Words of Wisdom

All Rita wanted to do was be left alone. She wondered why people choose to call, come by, or just talk more when your life suddenly takes a turn for the worst. After receiving the news that she had cancer, life suddenly stopped that day. She took the long way home from the doctor’s office.

As tears rolled down Rita’s face, she asked the Lord, “what did I do now?” The fear of dying was not the issue. What plagued her mind the most was thoughts of her mom. She did not want her mom to go through the tragedy of losing another daughter. Five years ago, she tragically lost her sister, Rose, when she was murdered in her home. Even though having cancer is not as tragic as being murdered, just having her mother watch her die if the treatments did not work was tragic for Rita to watch.

In her heart, Rita believed that children should bury their parents. At least that should be the order. She has seen news coverages and read countless articles of parents who described how they felt at the time and how they still feel years later. She seen how long it took her mother to get over the loss of her sister.

“No, not my mom, Lord,” she told herself.

Rita had to get away to get her thoughts together. How can others process the news when she was having a hard time processing it herself? She booked herself a reservation at Fort Luxury Ranch. She called her job and ask for three days off.

When she arrived at the ranch the next day, she was in awe of the peacefulness and was captivated by its beauty. The cabin was rustic ranch style elegance with an open layout, large ceiling to floor windows, a huge patio, and a walking path that led to a creek. All the space she needed to write down her thoughts in her journal and plan how she was going to tell her mom and children about the cancer.

The first word she wrote in her journal was “GUIDANCE.” She needed guidance from someone who will listen and respect her feelings and thoughts about the situation. A person that will respond in a way that is not giving advice or telling her what to do. Rita called her pastor. He allowed her to talk without interruptions. He led her through the valley up to the mountain with a word from the Lord. He, also, reassured her that he was there for her if she or the kids needed anything.

With everything that the pastor gave her to absorb, the second thing Rita wrote in her journal was “NO FUNERAL.” Rita does not like funerals. When her grandfather died when she was nine, her parents told her that a funeral was a “going home party.” After it was over, she told herself that that was one going home party that she did not want for herself. A party is supposed to be a joyous occasion. Why is everyone crying? Someone being taken from the world is not joyous. Then, she cried herself to sleep.

The next day, she decided to go walking. The atmosphere was so inviting. She walked to the creek. She stood there as the sun beamed down on her and the wind blew on her face and through her hair. She laid out a blanket and relax under the large old oak tree and took a nap. She was awakened by the sound of a night owl two hours later.

This was the first time that Rita has seen a night owl. Its face and chest were pearl white with black and brown wings. It was beautiful.

She heard stories about how owls are the perfect messengers between worlds and how they magically show up when you should listen and trust yourself. The night owl was sending her a message. As Rita stared at the night owl and he stared back, she gracefully received the message.

The owl told her, “You needed this time to think. You needed to get away from everything that has been holding you back. You never take time out for yourself. You have been worried about everyone else, now is the time for you worry about yourself. Your life is going to change and it will change for the better. Do not let your diagnosis been the end. Stop crying and gather the courage to tell your family because you are the one that’s going to be the strongest. Why? Because if you lose the fight, you will still have won the battle. The battle is your memory. Leave a happy and everlasting memory that they will want to tell everyone. When you think you cannot go any further, push yourself and smile through pain after it hits. When you look at your family, see the love and not their actual faces. I have bestowed upon you much wisdom.”

The owl, then, flew away.

Rita gathered her stuff and walked back to the cabin. She wrote in her journal everything that the night owl told her.

The next morning, she gathered her things and left with a smile on her face. She was ready to face her family and the world with a whole new perspective.

--The End