Belated Thanksgiving Thoughts

Shortly after my diagnosis, I heard the song Blessings for the first time.  Its message seemed tailor-made for my life.  Since its accompaniment is only the piano, I ordered the sheet music and learned to play it.  Then my sister asked if we could sing it together at her church.  It's been a long time since we've sung together and some people had asked when we were going to do that again.  So we arranged to sing it the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Karin asked me to share a little of my story before we sang the song, especially since many of her church members have been praying for me.  I thought you all, who have been walking this road with me for the past many months, would like to hear what I shared:

"With Thanksgiving this week, we've probably been thinking a little more about our blessings.  Karin and I are going to sing a song about blessings.  But it's not the kind of blessing we like to think about.  It's not about the blessing of happiness, comfort, health, or financial prosperity.
I think all of you know that in May I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Since that time, I've had three surgeries, missed more than a month of work, found out I have a genetic mutation that causes cancer, had to make medical decisions that make it unlikely that I will be able to have children, and have had six of eight chemo treatments that have left me sick, weak, and bald.
And yet I know this is a blessing from God.  He has allowed me to know the fellowship of sharing in His suffering (Phil. 3:10).  James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  From our perspective, things like cancer seem ugly, wrong, a mistake.  But it's like we're looking at the wrong side of a tapestry or sewing project.  All we see are knots and hanging strings and picture that doesn't look quite right.  But when God finished His work, the work that's done through trials and suffering, we'll get to see the beautiful front of the tapestry - the completed work.  And we'll see that all our pain was really a blessing."

(Click the link on the song's name above to hear it and see the lyrics.  And note that the singer on the video is Laura Story, and not me and Karin - haha.)