This morning I woke up at 5:00 because I was laughing in my sleep. I don’t remember exactly what I was laughing at but I do remember that I was dreaming about my beyond awesome friend and old roommate Britt. (I still wish she would get a divorce for a night and come back to 845 for a slumber party). I managed to fall back asleep and when my clock went off at 6:30 there was no laughter coming from this mouth. Well, until my snooze went off 10 minutes later. I was laughing because my snooze alarm reminded me of Britt and her morning ritual. For an entire year, she would set two different alarms (one of which required her to get out of bed to turn off) and they would continue to go off every 10-15 minutes until she got out of bed. (usually 30-40 minutes after the initial alarm sounded.) Without fail, I would laugh every morning as each alarm went off. I was amazed that this regimen worked for her and I would laugh because she could add an extra hour of sleep every morning if she set her clock for when she actually needed to get out of bed. ( I prefer to sleep until the last possible second and make my own dress code for class) The trend of Britt stories continued throughout my morning routine. This morning in the shower, I used my face wash as shampoo by accident. (A definite sign of a lack of sleep) As I was rinsing Neutrogena grapefruit scrub from my scalp, I started laughing, remembering one of my favorite stories of all time. (The Mannington Pool Caviler escapade is hard to beat) Brittany was brushing her teeth and when she came out of the bathroom she said, “My mouth is tingling. I think I used Ben Gay instead of toothpaste by accident.” Because of my awesome friend my morning was filled with laughter and I was able to forget about my coffee stained shirt, my missing left sock, and my turkey wrap that I left behind in my refrigerator.
I wish my morning lecture sparked a memory to elicit laughter but a thermos of good coffee was an acceptable replacement. Full of caffeine and fun memories, I began the drive to my grandmother’s first chemotherapy appointment. Once there, her doctor confirmed that her chemo treatments were going to be done daily opposed to weekly and that her chemo regimen had been changed to Interferon which has the most severe side effects of any chemotherapy drug. The change was necessary in order to give my gram the best treatment available and hopefully prevent an above knee amputation. In a split second, I found myself back in the ring with cancer. I heard the Emcee announce the fight: In the left corner, we have Jay Garcia returning for her third round looking for her first victory (for her grandparents) against cancer. Being a good experienced fighter, I began assembling my attack plan. Within seconds, I had a mental checklist of everything I needed to do. I had calls to make, resources to take advantage of, schedules to change, and most importantly a loved one who desperately needed me. As I was driving back to class for my afternoon presentation, I found myself desperately trying to hold back tears. (I needed a professional appearance on my side for my mediocre presentation) As the tears began to stain my cheeks, and I began turning over my boxing gloves to God, I was again reminded of my awesome friend Britt. This time I wasn’t laughing; I actually began to cry harder. I remembered the bible verse she recites every time she gets on an airplane: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (Is it cheating to give you a verse to remember before the end?) I may be fighting out of the left corner but I am the weakest fighter on the East coast. And because I am weak; I am strong in Christ. His power is made perfect in me. PERFECT! I don’t know about you friends but I have never been perfect in my life. Because I am made perfect in Christ, I don’t have to throw a single punch. I don’t have to worry about the aggressiveness of melanoma, the harsh side effects of Interferon, my schedule that contains a research project and 4 finals, caregivers for my gram, or the daily trips to the infusion center. All I have to do is embrace the blows thrown at me by cancer and allow His grace to be enough. His grace will provide everything I need to make my fight easier as long as my attack plan has only 1 step: turn to Jesus for everything. My body may become tired and my life may become battered and my fight may go 37 rounds. But I will remain strong because in my weakness, His power will remain perfect. And regardless of who is declared the winner at the end of the fight; I will take a bow and a much needed rest. I won’t be laughing if cancer is declared the winner but there will be a smile on my face because I know that God has already won the main event.
I know that each time my days need a bright spot; I have Britt’s friendship and funny stories .And I know that each time I hear the ring side announcer call my name; I have God fighting out of my corner. Watch out cancer, this combination is going to be hard to beat!
Verse to remember: 2 Corinthians 2:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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