Tuesday, July 31

The Realm of Possibility

"The Realm of Possibility" is the kingdom where I dwell.
It is a place where injustice and discouragement do not exist. A place where people are honest and genuinely wish each other's best. I am a day dreamer, an eternal optimist and nothing seems to have stopped me from being so. When my mother was first diagnosed with cancer, I sat in the oncologist's study with her, my father and a doctor friend of ours. The oncologist was somehow brutal in his diagnosis of the case: two months of life expectancy if not cured, chemotherapy, nauseous states, invalidity, bone marrow transplant, more therapy, hair loss. Any sane person would have been disconcerted, to say the least. My dad grabbed my mother's hand and held it tight, mother had tears in her eyes, our friend asked loads of worrying questions. I sat in the corner, in my green coat; I smiled a reassuring smile. I smiled a reassuring smile knowing in my heart it was all going to be alright. The issue is that I smile all the time. I am no idiot, right? It is just that it feels like, in extreme situations especially, I am overwhelmed with an exceptional steadfastness and inner strength which enable me to react promptly and efficiently to the problem. When we were in Kenya last summer a friend of mine badly hurt his hand. Though a grown man, he got scared he may not be able to move his hand again… I got a little scared too. In a second reached him, pulled off the cloth that was over my shorts and rapped it around his bleeding hand. Held his hand and reassured him that ‘everything was going to be alright’. Eventually he was; so was my mother. And I wonder whether my great sense of Hope comes exactly from that sense of confidence in a divine providence whereby, even when the outcome of a given situation is not that we would have hoped for, I know there is a much bigger plan in a much wider spectrum of Grace. And on this warm summer night, I am well and truly into my anatomy textbook, carried by dreams of Hope, inspired by Grace, surrounded by Love in an unending realm of possibility where dreams, reality, impossibility, surrealism and, why not, a wee touch of madness create a unique mystic fragrance that makes me smile…even in a stormy day.

5 comments:

Gorilla Bananas said...

I'm sure your mother felt the glow of your optimistic spirit, Ivonne. I hope it stays with you.

john heasley said...

I like it when you put big pictures on your blog, and I have to work out what the words are down the side. Also being such an optimist is a gift, you are blessed.

Tanya Heasley said...

I was thinking yesterday about an unusual mole that I need to have looked at and whether it could be cancerous or not. This led me to think about dying and I felt at ease about something that will eventually happen especially as I will be in Heaven with Jesus. I realised that I'm ok with dying. But then I thought about the people that are left behind, my husband, children and friends, suddenly I decided that I actually don't want to die for a very, very long time and I 'hope' God grants me a many more years to come.

Dying is good for the Christian, but not so good for those left behind, I think with your optimism, you'll be ok either way.

The Wee Italian Chick said...

Tanya: I think my attitude does help, but it doesn't prevent me or anyone else, for that matter, from suffering!!! Sorry to hear about your anxiety over the mole - I am sure it's nothing; I'll be praying.

Karenkool said...

Great post! People in this world need people like you!! Share that smile of hope. It's holds more power within it than just a bunch of facial muscles contracting. ;-D