October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Actual Dance is, among many different things, about breast cancer. It is also about love. It is also about relationships. It is also about spirituality and what life really is. It is about a lot of things.
In October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness I will post a daily blog with a reflection about breast cancer. The reflections will stem from something in the play. (All quoted lines are text from the play.)
Day 11: Waiting. After Susan is rolled into surgery I retreat to the surgical waiting area of the hospital. “I am surprised. The waiting room is filled with family and friends.” Is the line in the show. Indeed, there were more people than I expected. I remember wondering “Why are they here? For me? For Susan? For themselves?” The answer was not obvious to me, in part because I had not expect so many people to be there. I had been down in the pre-op bay early, and most of our friends arrived in the waiting area much later. I wasn’t sure they needed to be there. I remember wondering if they thought something might go wrong in the surgery. Cutting off the breasts I knew was just the beginning. What was going to be hard was getting rid of the cancer. In retrospect I think a good part of it was that people who knew us and loved us needed a way to show it and so they came to sit with me in the hospital as much for themselves. That is, coming to the surgery gave them something to do for us by being present. At the time I was confused. “I don’t know what to do with them. We just sat in silence, not even small talk.” As I think back to that moment I realize that everything was just as it was supposed to be. Presence, not words, conveyed what needed to be conveyed. Being there says it all.
Stat of the Day: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Centers: 69 designated Cancer centers in 35 states, including the District of Columbia. 59 of the centers provide care to patients. Seven Cancer Centers conduct only laboratory research.
Task of the Day: Visit or call someone you know who is sick. We all know people who are ill. Not everyone is aware or connected with a friend who is facing a life threatening disease. It doesn’t matter. Being sick can be lonely and it can be scary. Knowing someone cares is important. In the Jewish religion visiting the sick is one of the most important moral or religious obligations of the faith. It is equally important to the family and friends of the person who is sick. It is the Mitzvah of Bikkur Holim. What does your faith tradition call the duty of visiting and comforting the sick?
Resource of the Day: Check out Mayo Clinic’s advice on helping a loved one with a terminal illness.
In October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness I will post a daily blog with a reflection about breast cancer. The reflections will stem from something in the play. (All quoted lines are text from the play.)
Day 11: Waiting. After Susan is rolled into surgery I retreat to the surgical waiting area of the hospital. “I am surprised. The waiting room is filled with family and friends.” Is the line in the show. Indeed, there were more people than I expected. I remember wondering “Why are they here? For me? For Susan? For themselves?” The answer was not obvious to me, in part because I had not expect so many people to be there. I had been down in the pre-op bay early, and most of our friends arrived in the waiting area much later. I wasn’t sure they needed to be there. I remember wondering if they thought something might go wrong in the surgery. Cutting off the breasts I knew was just the beginning. What was going to be hard was getting rid of the cancer. In retrospect I think a good part of it was that people who knew us and loved us needed a way to show it and so they came to sit with me in the hospital as much for themselves. That is, coming to the surgery gave them something to do for us by being present. At the time I was confused. “I don’t know what to do with them. We just sat in silence, not even small talk.” As I think back to that moment I realize that everything was just as it was supposed to be. Presence, not words, conveyed what needed to be conveyed. Being there says it all.
Stat of the Day: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Centers: 69 designated Cancer centers in 35 states, including the District of Columbia. 59 of the centers provide care to patients. Seven Cancer Centers conduct only laboratory research.
Task of the Day: Visit or call someone you know who is sick. We all know people who are ill. Not everyone is aware or connected with a friend who is facing a life threatening disease. It doesn’t matter. Being sick can be lonely and it can be scary. Knowing someone cares is important. In the Jewish religion visiting the sick is one of the most important moral or religious obligations of the faith. It is equally important to the family and friends of the person who is sick. It is the Mitzvah of Bikkur Holim. What does your faith tradition call the duty of visiting and comforting the sick?
Resource of the Day: Check out Mayo Clinic’s advice on helping a loved one with a terminal illness.
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