WHATEVER IS, IS BEST — or IS IT?

WHATEVER IS, IS BEST                                      
I know as my life grows older
    And mine eyes have clearer sight,
That under each rank wrong somewhere
    There lies the root of Right;
That each sorrow has its purpose,
    By the sorrowing oft unguessed;
But as sure as the sun brings morning,
    Whatever is, is best.

I know that each sinful action,
    As sure as the night brings shade,
Is somewhere, some time punished,
    Though the hour be long delayed.
I know that the soul is aided
    Sometimes by the heart’s unrest,
And to grow means often to suffer–
    But whatever is, is best.

I know there are no errors
    In the great Eternal plan,
And all things work together
    For the final good of man.
And I know when my soul speeds onward,
    In its grand eternal quest,
I shall say as I look back earthward,
    Whatever is, is best.  

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The above is one of my favorite poems and one which summarizes how I have viewed life itself over the years.  I have always thought that things, good or bad, happen for a reason.  I believed that we can learn from each life occurrence and that as we learn we are prepared for the next life lesson that is ahead. 

But now I have cancer and even though I still believe what is happening to me must have some purpose, I find it harder to easily maintain the perspective, “whatever is, is best.”

It is hard to believe that having cancer is best in any way whatsoever.  It is hard to believe that having cancer is a lesson that is needed in my life in any possible way.  How can having cancer be best for me?  For anyone?

The final stanza of the poem states that “when my soul speeds onward, in its grand eternal quest, I shall say as I look back earthward, whatever is, is best.”  I hope this is true for me, and true for all cancer patients.  For it will be from this looking back that we can find purpose for the illness that has so infected our lives and the lives of those that love us.  For me, it will be with great joy that I see this purpose and celebrate that I was one of the lucky ones, one of the many that have navigated the cancer road.

Change, Grow, Evolve

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