When I was Diagnosed with Cancer:

My first friend came and expressed his shock by saying, “I can’t believe that you have cancer. I always thought you were so active and healthy.”  He left and I felt alienated and somehow very “different.”

My second friend came and brought me information about different treatments being used for cancer. She said “Whatever you do, don’t take chemotherapy. It’s a poison!”She left and I felt scared and confused.

My third friend came and (continued)...

Jan and I loved the movie Patch Adams. So did a lot of other people. It was a box office hit. Humor sells, especially when it is presented as the bright spot it is in the dark world of suffering. Humor allows us to momentarily step out of our reality and get perspective, balance, and endorphins-the feel good" chemicals our body produces when we laugh.

We know it isn't always easy to find humor or to be humorous in the face of adversity. And most of us don't have Patch Adams for a (continued)...

It was a perfect gift from a perfect friend. Make it through the year of chemo, behave yourself, stay alive, and I'll take you to Grand Cayman," Joy promised. As the trip was planned and the time drew near, I wondered what kind of company I would be following a mastectomy and a year of chemotherapy. I felt worn down, to say the least, and somewhat out of touch with reality. It was still as though life was happening in another dimension just out of my reach. I could see it and hear it but not (continued)...

The topic of conversation was laughter, but you never would have guessed it from Doug's expression. A successful businessman with more to do than hours in which to do it, he confessed, I don't know how to see the lighter side of life. I take life too seriously. I know I need to 'lighten up,' but I literally don't know how."

Doug isn't alone. Carole feels the same way. Her husband's death following a decade-long battle against cancer has left her with an overwhelming new job descri (continued)...

Okay, you admit it: your funny bone hasn't had a good workout lately, and you don't know where to start to whip it into shape. Never fear, start with a few sets of the following exercises, and soon your funny bone will be in championship form!

1. Start a comedy collection." Funny cartoons, jokes, and emails are an abundant resource. Make it a habit to post your favorites in a prominent place such as above your desk or on the refrigerator where they will be an ongoing source of amusemen (continued)...

I recently started chemotherapy again, a five-hour drip in the back room of my oncologist's office. Even with the new drugs, nausea lingers for days, but you muster up the moxie and do what you have to do. In my case, that means getting a fill-up" every three or four weeks-Primo Chemo, $1,500 a quart. It also means finding the humor under circumstances that could easily leave one in a lugubrious state. During three years of cancer warfare, I have found humor to be a good ally. It gives the mi (continued)...

Having a good attitude in the midst of a trying situation isn’t easy, and often we beat ourselves up for not instantly having the “right” attitude. But let’s be honest, sometimes having a good attitude is more than we can manage. We may know where we need to go, but it may take us some time to get there—and that’s okay. Making an attitude adjustment isn’t an easy process. Whenever I think of the ups and downs of that process, I remember a phone call I received early one morning after a fall b (continued)...

When we imagine what God is like, most of us picture Him as serious, caring, stern, or loving, but rarely do we think of Him as laughing. Yet Scripture shows us that God has a sense of humor.

Consider the evidence:
God sanctions laughter. Ecclesiastes 3:4 tells us that there is a time to laugh."
God used a donkey as a mouthpiece! "Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?'" ( (continued)...

Dave's comeback, his return to the pitching mound after having more than half of his arm muscles removed, was a wild ride full of excitement, emotion, and gratitude toward God. Even when Dave broke his arm and tumbled from the mound, we basked in the glow of God's presence. Despite the setback, we could see God working. We didn't know what the future held, but we knew God was in it. So we praised God and enjoyed all the warm, fuzzy feelings that go along with it. It was great!

I remem (continued)...

Next to the Lord's Prayer, the 23rd Psalm is perhaps the most familiar passage in the Bible. Children memorize it. Composers set it to music. Commentators explain its deeper meanings. And for many, it provides great comfort during times of suffering. People who have endured great physical or emotional pain often tell how they have repeated the phrases "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want . . . The Lord is my Shepherd . . . " during their times of trial. Sometimes those are the only word (continued)...

Suffering often distorts our perception of God. C. S. Lewis, when he was grieving his wife's death, wrote that God seemed to have his eyes shut, his ears stopped with wax. After going through a crisis of faith, during which he doubted all that he had ever believed about God and Christ, Lewis went on to observe that "you can't see anything properly when your eyes are blurred with tears."

Despite the numbing deafness and blindness brought on by suffering, God doesn't change. He is stil (continued)...