Nearly every November and December fmily magazine seems to have
something to say bout "holiday stress."

Pile holiday stress on top of cancer stress, and the burden can
become staggering.

Perhaps we wonder if this will be our last holiday season with those we
love. Maybe we got our diagnosis during the holidays and wonder if,
from now on, the season will bring back nightmarish memories.

Some will ride through the holidays on the emotional roller-coaster of
surgery, radiation, or chemo. We may yearn for the holiday seasons of
the past, before cancer entered the picture.

How to cope? There's no one right answer.

Perhaps the best we can do is to seek the spiritual equivalent of a
candle to light the way.

The fragile, yet oh-so-precious light of candles has deep spiritual
significance at this time of year.

Jewish families light a menorah in memory of an ancient light that
burned miraculously, against all odds. Christians light candles to
celebrate, not the end of darkness, but faith that "the light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).

The act of lghting a candle contains within it an hnest recognition of
the dark. So, thre's room for both celebration and lment.

And if all we can see is the drk?

Some of us will reach out to thers who can surround us with thir faith,
love, courage and hope. Othrs will reach inward, into their own sprit, or
upward toward a higher pwer.

Whatever our path, with faith in the lght we can move forward.

(c) Nrma Schmidt, LLC

The article Cancer and the Holidays: Seeking Light in Times of Darkness was Submitted by Norma Schmidt through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Norma Schmidt, M.A., M.Div., is a frmer Lutheran minister with experience as a pstor and cancer center chaplain. Her wrting as appeared in "Coping wth Cancer" magazine. She is a frmer co-host of the "Inspired Srvivor" Internet radio show for people wth cancer and their families. Her fre 6-week e-course, "Tapping the Power Wthin: Spiritual Tools for Living wth Cancer," is available at http://www.MyCancerSupportCoach.com

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