The Christmas Season began and so did the St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital TV commercials. I have seen them a million times, and yet, every time I can’t help tearing up. The faces of the little angels battling cancer is something that humbles me, because I am blessed to have a healthy child.
These ads also reminded me of something that happened a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. My son’s school sponsored a bake sell to raise money for a fifth grader recently diagnosed with leukemia.
When I picked up my son in the afternoon, the first thing he said to me in the car was, “What is leukemia Mommy?” I explained it simply, and at the end he responded, “Cancer is dumb!”
I’m sure he still doesn’t grasp the gravity of such a diagnosis, but to him, not being able to go to school or play with friends is enough doom.
Last week I thought about the little girl, but because I don’t know her family, I must rely on school updates. Then last week, I found an unread email from the school, that contained a thank you note from her father.
Beautifully written, the dad explained what the school donations had meant to his family. He proceeded to tell that in addition to their daughter’s prognosis, their house had been severely affected by Hurricane Matthew, and he had also lost his job.
Although I could feel the pain in his words, there was also an overwhelming serenity. He finished the email talking about his faith in God and how it has provided him and his wife with the strength to push through the tribulations.
When I finished reading, I was sobbing like a baby. Not only because I tried to put myself in this family’s shoes, but also because I remembered how my own faith has pulled me through the worst times of sorrow and despair.
For those who don’t believe in God, faith may seem like a delirious illusion. But for us who believe, faith is the most precious gift.
Six years ago, when my husband had a massive heart attack, I felt a calming and warm presence next to me in the ambulance on our way to the hospital. Call me crazy, but I truly believe that Jesus was there siting with me that winter night; otherwise I would have lost my mind and probably, my unborn baby.
Faith is a powerful force in my life in the bad times as well as in the good times. Every time my son tells me he loves me, or my husband holds me like the first time we met, or my mother cares for me like when I was little girl, I feel God’s love for me in their love.
Christmas presents are great and fun to unwrap, but faith and true love are to me, the best presents under the tree.
Thank you for reading and sharing.
Xiomara Spadafora
Good crazy woman 
Great Christmas Message Xio.. Thank You. ..
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