Look on the bright side
On the way to work this morning I seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders as I sat slumped in my seat next to my spouse who’s been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and has one massive tumour, in particular, that hasn’t responded to radiation and stubbornly refuses to stop growing.
I mentally shrugged the cloak of depression off as I took in my surroundings and realised we’d been blessed once again with a clear blue sky and a beautiful sunshiny day. The lyrics from the song I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash came to mind and I realised that we don’t always have to link sunny days with leisure activities or being somewhere having fun.
Yes, we derive immense pleasure from being out on sparkling blue waters in a speedboat with the stinging spray of water on our faces, or sitting under the canopy of a caravan looking out over a stretch of shimmering beach sand at the ships on the horizon, or enjoying a braai with the family at home while the youngsters splash in the pool.
But we should also appreciate the simplicity of waking up to another glorious God-given day filled with sunshine and hope and make the most of the time we have left with our loved ones. HOPEFUL, EMAIL
SLast year was a dramatic and challenging year. It started in April when I was diagnosed with leukaemia and my mother-in-law died. A few months later our beloved doggie Lady died.
In July my husband was hospitalised with lung problems and in September he needed an operation to remove an aneurysm in his leg. In October the horrific storm in KwaZulu-Natal caused major damage to our property.
Also, our geyser packed up and our washing machine decided to “retire”. In December I landed up in hospital with gastric flu.
Through all this we received much loving support and prayers from our family and friends, which gave us strength to keep going.
On the positive side, my sister visited me in hospital and brought me a copy of YOU, which gave me much pleasure. Also, in December my husband and I celebrated 50 years of marriage. So a year of mixed blessings, but I pray that 2018 will be much kinder to us. MARIAN LORTAN, YELLOWWOOD PARK