What is the Blessing and What is the Hope? Coco's Journey; Chapter 28

By Larry Puls  @larrypulsauthor

Ovarian Cancer; Hope; Blessing

Stepping out of her car, Coco felt the cold wind cascading down the meadow and chilling her face. A somewhat serene backdrop, but lifeless. Spring had yet to break through the gray landscape. There in the distance, was the small country church where her friend had been raised--and where she would take her final resting place in the centuries-old cemetery. Row upon row of faded stones, gray and black, inscribed with birthdates, death dates, and various words that hinted at stories of once vibrant lives.

A smattering of people dressed in dark clothing had gathered to celebrate her friend Marcia. Their hushed voices were barely audible. The incessant wispy breeze whistled through the stagnant bare branches. Would spring ever come?

Cold. So cold.

Marcia’s husband Jack stood near the gravesite in front of the growing crowd with the pastor by his side. Raising his hand, silence took over. 

“Thank you all for coming out today. This means more to me that you can imagine. As I begin, I want you to know that Marcia would have been touched by seeing you all coming out today. She asked me,” before stopping and faintly smiling, “no told me, to be her voice of thank you--to you, her family and friends. She wanted me to speak of her gratitude for your acts of kindness during these final days of her life. That meant so much to her. 

“Marcia’s loss to this cancer has been difficult for so many of us. It has been particularly devastating to me. And you may have to bear with me today if I struggle to get all the words out…" Then he stopped, looked out around at the audience, took in a deep breath and then continued. "My wife had a very emphatic point she begged me to convey to you, and that was that her hope in this cancer journey was not tied to a cure. Don’t misunderstand, she wanted that cure. And she fought and tried for that cure. But she knew some two years ago that victory would not be hers. She had lived for some time with that knowledge. It was not what God had in store for her. And she was not bitter about that. During this trial, she appreciated her doctors and all they did for her… But as well, they were not her hope. Nor was I for that matter. And her hope was not you. Her hope was elsewhere… But before I tell you about her hope, I will say that we,” waving his hand over the audience. “may not have been her hope, but we were her blessings. You were her blessings. She loved how much of yourselves you selflessly gave to her. 

“Her thanks were reflected in the things she said to me in those private moments, and in the smiles she exhibited when she was weak. There was very real appreciation for each one of you that reached out to her in her time of suffering. It was a gift to her that you bore her burden with her. So many of you laughed with her, and walked with her, and cried with her. Those were the beautiful experiences to Marcia. And she wanted me,” now pausing and wiping his eyes, “to tell you that you were indeed like gifts of life.

“And before I turn it over to our pastor, I want to tell you her hope. Her hope was in her Savior…” He drew in a deep breath. “And as you look around this meadow where we stand, where she was raised, you see all of these stones marking these lives, remember that each one of them had a story—special and unique. And now Marcia joins their ranks. And though many stories are forgotten by people, they are not forgotten by God. And not by her Christ. He was her hope.  

“I appreciate you remembering this special and dear woman, and walking with her in her arduous trial… Thank you for blessing her with your friendship.”

When the service ended, Coco gave Jack a hug and fought the intense sadness. Her heart could barely contain the thin emotion as the tears swelled. Pausing, she pivoted, and began the trek back to her car.  As she reflected on the word hope, she passed a single solitary daffodil piercing the gray and lifeless soil. The beginning of new life—away from pain and suffering. She saw the hope for her friend.   


What is the Blessing and What is the Hope? Larry Puls; (Click to Tweet)

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