Vicki

Some of the hardest parts of last week were due to Vicki.

I have had a number of times in life had an instantaneous friend.  It happened in Elementary School with a beautiful girl named Cindy.  Simply Cindy, kept me from coming loose at the seams when I was a girl and God gifted her to me again as an Adult.  He knew, exactly what I would need--and who could fulfill that role.

In New York in 2003--I met a Sister, a co-black woman who was my soul sister from the moment I met her.  I was a little shocked at the instant connection, but I loved Greer from the moment I met her.

And I met a woman named Vicki....my first night of dragon boating in Kelowna.  I think we were drawn to each other because of our nervousness.  We were paired on the boat because we were the same size.

By the time we got in the boat we were giggling and having a great time.  She was my instant sister.

She and I rowed together a number of times but she found that the exertion was too much--the battle to carve out time difficult and she stopped dragon boating.

We kept in contact through email for a while, but slowly lost contact.  She moved to the coast.  She told me the move was due to cancer treatment and that she and her husband thought it would be easier for his career and to take care of her.

I was sad and life took over.  Kent leaving NAT/Cobham, starting a business, raising teens, working with teens at EC, working full time.  It left very little precious time for anything else.  I did continue dragon boating, the one thing I did for myself in that time.

My mind would wander back to Vicki, I got to see Greer in 2008 and 2012.  I have had opportunity to see Cindy over the years in fact she was the first person I contacted after family about my cancer.  She said she would hop a flight to come care for me and my family.

When I have thought about these women, I have prayed.  Especially for Vicki, I knew she had a struggle ahead of her.

Her blog: http://myjourneyincancer.blogspot.ca/ is open for reading.  She is a true hero--she has fought a good fight.

It's taken me a good week to wrap my head around her post that the Drs have now given her 6 months.  The vivacious, mischievous, smiley, loving woman I met on a dragon boat....I just can't seem to come to grips with her fight being over.  She has been a source of inspiration to me:

"It is VERY VERY difficult to come to this conclusion and half the time I do not handle this well.  I cry like a baby more times that I can count.  Why has this happened to me, why is this happening to my family.  It is just not fair.  Everyday I put my faith in God knowing that he has a plan.  I trust in that.  I do not understand it and often I question it with tears and anger.  This is necessary I believe, to empty my heart of the fear, the anger and the questions to let God in.  To feel his presence of love and to have the faith that I do not have to understand.....and often I will not.......but to believe that there is a plan greater than me gives me comfort to carry on another day.........."

I know this full well, that God has a plan and a purpose to every circumstance He deems that we will be able to handle.

Vicki, dear one:  You have raised amazing daughters, been a loving and caring wife.  A gracious friend.  What I could say if I could, thank you for your friendship--without reservation you loved me from the moment we were put together on row #6.  Thank you for introducing me to Val that night, thank you for the giggles on the boat.  You were my inspiration in my own battle with Cancer, I felt if you could do it--I could too...Including the blogging.  Thank you Sister from the bottom of my heart, you are simply the best.
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