Living with all your Joy

The call caught me off guard. I guess calls like it usually do.

A son of a friend of mine wanted me to know about his dad’s health condition. So I quickly called my friend’s wife. My friend, a man respected in this community, had served on a church board with me. He reminded me of my father. I look up to him. We both had been diagnosed with early melanomas. Melanoma is cancer of the melanocyte. You want to catch it early. Otherwise, it’s deadly.

Two months ago, his leg went numb. A scan showed three brain lesions. Melanoma that has spread is nearly impossible to beat.

I spoke with him yesterday. He’s had two months of radiation and is on a new drug from Europe called Yervoy. His voice was full of hope. I hung up the phone feeling the burn of fear. Fear for him. Fear for me. There but for the grace of God go I. Melanoma is a monster that can come back at anytime.

But as I look at the brilliant blue sky this morning, my fear has been replaced by something else. I feel a fresh urgency to live.

Just read the news. The world is a dark place. But we’re above the grass. Fight the darkness with joy. Live with all your heart.

Melanoma may kill me someday. Or I could get hit by a falling meteor. But in the meantime, I’m going to defy fear by living with joy.

We are blessed with the gift of another day. Make something of it.