STRAIGHT VS ORGANIC PATHS OF LIFE

 

LABYRINTH AND STRAIGHT PATHS

“Treatment is not a straight line.” —Dr Dorsey 

“Life is not linear, it’s organic.  We create our lives symbiotically as we explore our talents in relation to the circumstances they helped to create for us.” –Ted Talk, Sir Ken Robinson

As I was finishing the second three-week treatment schedule towards cancer remission, the access port for the chemo which was imbedded in my right chest became infected.  My care team determined that it needed to be removed and treated immediately before the infection spread to my blood stream.  An arm PICC was also installed in my left arm muscle to facilitate the remaining four treatments in the four-month fight.

Afterwards, the lead oncologist in my care team noted that “the path to treatment is not a straight line.”  My reply was that “Actually, in the greater scheme of things, life isn’t a straight line either.  We always encounter detours and dead ends!”  Now that the treatments successfully eliminated the cancer cells, I’ve had more time to reflect and realize that much has been written and studied about the options of taking a straight versus organic path in life.

I’ve learned that a “straight" life path is a structured, linear, and goal-oriented trajectory, while an "organic" life path embraces nonlinearity, curiosity, and adaptability. It allows for pivots, detours, and personal evolution based on what feels authentic rather than a predetermined plan.  This approach treats life less like a ladder to climb and more like a garden to tend. It embraces detours, failures, and reinvention.

“Most people find themselves living a blend of both—starting with structured foundations and naturally branching into more organic, intuitive directions as they grow older.”  There’s a lot to be said for walking a traditional labyrinth.  Through viewing life as a labyrinth, we integrate the cyclical nature of turning outwards and turning inwards as we move closer to the Heart which is the hub of the authentic life.  

 

NEW DAY, NEW BEGINNING

 

NEW DAY, KIAWAH

Pastor Wendy called me for a “wellness check” when I was halfway through the six, three-week treatments that began just before Christmas last year.  I just finished the sixth treatment last week and my care team is optimistic.  She asked me if there was anything I had been able to draw from my faith?

There were three salient drivers that sustained me throughout my treatment to eliminate Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer for the last four months that I’d like to share; 1) an attitude for prayer, 2) living one day at a time and 3) the firm belief of never being alone on the journey.

First, in the Lord's Prayer, the phrase "thy will be done" is a petition for God's purposes to be fully realized on earth just as they are in heaven. 

It is an act of humility where the person praying submits their own desires to God's plan, acknowledging that His wisdom is superior. This is often modeled after Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane.  “He said, Father if it’s your will, take this cup of suffering away from me.  However, not my will but your will must be done.”    –Luke 22:40-42

When looking for comfort, this phrase allows for trusting God with outcomes, rather than desperately trying to control them.

We understand that God is timeless.  He’s aware of the past, present and future.

Knowing the past and understanding the future may influence His will for us.

Secondly, from scripture:

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.

For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”     —JOSHUA 1:9

My oncologist was being honest when he said, “The longest path in treatment is rarely a straight line.”  And of course, that applies to life in general.  God walks with us on those paths and sometimes even carries us on those treacherous detours!

 

At Bethlehem, He was “God WITH us.”  At calvary, He was “God FOR us.” 

And, At Pentecost, He became “God IN us.”  Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Jesus gives us the Great Commission at the very end of Matthew’s gospel, so others in our community can benefit; “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

And third, I had to repeatedly remind myself many times a day to;

“Live one day at a time” and “Don’t get ahead of your skis!”     

My sister overcame breast cancer and counseled me to get the facts which are always more sensible than our human imaginations. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus teaches us to live in the present and avoid anxiety about the future.  He urges us to focus on the current day's responsibilities and trust, rather than being overwhelmed by what may happen later.

Ultimately, this teaching is a call to choose peace over worry and to live in the assurance that God is already in the future providing for His kingdom.

Worry is a conversation you have with yourself about the things you cannot change. 

Prayer is a conversation you have with God about the things He can change.

Finally, I came across these short thoughts from Ullie-Kaye:

“Nothing teaches you gratitude, like having walked through something hard—

Knowing that at any given time, your whole world

could come crashing down and change again.

I am thankful for a past that couldn’t destroy me.

A present that still looks for miracles and a future that is secure,

Not because I’m holding it all together. but because God is!”

GOD MOMENTS

 

To begin, we must be open to recognizing “a God moment”, kairos, or we will never realize it happened.  Some are noted immediately and others later upon reflecting back on a situation, where one sensed that God’s ever presence and intervention revealed his influence in our daily lives that defies mere coincidence.

·         My immediate family transferred from North Carolina to Chicago on an opportunity and resided there for over fifteen years.  About two years ago they received another opportunity to transfer back within about an hour’s drive away.  I recently received a treatable cancer diagnosis and now treasure their close assistance.

