Beating Back Death

A phone call came this week. It was from a doctor’s office. The voice on the other end informed me that I do not have cancer. There is no sign that I ever had cancer.

Five years after being told I had a tumor inside me, medical science has reversed its decision about me. It appears as though I am not living with a murderer inside my body.

There has been no operation.

There was no radiation, no chemotherapy.

There were no new or experimental treatments.

In the beginning there were conventional medications. Until the day I decided I was sick and tired of the medicines making me ill.

I called the doctor and said I would not take any more.

Instead I exercised, ate healthy foods, worked on keeping a positive attitude and took alternative medicines. In particular, a combination of herbs devised by the Ojibwe (Chippewa) people. The scientific community has not approved those herbs as a cancer treatment. All I know is that they may have helped me.

Spiritual work continued for me, as it always does.

Angels and holy spirits dropped by to visit. God whispered to me new and different spiritual jobs He wanted me to do. I did them and life went on.

On top of that I had a day job literally up to the day I moved across America in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic. Again. Another move across the States for what seemed like the umpteenth time. As of now the last finance job and others like it appear to be history. Maybe. Never say never because none of us knows what Mr. Big has planned next for us. God could have me back being a desk jockey tomorrow. Or that part of life might be over.

Insh’allah.

There is nothing to assume when death is beaten back like that. It is always possible that the cancer could recur.

But not today.

Not right now.

Perhaps never.

That is all speculation for the future.

At this moment in time there continues to be spiritual work to do.

Cleaning the house, washing the dishes and folding the laundry are all spiritual jobs. They are the chores that have to be done. Performing them for ourselves and others while putting in our best effort increases their spiritual richness. Keeping a positive attitude makes a difference. Doing the little things in life — our daily activities that need to be done — with a positive outlook beats back spiritual death.

Performing an exorcism is a very spirited spiritual act. Cleaning the bath tub and toilet are spiritual acts.

Who is to say which is more spiritual?

In positively undertaking the little things in life we perform spiritual deeds. How we do what we do every moment of the day make us better humans.

It is all in our intent.

It is in our willingness to improve our world.

The intent to beat back death was enormous. The spirituality was in the intent. It is in the desire to continue living so that I may continue to serve others. It is in wanting to be available to the people who truly need to avail themselves of the gifts I’ve been given. That may mean no more than reading an article or book I’ve written. It can be in asking for prayers. It’s all in the thousand and one little things that make us who we are.

You are my inspiration.

How many times have you said yes to life? How many times have you chosen to wait until the God light is green before moving forward with a plan? How many times have you listened to your better angels nudge you into helping another person? It might have been the time you held a door for someone else. Or the day you said good morning to someone who honestly did not feel like there was a whole lot that was good about that or any other morning.

In the sacred moments that you show up for life you push back against your own and others’ spiritual deaths. When you are more spiritually alive, you are more physically alive.

Live.