CancerPullsRug_thumbBy Linda Decker

Linda Decker’s husband, Rod, died after a battle with cancer. Not long before his death, he wrote, “That which most often brings tears unbidden to my eyes is thinking of my dear wife, who will be left alone when I go Home. We have lived, loved, and ministered together for nearly 40 years, she caring for me and I for her. Though I have done what I can to prepare and provide for her down the road, there is a personal sense of helplessness that sometimes overwhelms. But at that point I must trust my Savior, Who will never leave her nor forsake her and Who has special concern for widows and orphans.”

Here Linda shares some of her own thoughts.

I would be lying if I said the arrival of cancer into our lives had no impact. The news pulled the rug out from under us for a while—especially after two years when we thought the cancer had been treated. Its return at stage 4 was a shock, to put it mildly. However, I think the process of dealing with Rod’s cancer might have been aided a bit by a previous “rug puller.” Sixteen years earlier we faced a similar announcement when I was diagnosed with melanoma. In both cases I don’t think either of us questioned God as to why, but we did wonder what He had in store for us as a result of the unexpected bends in the road on our journey through life.