of Faith and Pumpkins

"Being a person of faith is like being a pumpkin.
God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you.
He opens you up, touches you deep inside, and scoops out all the yucky stuff...including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc.
Then he carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you
to shine for all the world to see."
~from the Johns Hopkins Pathology Ovarian Cancer site

I came home from school today to find that Hank had been decorating the outside of our house for Fall with pumpkins, gourds, hydrangeas and berries from his garden here at Winn Farm. Seeing his work reminded me of the poem above, which I have hung on to since I first found it in 2005, the year Nancy was diagnosed with cancer. I thought I'd share it with you.
Nancy has had a really good week. This is her "week off" from chemo (week three after chemo on weeks one and two) and she is feeling good. The weather has been beautiful and she has had the energy to get out and enjoy it. Last night, a group of her teacher friends from Wells took her to see "Les Miserables" at the Ogunquit Playhouse...what a nice surprise! And on a few afternoons after school, I have been teaching her how to make Penny Rugs...a craft I learned at Fiber College. Needless to say, Nancy's first project is a penny rug with a cat motif!
So, like the pumpkin in the poem, we feel as if we have been carved a "new shiny face", and, at least for this moment, however brief it may be, we'll enjoy it.

Sadly, Nancy's friend, Deb Reid, has not been doing as well. Her cancer has spread and she has been moved to Seal Rock Nursing Home in Saco, where Nancy and Betsy continue to visit her as often as they can. This has been really difficult for Nancy. So...this poem goes out to you too, Deb...may you have the faith of pumpkins and feel the love of all of your friends.