There’s a defining time in the cancer journey,
a moment called brokenness,
when you feel small and incapable,
when the outcome looks dismal,
and when all seems lost.
It’s different for everyone and comes only to those
brave enough to search their souls.
You might feel as though you’re losing yourself.
But you are only changing,
and that’s to be expected.
You might wonder who you’re going to become.
But you are surely growing,
and that’s to be protected.
Is cancer going to define you forever?
The answer is no.
Cancer does not define you, now or ever.
Still, something in you grieves,
needing to process what has happened
and the blessings you never appreciated enough,
like your health and everyday routines.
The questions at the point of brokenness are many.
But at the raw base of frustration,
doubt gallantly asks the unspeakable, such as:
What’s going to happen to me?
What do I believe about life?
Why am I on this journey?
Good questions. Honest. Worthy of thought.
In time, you will discover truths beyond your previous grasp.
And now you wonder, will anything good come out of this?
Yes, emphatically yes!
Because brokenness opens the door to breakthrough
and makes room for a stronger you,
a warrior who faced the worst and responded with your best,
who got up this morning and decided to move forward,
and who has chosen to blast the lies of cancer and prove them wrong.
Don’t be afraid to break.
Don’t be afraid to be human.
And don’t be afraid to let go of who you’ve been
to welcome who you can be—
a person with steel-tempered resolve and depth
who can give true compassion
because your own tears have humbled you.
Copyright © 2018 Marianne McDonough
Photo by FatCamera | iStock