PRESCRIPTIONforLIVING
by Bernie Siegel, MD
FAITH
God Handed Me a Gift
H
ow many times do I have to have my town, a spot I’d never before visited.
cancer?! I stood in the center of As I wandered along the shelves, my
my living room with the phone eyes too glazed to pick out the titles of
God for help now instead of having to
receiver still dangling in my hand and the books in front of me, the librarian
bluff my ay through life, pretending to
raged against God at the total unfairness approached me. In her hands she held
know it all. In the next few weeks, with
and tragedy of my life. I’d just received a book – Love, Medicine, and Miracles.
the help of God, I began to take charge
two phone calls within minutes of each She said, “Have you read this book?” I
of my life and my health. My scheduled
other – the first coldly informed me after shook my head, no, I hadn’t, and took
biopsy was three weeks away, and I
years of international courtroom battle the book she handed to me. How ever
planned to make real changes to myself
with my first husband, that I’d lost custo- had she known that was what I needed
before then.
dy of my three beloved boys. The second at that moment? It was an amazing be-
I began rising at dawn and watching
call, almost as coldly, was from my doc- ginning to a journey of healing.
the first pink rays of sunlight sweeping
tor informing me that my breast cancer I wept as I read the book at home,
the sky. I reached inside and thanked
had returned. here were the answers I’d been seek-
God for each new day, releasing tears
What were my options? I had no ing, and I knew this was an answer to
of gratitude, which were followed by an
money to continue fighting for custody. my prayers. God had handed me a great
immense rush of energy that was none
I didn’t even have the money to go and gift, he had answered me. The humility
other than the healing energy of hope.
see them. I saw no reason for a future and gratitude were a welcome relief, a
I’d take bike rides, fully alive to the mo-
and I was in so much pain that I could balm to my soul. It was a joy to look to
ment like a child. After riding I would sit
no longer stand to be inside my own
body. Suicide was an option. I realized
in a moment of truth, though, that threat-
ening suicide was yet another attempt to Your One Stop Solution for Health & Fitness
manipulate god to my own ends. My
ego admitted defeat, and I got down on
my knees in my living room and admit-
ted that I wanted to live. I also admitted Your Nutrition Your Fitness
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the car and continued my aimless jour-
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I ended up at the public library in www.GymsMainStreetHealth.com
MAY 2009
27
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