Be-Attitudes

The Beatitudes are defined as the 8 blessings made by Christ during his "Sermon on the Mount".  They are the rules of appropriate behaviour which supposedly gain you entrance into heaven.  They all begin "Blessed are..." and then are followed with an instruction. 

The Beatitudes are a good guideline, but how about coupling them with the The Be-Attitudes - forgetting all that business about peacemakers, the meek and the mild?  The Be-Attitudes should read much like the Declaration of Independence and be an automatic entitlement to all cancer patients, their family and friends, giving them the right to rant and rave in the face of so many failures - failure to detect, failure to treat, failure to cure. 

There were two new posts on Inspire.com this week from family members who are trying to cope with a relative dying from ovarian cancer.  It isn't pretty - it isn't a Disney scene - it's how we pass.  Be-Attitude.  Don't try to cope.  It's OK to rail against sporadic disease and it's more than OK to cry.  Be-Attitude.  Bravery is often a cheap facade masquerading fear - it isn't courage that is needed - it's the relief of honesty.  Be-Attitudes are a necessary step for all of us in finding acceptance.

True to my own convictions, I had one of "those" sessions with my oncologist last week.  It was a very hot day - he was wearing a short-sleeved dress shirt.  Before leaving, he put his arm around my shoulder, smiled and said "these sleeves may be short, but I've still got plenty of tricks up them!" 

Be-Attitude - for you shall be rewarded...in this case, with a reassuring message and a comforting hug.