Finding the Joy in Cancer was not the book I expected to read, but definitely worth reading all the same whether you have any experience with cancer or not. Even though Joy is bolded in the title, I assumed that this book would be about Reverend Allen Mosely’s fight against cancer. Instead it turned out to be much more about the ways in which we often unknowingly fight against ourselves. Its a highly personal exploration of how actively choosing joy can transform even the worst circumstances.
The book is written in a personal narrative that includes a series of blog posts / journal entries written during the time Rev. Allen was diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, then later Lymphoma and Renal Carcinoma. So not only do you get the perspective of someone who has moved beyond cancer, but you get a glimpse of what he was thinking during the early stages.
You might think that this would be depressing, but Rev. Allen is one of the most steadfastly optimistic people I have ever met and it comes though in his story. Still there is a realness behind all the rainbows and sunshine as well. “I was always looking outside myself for all the answers. I was always holding someone else to blame for all the things going wrong in my life. Always looking for the reason to hate myself even more and hurt myself for being such a bad person,” he writes coming to crux of one of the many unexpected lessons found in this book-personal responsibility.
When I reference responsibility, I don't mean that if you're bad you'll get cancer. When I was 12, my best friend's little sister passed away from cancer and she was one of the best people I ever met. Rev Allen practices what I would call "Now What". So you find out this terrible thing is happening to you, rather than wallow in it, you are at choice. You get to decide who you will be irrespective of the circumstances. That is your responsibility. Rev Allen chose to be joyful. He chose to celebrate his life even when it would have been so easy to mourn it or to surrender to what many would have viewed an inevitable death sentence. If life hands you lemons, you are supposed to make lemonade, but what happens when life hands you cancer? I know very few people who would be able to honestly find anything to squeeze out of that, but that is the brilliance of this book.
“You know I would never choose to have cancer…but if it has to happen I am so very happy for the wonderful treasures it has given me. My faith, my willingness to let others in, and the love of my dad in a way I have dreamed all my life.”
I really enjoyed reading this book, partly because it gave me some insight into the man who is the leader of my spiritual community, but also because it made me reflect on my own life. What secrets am I harboring? What is behind my own mask and how does who I am and how I think manifest itself in my life? Reading this made me want to enter into an honest dialogue with myself.
“I was in the process of finding my true self and a path to loving the person inside for who I was.” I would also like to be an active participant in my own process of self love and discover (without needing to get cancer to force me into it).
It’s a quick read and very accessible. I recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment