Musings: Standing In The Gap, by Becky Green

While at M. D. Anderson, we do lots of walking around from place to place for appointments, mailing letters, exercising by walking 30 minutes a day across the Skybridge, going to the indoor park for lunch, attending classes provided by the Wellness Center, plus lots of ups and downs on stairs and escalators, but mostly on elevators. I have noticed that as one steps into the elevator, a “ring” occurs that continues until entering the elevator. I have also noticed that if one wants to hold the elevator for a husband or another patient or family member, one can stand in that gap between outside the elevator and inside, the “ring” will continue and the elevator will wait. So, I began thinking about “standing in the gap.”

I see a lot of “standing in the gap” around M. D. Anderson - nurses, bus drivers, caregivers and other patients. And it occurred to me that standing in the gap is something that we can do for others, sometimes with only a little effort. All it requires is a need and someone who is able and willing to fill the need. For example, if I see someone approaching an elevator, sometimes I will “stand in the gap” so the person can catch the elevator and not have to wait. Easy! But there are myriads of other ways one can stand in the gap. All we need is eyes to see and a willingness to serve.

Sometimes it only takes one person to stand in the gap and fill a need. Ezekiel 22:30 tells of one of those times: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” So the Lord said that he would consume them with his fiery anger. So sad. It would have taken only one.

Sometimes standing in the gap requires a lot. I recall a mountain climbing trip when a particular juncture required a “committing step.” The gap was too wide for me to cross, so my son wedged his body in the gap and I was able to step across safely on his back. But of course, the supreme example of standing in the gap requiring a lot, was our Lord Jesus. He gave his life, stood in the gap between man and God and paved the way from our earthly home to our heavenly home. May we follow his example, obey God’s will and stand in the gap for others.

Encounters Along the Cancer Trail

My dear Christian brother, Willard Tate, died last night -- from cancer. He has been in home hospice for a while so his death was not unexpected. But it has put me in a reflective mood. What I am thinking is that I have lost friends, found new friends, become closer to some of my (already) friends, and come to know some friends of friends. All of this while walking the cancer trail. Let me give you some examples from the last few days.

Of course, one of the friends that I have lost is Willard Tate. He went into hospice long after I came to Houston to stay for about 100 days. But I had hoped to see him again. That was a selfish hope - it was for me, not him. He is better off now. I pray that his family will have peace and comfort in this sad time.

This morning as I was leaving the bed area towing my tower to take a 30 minute walk, I saw Nancy. Nancy is the caregiver for her daughter Katie who recently had a stem cell transplant, and Nancy was staying at the same apartment complex as us. We would see her and visit with her at we rode back and forth to the hospital. Then I was surprised to see Katie walk up. She is already out of the hospital and doing well. Katie has a little one-year old daughter, so that is especially difficult, but the baby gives the mother motivation for working hard on her healing. I had given them one of Randy Becton's books when I first met them. They are from Louisiana.

Some friends we have become closer to are the Hughes: Franklin, Jackie, and Samantha. Samantha is the freshman at ACU who has a cancerous tumor spread throughout the middle area of her body. This family is in our care group at UCC, but we are walking the cancer trail together here at M. D. Anderson. They visit me when they can, and we visit them when we can. We pray together, and share our good news and bad news. So we are becoming closer day by day. Please pray that Samantha will know when to stop the chemo and have surgery to remove the tumor. Incidentally, I gave the Hughes a copy of Randy Becton's book.

Finally, just a few days ago when we got on the shuttle, a young girl with an Abilene Christian University shirt got on behind us. I struck up a conversation with her, and before we had exchanged two or three sentences of greeting, an elderly man across the aisle said, "Do you know Jim Bradford?" This man is Ken Stone, and he and Jim became friends when they were both in school at the University of Oklahoma. This was a long time ago because Jim was a graduate student at that time. They have been friends ever since. We had a good visit, and I gave him a copy of Randy Becton's book. Then yesterday we saw him and his wife again on the shuttle and I found out that he has a Gruver connection. He is distantly related to the Holt family who have lived at Gruver for as long as I can remember. He even came to Gruver as a part of a wheat harvest crew one time. Finally I made a connection to the Stone name. I mentioned that I used to go with mother to visit a Mrs. Stone in the Spearman nursing home. He immediately said, "Aunt Ida." His aunt Ida raised his dad for a while after the dad's mother died and before his granddad remarried. I e-mailed Jim, and we now have a three-way conversation by email. Jim was unaware that Ken had cancer and he has now put Ken at the top of his daily prayer list, right below me.

Life along the cancer trail is interesting.