So, it's early on a Saturday morning. Or, at least it was early when I woke up thinking about what I fell asleep thinking about. The topic that is the subject of this morning's post. The philosophical/reflective component of this letter is decidedly absent. I have no thoughts that ease this particular situation: Cancer.
It's not that I don't understand the basics of this disease. I do. Renegade cells that have gone bad and begin to run amok. I also understand the myriad of choices depending upon the battle being fought. And as much as I've seen and hated the process, I also understand adults having to make these decisions for their own battles. What I don't understand is the attack of children, and particularly babies. Again, I get the mechanics of it. It just seems wrong that babies and children should have to deal with any disease that threatens life without understanding what is happening. It's wrong that parents have to watch their children suffer and make those heartbreaking decisions. It's wrong that siblings will feel guilty, though no guilt should be assessed, that they are healthy while the other is sick. It's just wrong. And the cold, hard, scientific facts do not increase my comprehension on the topic.
I realize that we learn all kinds of lessons in life, and that these lessons are not self-contained. We learn from everyone around us, and sometimes it seems the only purpose for an event is to learn a lesson. I just have to wonder at the wisdom of using innocent lives as vehicles for life lessons. I'm not sure it's something I want to learn, and if that's the purpose of this particular school, I might be considered a drop out...
Not a happy topic, nor a happy thought out to the universe this morning, but it's what's keeping me up nights and waking me up mornings currently...