·         I recently began cancer chemo treatments after having a port implanted in my chest to facilitate the infusions.  On the post infusion day of a scheduled shot to facilitate the chemo, the port started to bleed due to an unexpected infection.  Fortunately, my oncology team was immediately available to evaluate and prescribed antibiotics to mediate the problem.

·         While consulting in Mexico, I was staying in McAllen, Texas and had parked my rental car in the corner of a crowded lot at Barnes and Noble at twilight.  As I returned after nightfall and entered the car, something prompted me to glance back and see a hand hit my door handle.  I instinctively hit the door lock and I’m convinced that stopped what could have been a life-threatening situation.

·         Going back further in time, I still vividly remember my last duck hunt on a vast reservoir in central Kansas where a winter clipper storm caught us by surprise in a floating blind on the north shore.  We immediately gathered our decoys and started zig zagging to the boat ramp against a strong wind and freezing rain until our motor hit bottom and broke the propeller shear pin!  As we were being forced out into the white waters, our motor operator suddenly noticed a spare shear pin he had taped to the bottom of the motor months ago, which was installed by frozen fingers just in time to save us from being overturned in the deep icy waters.

AND THEN AUTUMN ARRIVED

AUTUMN LEAVES

And then autumn arrived.

The season of letting go.

Not every leaf that falls is a tragedy. 

Some things have to fall away for us to finally see the sky.

And that revelation gives us hope for a new beginning.

 

MY BIG BANK SENIOR ADVENTURE

DEBIT CARD READER

I recently received a paper refund check in the mail which I haven’t encountered in a coon’s age.  So, since I was ready for a break anyway, I decided to drive a short way to my local branch bank that I haven’t visited in a coon’s age.  As I entered the bank, I was surprised to see I was the only one needing a bank teller who just happened to be a very stoic young lady.  

I placed my paper check and Debit card under her bullet proof glass as usual and she immediately returned my card with the instruction to insert it in the card reader that was now outside for customer self-serve.  I did that and before the next message appeared, she instructed me to enter my password.  I did that and the device started imploring me to Remove Card, Remove Card!  So, I turned to my bank Yoda and pleasantly asked her if that was my last instruction and should I remove my card?  

I finally broke through, she burst out with a big smile and we consummated the transaction!

 

AMERICAN MASS SHOOTINGS

 

POLICE LINE TAPE, TIBETAN PRAYER FLAGS

“When you pray, move your feet.”  — African proverb

I served on our church Trustees group in 2012 when the horrendous mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School took the lives of 20 children and 6 adult staff members.  Many people across the country were offering their thoughts and prayers.  That tragic event of 13 years ago prompted us to initiate a variety of security measures that are needed today more than ever. 

I’ve noticed that more folks are recently challenging remarks by others during troubled times when they remark “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”  They cry for that plus action!  That phrase has almost become cliché in our culture and folks are noticing.  The recent rampage of Hurricane Helene and the resultant response demonstrated that prayers and action go well together! 

The mayor of Minneapolis, where a gunman opened fire at a Catholic church and school 13 years later, killing at least two children and injuring 17 others during morning Mass, mostly children, said "thoughts and prayers" were not a sufficient response to the mass shooting.  He noted the kids were literally praying at the time.  He’s right, more action is needed in the area of security, military style weapons and mental health.  Most all but one of similar mass shootings lately have involved young men.

The Tibetan prayer flag above states that “Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.”  Offering “thoughts and prayers” is surely a wonderful thought, but when those words are all that is offered without some positive action to attempt to right the wrong, those words become cliché and merely platitudes.  Hopefully, the prayers will inspire us to action!  

Karl Barth was right when he observed: “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”  This troubled world, including the Holy Land and our schools, is definitely worthy of our prayers and our actions!  The floods that have ravaged our state recently remind us of our strength.

“We may bend but we never break.”  When the night is dark, be the star that ushers us home.

 

 

PAYNE AND LARRY, Pinehurst, NC

I watched Paul Azinger receive the Payne Stewart Award last night and was very touched by his acceptance speech ( https://youtu.be/l5d91wo7qLM?si=Ye_w3h_33QJ_32XS ).

It's worth the watch as they were very good friends in the PGA and Payne was there when Azinger fought and beat cancer in the prime of his career.  Then it was Azinger who was supportive when the charter jet with Payne and five others (including two of Azinger's managers) infamously lost pressure and flew on auto pilot until it crashed, as the entire country was horrified in 1999. 

I relate to both of these players as I had the honor to present the winner's check at Tom Watson's charity tournament in KC to Azinger and Couples.  Trevino paired with Tom.  Payne was a Missouri boy followed by the local news and his memory lives on at Pinehurst.

Congratulations Zinger and RIP Payne