The Thief

By Sandy (My Sister)
Cancer invades your life like a thief in broad daylight, smashing the window to the brightest future. As shattered pieces hit the floor, it looks you in the eye and proceeds to rifle through your dreams.
That sweet vacation to Italy that you are saving for gets stuffed quickly into the bag. The hopes for your future family, knocked over like chess pieces, tumble to the floor and roll out of reach. As you silently follow it with your eyes, Cancer stomps through your life deciding what else to claim. It packs up your largest things, your career, your looks, your autonomy quickly, as you stand bewildered and helpless.
Suddenly each item it passes has new meaning. “Please, don’t take the birdfeeder that catches the sun every morning or the adoration in my dog’s eyes. Good, keep moving past the magnolia that is just about to burst into its’ Spring song. I need those things. I’m not through with them.”
You close your eyes and scream for help, and help comes running. The surgeons can remove the Cancer from your home and set the glass back into place. But now that you’ve been robbed you will need to have an alarm. They will secure you and alarm you with chemicals so that, hopefully, Cancer won’t find it’s way back in. It’s for your own good Ma’am. And the hell known as chemotherapy begins...
Then, just as quickly as the doctors arrived, they move on. You are left with only a crime scene. You move slowly, picking up one thing here, one thing there, holding each for a moment trying to remember where it belongs. And then you start to laugh. Does Cancer realize what it has done? Does it know it’s left behind more than it has taken?
In the chaos, you find friends with hearts of gold untiring in their desire to help. In your own heart, new bits of empathy for strangers who before were only in your way. Apples are so flavorful! Clouds are amazing! What gets done in a day really is enough. You can read stories in peoples eyes and the breeze feels so good on your face. Of course you can eat ice cream for breakfast!
Pick up these pieces and add them together using your inner strength. Build yourself a beautiful castle to display all of your treasures, then celebrate your life. Realize you are The Queen.