This morning as I prepared to take another handful of pills to control nausea and pain, I stopped briefly to consider the question posed when I open my Facebook page: "What's on your mind?"

Although I'm dealing with the knowledge that I am about halfway through the time that the doctor gave me when I was first diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, that isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when I read those first lines on Facebook or hear my friends when they pose the question "How are you?" It is true, there is so much that I can no longer do — drive, visit with friends, concentrate for long periods to read or write — but I choose to focus on what I can do, and in so doing, I feel well.

My focus since the start of my dad's illness four years ago has been to find joy in the Valley of Weeping, and I'll be the first to admit that the last six months have challenged me. Hugh, my friend for fifty-seven years and husband for fifty-four, died at the end of August. My fluffy cat, who shared many of my secret tears and joys for the last dozen years, died one month later. On "Black Friday", I learned of my present diagnosis, and four days later, I received the call that my 99-year-old dad was dying. And yes, there have been days when I felt like I was in the Valley of Weeping, a valley with insurmountable mountains hemming me in on all sides. Yet, I am content. How can that be? I'm content because when I felt that I had no more energy, friends and family have slipped in beside me and brought strength and comfort. They have brought me food, visited, held my hand, and prayed for me. They have shared their strength with the weak, and each in their own way has brought me joy.

More importantly, I can say truthfully, "I am well," not because I am out of touch with the reality of my disease, but because I have faced it, not in my own strength, but with God's. I believe that I have had a healing, not in the traditional way where one walks away and says that the cancer is gone, but in a deeper sense. Although the doctors can't offer surgery, chemo, or radiation, I have a peace beyond all human understanding. It is a peace that only God can give. He has healed my anxiety, my fretting heart. He has taught me how to rest, how to live and take joy from each day, and how to trust Him with my future as I have the past. While I am alive, I am living fully, completely resting in the strength and love of God.

Join me in living fully while you are alive, and look for joy each day.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You. Even though we may be walking through the Valley of Weeping, grief, or death, we don't need to be afraid of the future, for You have promised to be with us each step of the way. Teach us to look for the kind of joy in each day that only You can bring. Amen.

My dad was smiling when I went to visit him recently at the nursing home.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"Well, it's funny the things that come into your mind when you have a lot of time on your hands and not much to do," he replied. "I was just remembering an incident from my childhood. When I was six or seven, my dad and my oldest brother bought a car for the family, a 1925 Star, I think it was. After the car got older, the brakes were not reliable and often gave out. Hartford, my oldest brother, handled the car with ease. Even when the brakes began to cause trouble, he learned how to gear down and coast down our lane. Just before he reached our house, he turned the steering wheel sharply, which slowed the car enough so that he could make the turn and arrive parked in the garage.

"Up to this time, my dad, Frank, had always parked in the yard when the brakes were acting up, but he couldn't be outdone by his son, so the next time when the brakes gave out as he was coming down our lane, he headed for the garage just like he had seen his son do. But the results of his trip were a far cry from those of Hartford's. On my dad's journey, the two wheels went down into the oil pit, the steering wheel ended up in his lap, and the front lights and bumper went out the back wall of the garage."

This story from my family's history made me smile, too. Although my grandfather had died before I was born, I was familiar with the lane that he went down, and I could picture the whole event in my mind. More importantly, the story reminded me of a verse in the Bible that speaks of why it is important to write down and share the lessons that we have learned from history.

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 – These are all warning markers — DANGER! — in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel — they at the beginning, we at the end — and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence. (MSG)

Although my dad's memory was humorous, it did serve as an important reminder. In life, we have choices. We can act out of our own self-confidence and land in a pile of trouble, or we can seek God's confidence, avoid mistakes, and make wise decisions.

Prayer: Dear God, so often, we make foolish mistakes because we have been too self-confident and have followed our own way. Help us always to seek Your direction and to cultivate God-confidence. Amen.

