Mommo,
To my knowledge, I’ve never written you a letter before! So, when Shannon suggested that we, your 9 grandchildren and their spouses, write to you, I thought it was a beautiful idea. What better way to show you, in unison, the depth of our love, admiration, and respect for who you are. What I love most about you is how you love your children, their children, and their children’s children. You have established a legacy of togetherness in this family that means so very much to me. Some of what I admire and respect are your strength, grace, elegance, and soundness of mind. There is a wealth of goodness with which you’ve graced me, in words and in actions, that can not be fully outlined in a simple letter.
But, everything I love and admire and respect, for as long as I can remember, has been what you’ve poured out during the good times. I can’t bring to mind a challenge that you’ve faced that has impacted you and all of us as deeply as cancer. We now face a time in which God is allowing the devil to test us. I can’t imagine how you feel everyday, how pain and discomfort overshadows your thoughts and limits your capabilities. But, what I can imagine is how I’d like to see this family pass this test together. I imagine you finishing this round of treatment in the best health possible. Part of that treatment requires that you eat, and eat well! You’ve told me that you always feel full, and you have zero appetite. The only suggestion I can offer is to keep trying. Take a bite of food, or a sip of smoothie every 30 minutes this week, then every 20 minutes the next week, then every 10 minutes after that, until the habit of eating becomes so ingrained that overcoming how you feel gets easier day by day.
Galatians 6 is about helping one another with our burdens, so that we may fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Food is created by God, and eating good food is doing a good thing. I consider it a blessing to write you these words, that they may help you overcome the burden that eating has become during this difficult time.
We can not give up. We can not allow the devil to change who we are because of who you are: a strong, graceful, elegant, and sound of mind family who honors God, in good times and in bad. We are in this test together. And there is nothing you can’t ask of me, ever, but especially in helping you see this test through. I love you, Mommo, very, very much.
Your granddaughter,
Jennifer