LEARNING FROM CANCER: THE TWELVE GIFTS FOR HEALING AFTERWORD
No matter who we are, where we live, what we look like, the circumstances of our birth, or the situations we face; each of us has gifts within us. Strength, beauty, courage, compassion, hope, joy, talent, imagination, reverence, wisdom, love and faith are among them. They are not like material presents we unwrap and hold in our hands. We can’t see these gifts with our eyes. But they are real and powerful. When we open ourselves to them, they can enrich every aspect of our lives. They can help us transform challenges into opportunities and tragedies into triumphs. They can help us make a difference in the world.
I had come to believe this with all my heart. It is the essence of my first book, The Twelve Gifts of Birth. My belief in its message was so strong that it led me, with my husband, to self-publish the book, move into a motor home and travel the country to read the short story in schools, shelters, bookstores, churches, hospitals and prisons. My belief was reinforced every time I saw resonance in the eyes of those who heard it.
Then one day in Alaska, at the last stop of our tour in 2000, I stroked my throat, touched a lump, and felt a chill.
I was diagnosed with two forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, one for which present-day medicine says there is no cure. Although death was not imminent, it seemed close. For several days, I felt frozen with fear, betrayed. I wondered if I would experience peace and joy again.
The disease led me to examine my life, my lifestyle, and my convictions.
Prior to starting chemotherapy, my oncologist said, “This is a time to call upon strength. Do what makes you strong.”
His words caused me to consider what I had written in The Twelve Gifts of Birth. About strength I had said, “May you remember to call upon it whenever you need it.” I had offered that advice to others. Could I heed it now? Was strength fully available to me? Could I summon it? How?
About hope I had written, “Through each passage and season may you trust the goodness of life.” Could I trust in the midst of this crisis?
While undergoing chemotherapy, I explored many complementary therapies. How might I help my body return to wholeness? I prayed for guidance. This “healing place” story and the twelve blessings in this book were among the answers I received. “Use your gifts,” wisdom whispered, “Especially love.” I understood that, besides releasing cancer cells, I needed to heal on other levels. Using love, I needed to release hatred of the aberrant cells. Using compassion, I needed to release regrets and resentments. Using hope, I needed to release fear. I needed to open my heart to all that I was experiencing. Everyday, the gift of imagination helped me visualize harmony being restored among the trillions of cells in my body.
It was not an easy time. I would not have consciously chosen cancer as a teacher, but I now appreciate the valuable lessons it offered. Cancer led me to look deeper and to understand that our inherent gifts do indeed have healing power. They can help us heal ourselves, one another, and the world. Accessing them begins with willingness. Gratitude increases their flow.
I hope that this story and Mater’s blessings will encourage you to become more aware of your gifts and to help others to see theirs. For are we not all on a healing journey?
I wrote the above Afterword for The Twelve Gifts for Healing, which was published in 2004. I’m posting this as a blog in 2022 because, individually and together, we are very much on a journey now. And it involves healing. Many kinds of healing.
I pray that as we make our way through the present clouds of confusion, we use wisdom - and all the gifts within us - to take paths that lead us to higher ground, where we can see beauty, goodness, and solutions to problems more clearly. There, we can find common ground, which is very much a healing place. A place where well-being is restored. And peace can be found.
Along the way, healings happen little-by-little every time we reach into our hearts for courage because ripples of compassion come along. Streams of love and hope follow. Fears begin to wash away. And we are closer to healthy harmony.
We can take steps toward that healing place now by using our gift of imagination to see good things ahead. We can visualize kindness, and harmony among us. And, of course, we can act kindly, with warmth and smiles. Faith too.
With much love,
Charlene Costanzo