Seeing that sheep played such a big part in the landscape and the economy, it came as no surprise when one of our tours included a visit to a sheep farm. Here, we were entertained by the sheep-herding skills of the dogs, and later, a shepherd demonstrated his sheep-shearing skills.

The tour guide, who explained what was happening while we watched the sheep being led in to have her fleece shorn, mentioned a hero sheep named Shrek. that had recently become the object of several news and children's stories. Apparently, Shrek had strayed away from his flock and went missing in 1998. In 2004, the rambling ram was found in a mountain cave after six years of wandering on his own. By now, Shrek was three times his normal size and yielded almost sixty pounds of merino wool.

The ewe that was being sheared on the day of my visit weighed more than the man who was shearing her (probably about 160 pounds or 73 kg). Yet, the ewe didn't struggle to escape. Instead, she just yielded to the process and waited in silence until the work was complete.

The memory of this fascinating farm visit was brought back to my mind when I was reading my Bible during the days prior to Easter.

Isaiah 53:7 – He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (NIV)

This Scripture is a prophecy about Jesus.

Mark 14:60-61a – Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. (NIV)

Jesus didn't try to escape from the agony and shame that faced Him when He was led to the cross. Instead, He went willingly, silently, with no verbal retorts to those who mocked and jeered while evil men nailed His hands and feet to a crude, wooden cross. Jesus, the Son of the almighty God, sacrificed all that He had — His very life — for us. He took our place to provide a means for each one of us to be forgiven and have a restored relationship with God.

Prayer: Dear God, how humbled we are today as we recall the scenes of Your unjust trial and death on the hill called Mount Calvary. Thank You, thank You, for loving us enough to take our place and to pay the debt for our sin. Remind us once again that there is no greater love than the love of the One Who lays down His life so that we might be redeemed. Amen.

Are you looking for a book to read, one that contains history and mystery, interesting facts and inspirational stories, as well as an occasional romance? If so, I would like to recommend one that I have read a number of times. The book is so popular that it has been translated into more than 500 languages and has many versions. More important than its popularity or where it is on a best sellers' list is the fact that an account of the greatest love story ever told is woven in its many pages.

In the first chapters of the book, the author introduces us to a married couple who seek to find their own path through life. The couple make some terrible mistakes and become bankrupt both spiritually and financially. As a result, their landlord throws them out of their beautiful garden home.

Separated from those they love, life is full of hardships, but that is not the end of the story. Several authors follow the lives of the couples' descendants. Some were exemplary citizens, while others were warriors, cheaters, wanderers, and desert dwellers. No matter what their station in life, all were looking for peace and reconciliation.

Peace is finally made when the son of the highest king gives his own life in payment for all the wrongdoings of his father's subjects. He took their place in order to show how deep, how wide, how high his father's love is for all of the people in his kingdom, the whole earth.

The book? The holy Bible. Who was the son? Jesus, the Son of God.

There is so much more that I could say about this book. Its pages have provided comfort, guidance, and wisdom for me during my life's journey, and I would suggest that we all take a few minutes to read from its pages each day.

Prayer: Dear God, so often, we try to find our own way through the day. So often, we are faced with despair. We forget just how much You love and care for us. Remind us to read Your Word each day, for it is here that we will find words that tell us that no matter what comes our way, no matter what we face, Your love for us will never fail. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! Amen.

Due to caring for elderly parents and dealing with family health issues, some days have felt especially dark and heavy, and I haven't been writing lately. But recently, today's verses challenged me to look for joy in the Valley of Weeping.

A few weeks ago, my 95-year-old father embarked on what will probably be the last phase of his life's journey. He fell in his home and had to be admitted to hospital. After his recovery from the effects of the fall, it was decided that he wasn't strong enough to return home. In early February, we moved him to a nursing home.

