A House of Love

Yesterday I passed a woman in the hall.  She was middle-aged and dressed like a working professional; on her face she had a forlorn expression that let me know she was lost in her thoughts.  I smiled as I passed and asked how she was doing.  She looked up and told me that she was "okay" and after a brief discussion, explained that her 14-year-old son has leukemia and is not doing well.

Last night at dinner, a family I have seen many times sat near us and introduced us to their 10-month-old daughter, who has a malignant tumor that needs radiation because it has grown into her spine near the neck.  This little blond girl with all the energy of a 10 month old is just beginning to lose her hair after her second radiation session; her family is in for quite a journey.

Today at breakfast, Heidi made small talk with a woman nearby and learned this woman's 16-year-old son is here for leukemia and will be in treatment for several months.  So far, it is "moving along well."

Every day, new individuals and families come and go--most leave after a successful treatment for a son or a daughter to treasure the years they have found; some leave to bury a child and mourn the years they have lost.  Regardless the circumstance, however, there is a current of compassion that seems to flow between everyone--from the patients to the families to the volunteers.  Rather than isolating individuals in their crisis, the trials seem to bridge all traditional divides of language, culture, experience, socioeconomic status, race, religion, and connect everyone as human beings.  There is a palpable sense here that inside the clam shell of suffering is a pearl of hope and peace that can be accessed through giving and serving in selflessness and love.

Based on the challenges the families here face, it is a true miracle to watch as an uncle whose niece is dying from cancer spends hours cleaning the kitchen and preparing food for families he does not know; or to see a young man who is wheelchair bound anxiously trying to find ways to help others carry boxes they can more reasonably transport themselves.  I am intimately experiencing what I have taught for many years: that love is the deepest foundation of the human soul and that even when we are in a challenging circumstance we can't change for ourselves, we can always find joy in serving, helping and loving others.