Tuesdays with Naqvi--The Miracle

I've often heard that "faith precedes the miracle."  Now I can be one to share a personal story of that truth. 

From the beginning of this journey, I started with a study of faith.  I've worked at trying to see the silver linings in all the added challenges that have accompanied this already difficult experience.  It hasn't always been easy to not have all the answers and to take small steps forward without having the control over my life that I like to have, but I've come to understand how that control is often just an illusion if we think all the power lies in our own hands.  Through it all, my study of faith has turned into a change of mind and heart into being more faithful. 

And then came the miracle. 

Last week I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Naqvi because she wasn't able to meet with me during my chemotherapy.  I asked some questions about the timeline for the remainder of my treatment and counseled with her about being able to travel to see my family and attend a wedding in Stephen's family, even though the setback in my last chemo put us a week behind schedule.  Amazingly, she felt that I would be okay to travel and gave me the green light for the trip, with precautions.  That was miracle one.

Since I was already in the office, Dr. Naqvi was interested in the progress chemo had made on my tumor, so she wanted to do a breast exam.  The minute the exam started, she just kept repeating, "Oh. My. God!  Oh.  My. God!...."  I figured that meant that she was extremely happy and that the tumor was tiny.  I asked, "It's good, right?"  Her response:  "I can't even feel a tumor anymore.  It's a miracle!"

Miracles happen.  They happen everyday.  I'm learning that the miracles in our lives do come after the trials of our faith, and maybe that faith turns our hearts and minds in order to see those miracles more clearly and have the ability to more easily recognize the source.