As families focus on ‘finds’ at the mall, and another shopping frenzy faces folks the day after Thanksgiving. At our house that day brings back ‘flashbacks’ of Black Friday 2006 forever engraved in my memories.

Yesterday – our ‘flashback’ of that fateful ‘Thanksgiving’ day as we realized our precious, two yr. old granddaughter named Rebecca was sick again. With a constant ear infection, a scraped knee that wouldnt heal, bruises on her little body that she called her ‘owies’. She even cried out in pain when Grammy hugged her.

On that ‘Black Friday’ she had a dr.’s appt. and had bloodwork done. A phone call at 9 pm that nite revealed she had ‘acute lymphoma-leukemia! A death sentence!!!! Had a sword pierced my heart, the horror, the heartache, couldn’t have been worse! I let my Bible fall open as I tried to pray – no words came but I read God’s promises in Psalm 34; often tears came as I read Ps 118:24.

By midnight she was admitted to Children’s Hospital in the ‘Oncology’ floor. Sleepless nights, fears flooding our hearts, days as we watched her being pricked, poked, prodded, as weeks of chemotherapy begin. So we prayed! GOD heard our prayers as our ‘precious’ was a good patient and adjusted to her new life.

After 6 weeks, she came home for Christmas. We didn’t need presents under the tree – having her home was the very best gift. So we prayed as she began a year- long treatment program at Children’s. Some people wear colored ribbons for each kind of cancer; we didnt need one as Rebecca was our reminder. And we prayed!

Today as we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, we see a vibrant, vivacious teen across the table – Rebecca’s now called ‘Becca’ and is 17 years old! An honors student, she plays several kinds of sports, now has her drivers license and her first job. Now we praise GOD for our ‘miracle’ as we practice ‘thanks-living’.

Tomorrow as we face the future, we know GOD has His plan for Becca’s life. And at this Thanksgiving season, we think of those parents sitting by the bed- side of their child stricken with some kind of cancer. Let’s pray daily for GOD’s healing hand on their loved one as well as for those doctors and nurses who care for our precious children.

Libbie ‘Gramma’ Bennett