Journey of Light Stories of Dawn After Darkness

CHAPTER ONE DISCONNECTED FROM GOD For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. 4:6 NKJV Stowe's Journey I squinted my eyes in the midmorning light of a perfect spring day. I could hardly resist the urge to stop and take it all in. Leaning against my hoe, I looked on while my husband, Peter, worked. He was busy weeding, planting, and doing what he enjoys so much: making our yard a paradise. Over in the plastic pool, giggling uncontrollably, were our girls, Christina and Grace.What a beautiful sight. I breathed in deeply. I had come a long way to arrive at this moment in time. My heart was full of thankfulness to God. We were all healthy, the sun was shininglife was definitely good. Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by a distant phone ringing. Dropping the hoe, I made a mad dash to the house. I had no idea at that moment that my life was about to change courseonce againfor the call I was running to answer wasn't just any call; it was "the" call. You know the kind; it raps loudly on the window of your soul, reminding you that there's more to life than just work, play, and, in our case, gardening.Get moving now, it urges.You have a purpose here on earth. Time is much shorter than you think. Be still. Listen. I caught the phone just before my answering machine interrupted. "Hello," I said, cheerfully albeit somewhat out of breath. "Stowe," the raspy voice sounded distressed. "I just came back from the doctor...I have inoperable lung cancer." I fell back onto the nearest chair. "What?" I whispered. I could barely speak. "The doctor says with chemo and radiation I might live a year to a year and a half. Without itmaybe six months." We hung on the phone a few more minutes, consoling each other as the news sank in. And then, with plans to get together later that day, we said our good-byes. "I love you, Dad..."Click. Except for the sound of my heavy breath, all was silent. Cloaked in the cool darkness of our basement rec room, I sat there totally stunned. Outside, in our backyard, the world was still sunny, untouched by this latest news. Inside, however, our lives had once again turned on a dime.This can't be happening. Was cancer going to kill another parent?At seventytwo, Dad was not in the greatest of shape. He had several major things wrong with him, including diabetes, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. In fact, his health was one of the main reasons he had decided to move to Nashville only a year earlier. He wanted to be closer to us...just in case. Still, even knowing he had all these strikes against him, it was hard for me to believe this was happening. I thought of Peter; I needed to tell him. Walking somberly into the bright sunlight, I went to him, broke the news, and took comfort in his loving arms. There, under the blue sky, we held each other and cried. Four days after that fateful phone call I had a dreama dream I believe was sent from God. I awoke with Peter's arms around me, consoling me and saying, "It's all right...you're okay...you were just having a bad dream." But itwasn'tjust a dream. It was a memory from my subconsciousa wakeup call. But just for a moment, I was still there, in the middle of one of the most memorable and vivid dreams I have ever experienced: I was shopping in a discount store and had laidShockey, Peter is the author of 'Journey of Light Stories of Dawn After Darkness', published 2007 under ISBN 9780385501262 and ISBN 0385501269.