Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A Miracle

YOGA of Love and Forgiveness means UNION of love and forgiveness with the physical body. Miracles can occur by doing this. Here is a miracle for you...

Awhile ago, I prepared to receive radiation treatment for a condition of swollen lymph nodes known as Hodgkin’s Disease - a disease from which some people die. My doctors readied me by saying, “You will soon be on a liquid diet because your salivary glands will be rendered inoperative by the radiation treatment we are going to give you. Your liquid diet will last for about 4 weeks.”

A liquid diet? All I could think was, “the dude will not abide!”

I turned to forgiveness. For God’s sake let’s forgive everything and everyone we’ve ever judged we can SO WE CAN EAT!

In order to guarantee they hit their marks in my nodes, the techs made a plaster of paris mask for my face and buckled me down onto a gurney to keep me immobile while I was inside the big machine receiving the radiation. Can anyone say “claustrophobia?”

Each morning for about a month I would report to the hospital, slip into my sexy hospital gown and use the “shpilkes” (nervous trembling) I felt while being strapped in, as a cue to begin forgiving.

As I forgave the many judgments I had made over the years, the claustrophobia was replaced by a warm balmy feeling throughout my body. I began to relate to the trips to the radiation clinic as an invitation to this all encompassing, sweet state.

I forgave my mother for judging me as a bad kid. I forgave myself for judging my mom as a bad mother. I forgave myself for having a bad temper. I forgave my dad for having a bad temper. I forgave myself for judging the Jews as pushy people with bad tempers. I forgave myself for judging bad tempers as a bad thing. Our lymph system is a kind of sewage system, and apparently mine had gotten backed-up with judgments.

Soon, I noticed more and more ease inside. Sweetness filled my thoughts. More warmth filled my heart. Buoyancy bubbled through my body. This was the real me, the true Karen, and I began to focus more and more on that.

Week one passed and I was eating our favorite burgers from “The Charcoaler”. Week two ended with a caprese on focaccia. Week three passed with succulent roast chicken, and after the final week, week 4, we celebrated with champagne and crunchy chicken tacos. No liquid diet!

This and other graceful things he observed seeded my Oncologist’s new integrative medicine practice. He thanked me. As for me, I was learning that forgiveness is indeed the Key to the Kingdom -as in the title of John-Roger’s book. The kingdom of my replenished, powerful self and celebrating this in gastronomic delight!

XO
Karen

2 comments:

  1. What a beautiful story of love, forgiveness and courage! Thank you for sharing Karen. You are a blessing.
    Margalit

    ReplyDelete
  2. K, you inspire me!
    Thank you for sharing your story.

    ReplyDelete