In God's Hands. Maureen Cummings

      

      In God’s Hands

      In God’s Hands

      Living Through Illness with Faith

      Maureen A. Cummings

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      Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

      English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

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      Copyright © 2018 by Maureen A. Cummings. Published 2018.

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      ISBN: 978-1-68192-185-3 (Inventory No. T1894)

      eISBN: 978-1-68192-189-1

      LCCN: 2018935817

      Cover and interior design: Amanda Falk

      Cover art: Shutterstock

      Interior art: Photo of Maureen A. Cummings courtesy of the author.

      PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

       About the Author

      Maureen Cummings is a cradle Catholic, wife and mother of six, and a Secular Franciscan. A homeschooling parent for over 25 years, she now writes from Janesville, Wisconsin. In God’s Hands is Maureen’s first book.

      To all those who sufferand to those who helpthem in their time of need.

      “My destiny is in your hands;rescue me from my enemies,from the hands of my pursuers.” — PSALM 31:16

      Upon receiving news of a serious medical diagnosis, you may feel alone, you may feel overwhelmed, you may feel hopeless. I know I did. But I believe that with God’s help, whether you are a patient, a friend, or a family member, you will find strength and peace in God’s hands.

       Table of Contents

       Chapter One: Why Not Me?

       Chapter Two: Look for the Good

       Chapter Three: More Changes

       Chapter Four: Surrender

       Chapter Five: Submission

       Chapter Six: Normal

       Chapter Seven: Tracks of Trust

       Chapter Eight: In the Pits

       Chapter Nine: A “New Normal”

       Chapter Ten: The Journey Home

       Chapter Eleven: A Pilgrimage of Joy and Thanksgiving

       Chapter One

       Why Not Me?

      For I know well the plans I have in mind for you — oracle of the LORD — plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.

      — JEREMIAH 29:11

      February in the Midwest is invariably cold and gray. Snow can be a pretty blessing (and sometimes a curse), but it also turns gray and tarnished. It is too far from Christmas and too long until spring. I have often been glad that it has the fewest days of any month.

      In the midst of a cold and dreary February day, when I thought I had discovered a breast infection, it was just one more thing. I was still nursing my sixth child and had never had an infection, so I just figured it was my turn. After a few days, I went to the doctor, whom I knew well, and joked that at least it was not cancer. The joke was on me. I was forty-two years old, with an eight-month-old nursing baby plus five other children, when I was told that I had stage III breast cancer.

       Just Breathe

      The shock of a major medical diagnosis is one that many, if not most of us, will someday face. It affects not only the patients but also all those around them, from friends and family to neighbors and coworkers. No matter what the diagnosis — cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, or kidney failure — it always comes as a shock. Even if the warning signs are there — family history, obesity, smoking, whatever — a major illness is always as unexpected as it is unwelcome.

      First aid courses teach us to respond to shock with warmth, rest, and a patient watchfulness. Sounds great. But the medical professionals who teach us those simple steps throw most of that out the window and replace it with a crazy train of appointments, labs, tests, counselors, and therapies. This is their job, and they are good at it.

      So, you or someone you love has received a serious diagnosis? Please, literally, take a breath. Whatever thoughts are running around your brain, take them to God. It is not necessary to go to a church or anywhere else. Just ask God to help you process this news. It takes some sorting and letting go as emotions swing from shock to anger to relief at knowing that what has been wrong for months was not in your imagination. Fear is there, too, and it will pop up on a regular basis.

      Perhaps some of you reading this can handle your diagnosis, and all it will entail, hand it over to God, and be at peace with whatever happens. That would be wonderful. Truly. I was