Throughout his life, my dad has faithfully trusted God to provide for his family. When he broke his leg and had to move to a different town in order to find work, he trusted God to meet his needs. He trusted God to take care of his children during their illnesses and to take care of the bills when jobs were scarce and the cupboard was bare. Every morning from the day I was born until his recent illness, my dad has prayed for me and my three brothers by name.

Now when I visit him, he lovingly speaks the names of my brothers and other family members and finishes each visit with the whispered words, "Remember, I love you." Some days he tells me that he is thinking of some of his loved ones who have died, and on other days when he isn't too weak or tired, I have heard him sing a few words from his favourite hymns. One day recently, he sang a few lines from the hymn, What a friend we have in Jesus, by Joseph Scriven.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged:
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Though his mind is clouded when it comes to naming the days of the week, it is crystal clear when he speaks of the comfort that he has found in having a personal relationship with God and knowing that his final destination is in heaven.

Yes, at times, we may shed a quiet tear as we witness the changes in the minds and bodies of those we love. But we don't need to stay sad. Instead, the psalmist invites us to draw comfort on those dark days as we picture God receiving our loved one in heaven, and saying, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you've been trustworthy with a small amount, I'll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's joy!" (Matthew 25:23 ISV)

Prayer: Dear God, today when we see the changes in our health or that of our loved ones, we may shed some tears. But help us to draw comfort from our faith in You, knowing that You know the path and You will be our companion and guide through this Valley of Weeping. Amen.

A few years ago, my daughter spent many hours training to run in the New York Marathon. The act of running and completing the run symbolized to her a great personal victory in that she had set a goal, put in the training, and completed the challenge.

History tells us that the first recorded marathon was in 490 B.C. when a soldier named Pheidippides ran from the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens. Soldiers in the Greek army in which he served had won an important victory on the battlefield over the Persians. Pheidippides wanted to share the good news. Mile after mile, he kept his goal foremost in his mind and never gave up until he had completed the 24.8-mile run.

Sadly, Pheidippides died of exhaustion, but not before he had delivered this momentous message to his country's citizens: "Nike! Nike!" The translated words mean, "Rejoice, we conquer!" Pheidippides gave everything he had to tell others the good news.

About 33 A.D., as Jesus Christ hung dying on a wooden cross, with His last breath, He delivered the good news of victory:

John 19:30b – Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (NIV)

The victory was that He took our punishment and died in our place so that every believer could have a restored relationship with God. But the even better good news is that three days later, He conquered death and rose from the dead! He gives that same victory over death to all who believe in Him.

Christians, we've been given not just good news, but we've been given the best news of all time: Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sin. Shouldn't we rejoice and give our all in order to share the news of such a great victory?

Prayer: Dear God, impress upon each one of us the enormity of the news Your Son, Jesus, brought to us. Help us to give our all so that others will know of Your great gift of redemption! Amen.

I think I was blessed with a great piano teacher, for she always tried to make my lessons interesting. One of the ways she did this was by telling me a fascinating fact about the composer of the piece. Once when we were studying a piece by Handel, she told me that Handel expected his choir members to perform his music the way he intended it to sound. One of the divas in his choir continued to sing a personal interpretation of the work instead of following the maestro's instructions. During one practice session, Handel became so impatient with the chorister that he did something the singer probably never forgot. Apparently, Handel took the offending member by the legs and hung the individual by the heels out a third-storey window until the chorister repented and agreed to follow directions and do it the maestro's way.

Unlike Handel, God doesn't take us by the heels and hold us upside down until we agree to follow His instructions. Nonetheless, in order to obtain peace and harmony in our lives, we must repent. This means not only saying that we are sorry and asking God to forgive us for our sin, but also making a 180-degree turn away from sin and thereafter walking in a completely different direction, on the path of righteousness.

Prayer: Dear God, so often, we have been guilty of wanting to do things our own way instead of Your way. As we enter the Lenten season today, in which we think of Christ's sacrifice for our sin, help us towards true repentance, not only saying that we are sorry, but also doing things Your way from now on. Amen.