The Day Everything Changed

Dear Parent,

         When we hear the word cancer, many different emotions may come to mind. Fear is one of the first that comes to my mind. Fear of what may happen, fear of what may be lost, and even fear of the inevitable change that lies ahead.

         Cancer has affected many families and while modern medicine has come a long way, there is still so much unknown. With the unknown there is space for all the ‘what if’ questions to take root and for our imaginations to run wild with the endless possibilities. I believe this is a reality we all find ourselves in at some point in our lives; standing at a starting line we do not want to approach and beginning an unknown journey in a direction that we have no control over.

         Maybe you feel anger or maybe it’s sadness. I don’t want to pretend to know how everyone feels, but I do want to point towards hope. Not hope that everything will work out; not even hope that God “uses” all the hard parts. But hope that God sees you, He loves you, and in His limitless mercy He is making all things new.

        This book is composed of fictional characters and the storyline is just that, a fictional narrative. It is a story of kids and adults all processing the journey of cancer in their own way. As we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest, I pray that our children will feel the freedom to do the same. My hope is not to provide a how-to guide on processing a loved one’s cancer diagnosis, but instead, to drop into a story of what it could look like for followers of Jesus to find peace and hope during something hard. You will find that often the thought patterns repeat themselves, the conversations are not concluded, and ultimately, there aren’t clear answers. Each moment is simply another drop in the bucket of processing who God is and how we see Him, and it takes a lifetime to fill the bucket.

There is no one way to walk through something like cancer, but there is always an opportunity to enter together into the process. Together, you and your children need one another, and you need community. I pray that you would turn to your local church along with other loved ones, allowing His body to help you in the days and months ahead.

You can read this book together with your child or you can each read it individually. You can also look below to see questions for you, as the parent, and tips on how you can go a little deeper with your kids. Every few chapters, I would encourage you to process through what you are hearing from God both individually AND together. I would encourage you to enter in and trust God. He is with you in this season, and there is peace available. He desires to provide comfort and hope, not to beat this and move on, but to truly feel and experience life with Him.

A friend in Him,

Katie