Scarred for Life

I enter week #2 feeling fantastic - not a single side effect yet, no fatigue and most importantly, no worries (cancer-related, anyway). One of the daily devotionals I'm reading ended with this quote in today's entry "I have a plan for you, and it is a good one". God is good, so why worry?

In 2nd grade, I collided with a car on my bicycle and was sent over the bars with a broken arm and clean laceration through my right cheek. The 23 stitches inside and 24 outside left a souvenir on my face that I've carried around for over 40 years. Early on, I was constantly reminded of it and self-conscious, but that faded over the years and I don't even notice it in the mirror now. But that scar remains as a reminder of my past.

Recently, I was "branded" with more permanent markings by my radiation oncology team. They offer free "tats" to all customers - small black dots on your chest and sides - to align your body for precise delivery of radiation. These signs will serve as reminders of my radiation treatment for the rest of my life, but as with the scar on my cheek, their prominence will fade with time. And rather than being self-conscious about them, I will wear them proudly, having successfully completed my radiation treatment (a little blue ribbon or small trophy would have sufficed!).

We all have permanent scars, both physical and emotional, that we carry through life. We can reflect on them each time we look in the mirror, or we can choose to place them in the background and reduce their importance of who we are. Life is precious, live it that way!