On November 11, 2015 my mother was to celebrate her 62nd birthday but instead she lay on a cold, hard table getting a PET scan to confirm what had been suspected: Small Cell Lung Cancer.
The grief and sorrow that followed the diagnosis was nearly palpable. Everyone has the same reactions when they hear that dreaded "C" word; cringe, squirm and then utter sadness fills their eyes. It's easy to recognize because I found myself following that same pattern.
My mother, Georgia, is quite possibly one of the strongest women I know. The very fact that she is still smiling each day after enduring chemotherapy and getting radiation therapy twice a day is proof enough. I see a strength in her that I never knew she had. Her resilience and faith in God has, in turn, renewed my own beliefs. She has given me my own strength and hope when I'd felt there was none.
So, as I made my way through this holiday shopping season wandering through crowded malls looking for just the right gift for my mother-- I found The Giving Keys display and purchased the 'Faith' key necklace for my mom as a reminder on the hard days ahead to keep her Faith. One day when treatment is wrapped up and she looks back at this difficult battle my hope is that she will pass the key on and pay it forward.
"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
