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Inspiring Voices - Pamela Scott

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According to the Bible, when Jesus walked on water, His disciple Peter wanted to join him. Peter did walk on water until he took account of the wind stirring up an angry sea; he sank because he could not put the upsetting sounds of thunder and lightning out of his fears. Cancer is like the storm that caused Peter to sink. The bad news overwhelms us, and though so many strides have been made toward the treatment of cancer, we focus on the bad news. Its almost impossible unless we learn to rely on what we do not hear and cannot always see, the workings of God in our lives. This little book was a gift from God to me during the forty days of Easter of 2012. I had a divine idea to write every day for forty days as my Lenten resolution. On Good Friday, it was finished. What emerged was Gods gift to a sinking woman. Its not over until God says its over, despite the prognosis.

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Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Inspiring Voices
Date de parution	10 octobre 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781462407514
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0300€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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One Foot in Heaven
A Journey of Faith through Cancer
PAMELA SCOTT

Copyright © 2013 Pamela Scott.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Inspiring Voices
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
1-(866) 697-5313

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0750-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0751-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013950474

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 10/01/2013

CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1: One Foot in Heaven
Chapter 2: Heavenly Hope
Chapter 3: Heaven on Earth
Chapter 4: Building Bridges
Chapter 5: Listening to Heaven
Chapter 6: All Truths Lead to God
Chapter 7: Suffering
Chapter 8: Death
Biography

Introduction
There are no words to express the magnitude of each single soul on earth. Individual value is eternal and priceless. This is a truth learned through a lifetime. I believe one of our greatest human desires is to be known and be loved. I have found this to be especially true with my children and grandchildren, my nieces and nephews. There is so little time in our world today to clarify our beliefs and share what we believe is important to a life well lived. We all have to find our own paths to this knowledge. We frantically pursue happiness, sometimes unaware that being known comes only through sharing our time with others and establishing love relationships that surpass generations and lifetimes.
This little book is my attempt to be intimately known and to reveal to my family and friends some of the truths I have learned. All the thoughts I would like to share with my loved ones are lost in a time warp of current existence. Life is busy and wisdom does not often come into focus unless we take time to pursue the basic questions and listen to our souls. Sitting down with someone we love to exchange wisdom is rare.
My life with cancer has offered me the opportunity to get back in touch with the most significant life issues. Facing death brings new priorities and perspectives. For me, these are the ultimate truths gleaned from years of living. Through a life of making mistakes, following wrong paths, and fostering self-centered attitudes, I have come out of the darkness and into the light of gratitude, sharing time, loving unconditionally, and coming to terms with mortality. The content of my stories and the life-giving sustenance they have brought to my own life may, in some way, offer something good to someone else—a lifeline, perhaps, or a new form of guidance. This is my hope. This is my reason for wanting to be known.

CHAPTER 1 One Foot in Heaven
She said you know what heaven is like?
& I said I wasn’t sure & she laughed
& said grown-ups didn’t know much at all
about important stuff & I said I had to agree with her
even though I was one of them myself.
—BRIAN ANDREAS

F ROM BIRTH TO DEATH, EVERY human being has one foot in Heaven. The Heavenly foot keeps us aimed toward goodness and love. The earthly foot keeps us grounded in earthly concerns. On our best days, life is a good gift. On our worst days, it is a veil of tears. I believe that life is meant as a practice ground for getting love right. It takes a lifetime to learn that love is in its highest form only when it is unconditional. It also takes a lifetime to realize that the knowledge of death is our reminder to make the most of the time we are given. I’ve never been to Heaven, but my pages of earth have a Heavenly margin. I see Heaven in people, especially in children. I see Heaven in nature, especially in the stars. I see Heaven in God’s rainbow. I see Heaven in the random acts of kindness humans do for one another—sometimes not so random. My capacity for love has grown since I turned toward Heaven.
I knew a woman once who was close to death. I wanted to talk to her about her feelings and fears. She would not believe she was dying. Her faith never wavered. She believed that God would heal her before death came. He took her home to Heaven anyway, which is a form of healing, but I felt bereft that we never talked about such an important event in her life and in mine. I took from the sadness a belief that when my time came, I would share the insights I could gather in the hopes of alleviating some of my own fear and leaving behind a thread to follow.
I received my cancer diagnosis two days before my sixtieth birthday on December 22, 2004. That day has changed the way I look at life and death. Life is no longer something I take for granted. I have come to the realization that I have lived my life unconsciously, waking for brief moments of clarity and thoughtfulness but returning to a sort of stupor.
Consciousness teaches us how little we truly know. Those who would have us plan our lives from beginning to end surround us in our society. Take charge, set goals, redefine self, and take care of number one. Though it is all good to a point, this plan doesn’t include those things that control us, such as illness seems to want to do. To discover a mission and a purpose for a fulfilling life, sometimes we have to listen to what our souls are saying. That ember inside each of us, which reflects the light of God, is our guide. God is in the fine points, though I often forget to notice Him.
When I think of God, I think of a masculine and feminine spirit. If I leave out either aspect, there is not the balanced depth to God’s mind. To consider God as male or female is to diminish spiritual understanding. He made both male and female in His image, and so for me, God is the great I AM.
It is easy for me to get a glimpse of God’s spiritual love by watching a beloved dog named Sammy. Many domesticated animals give us all their love without condition, without reserve. When I think of a joyful heart, I remember Sammy waiting patiently for his mistress, my friend, to come through her patio gate. He looks to her for a toss of the beloved, bedraggled toy that sends him bounding from one end of the room to the other, only to repeat the play until both are exhausted. The bountiful joy of animals, especially dogs, gives us a picture of God’s heart toward us. Any attention toward Him, no matter how small, gives our God joy. My belief in God has given me strength to surmount obstacles that ordinarily would have destroyed me. Cancer has been one of those devastating experiences in my life.
Whether I pray in gratitude or supplication, I can transform my mind. I have found that peace comes from love and gratitude, despite the worst of circumstances.

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