this bomb? Yes.
When my Laila was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April of 2013 and was given an estimate of six weeks to live, it never occurred to me to hate or even fear the cancer. I’ve seen a loved one die an agonizing death from terminal cancer. I’m not in denial about what cancer can do. But Laila had cancer, and I loved Laila. I sensed hating or fearing the cancer was the wrong approach.
I remember a time when I was feeling fragile many years ago, a time when I was hated for my religion. It was a time when I was in need of support, not hatred. I remember how it felt to be hated. I felt less than. I felt unfairly judged. I felt devoid of light. I believe the feeling of being hated while I was feeling fragile was a key reason my health was destroyed at that time.
In the spring of 2013, I saw Laila as feeling fragile. She’d been through a lot while supporting me during the early stages of my recovering from a disabling stroke I’d experienced the previous year. If I loved Laila and the cancer was part of her, then my highest service to her was to love, not hate or fear, the cancer. Love heals. Hate destroys. Fear destroys. How could I possibly love only the part of her that didn’t have cancer?
I didn’t think about the cancer all that much. Instead, I thought about how I could help her feel as loved and supported as possible. I put together a plan to mobilize an international community to give her love and send up prayers or hold the vision of restoring her perfect health. I put my personal focus upon our having fun and sharing love each day. I didn’t know if it was going to work. I wasn’t concerned about it working. My motivation was enjoying whatever time remained for us to be together as much as possible. As unlikely as it sounds, It was one of the best times of my life.
Without her having had surgery, radiation, or chemo during the interim, the vet was unable to find the tumor a month after her diagnosis. Laila passed away on 2 June 2015 at age 16, two years after the vet was unable to find the tumor. The cancer never returned.
You can read more about our journey at www.transformingthroughlove.com. I coach people like you how to focus on finding the gifts in what others might call tragedy. I don’t guarantee you’ll have the same miracle we had. My job is to offer ways for you to love your own bomb.
If shifting your perspective from hating to celebrating sounds good to you, then come on over!
What might happen in your own life if you choose to love your bomb?
If you’re ready to transform your story from one of pain into one of healing, let’s see if we’re a professional match for each other. I invite you to fill out the contact form. And thanks for reading.
Copyright 2015 by Sheryl Hirsch-Kramer. All rights for any further use reserved. For permission to repost or reuse the above only in its entirety, fill out this form: http://www.transformingthroughlove.com/contact/ The information presented at www.TransformingThroughLove.com and during coaching sessions is of a general nature and is not intended to be use as legal, medical or professional advice. None of the information on this website is intended as a substitute for the counsel of a qualified doctor/physician, nurse, pharmacist, or other trusted health professional. Always contact your own health care provider to assist you with your medical or health issues. The information presented here is only meant to support you while you are being cared for by your own health care provider during your life’s journey. It is not intended to be used as stand alone legal, medical or professional advice. We cannot and will not take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information presented on this web site as legal, medical, or professional advice.Always consult your physician or trusted health professional to design a treatment plan for your own or for someone else’s wellness. All the information on this website is intended solely as loving support intended to accompany traditional medical care, not as stand-alone advice. We appreciate your donations; please send a message via the contact form for donation instructions.If you like what you’re reading here, please forward this website to a friend: http://www.transformingthroughlove.com.
