?Pain is something you can?t ignore. You?re always wondering
what the hurt is for.?
?Pain is something you can?t ignore. You?re always wondering what the hurt is for.? As I listen to the latest song written by Olivia Newton-John, I know exactly what she means. I am sitting in the waiting room of a mammography center while my mom is getting a breast biopsy to determine whether she has cancer or not. Of all the things I thought of writing about this week, this is not what I had in mind, but it seems it is the only thing I can think about.
Six weeks ago, we were told that an ?abnormality? had appeared on her latest mammogram. Between now and then we have been told nothing else, although she has endured several other tests, including an ultrasound and a sonogram. I think the hardest part at this point is just not knowing what we are dealing with.
The doctor tells me the biopsy is going to take four hours, so I go out to shop for the sports bra I?ve been told she?ll need when she comes out of the surgery today. ?A sports bra?? I question the technician. ?Yes, that?s to hold everything as still as possible, so she can heal more quickly,? I am told. ?Any jiggling can cause bruising and bleeding.?
As I shop, the reality begins to set in. What if there really is something seriously wrong; what if I?m going to lose my mom? Just as I am about to start weeping in the drug store, I spot a display advertising various breast care items, such as a pad that makes it easier to detect lumps during self-exams. Among the items on display in observance of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, I see a CD called ?Grace and Gratitude.? The profit from its sale goes to breast cancer research. What could be more perfect? I add it to my collection of Tylenol, surgical gauze, etc.
In the car, I pop in the CD and begin listening. ?We are pearls on a chain,? talks about how in our search for peace, love, and acceptance, we are all interconnected.
The songs include chants from Tibet and Japan, words and prayers from Judaism and Islam, a Latin benediction from the Catholic mass, and a poem by St. Francis of Assisi. ?Tala?al badru ?alayna,? a Muslim call to Allah is side by side with ?You are nowhere; you are everywhere, in the shadows, and in the light, from the valleys to the mountains, I will lift up my eyes,? a song based on Psalm 121. The beautiful music fills my soul with hope.
Olivia collaborated with her good friend Amy Sky to write and produce these songs inspired by her own pain after losing her soul mate, Patrick McDermott, when he disappeared without a trace over a year ago. She recently broke her silence about the ordeal, describing, ?I?ve been through cancer and divorce. Nothing compares to this.?
Research has shown that music can lower stress hormones, slow down brain waves, and actually boost the body?s own healing process. ?No one tradition has a monopoly on health; it is a treasure to be shared by all,? Olivia speaks as a 14-year survivor of breast cancer. ?This knowledge does not take away from the advances of western medicine. I benefited from both! East meets West! Why not embrace all avenues and possibilities??
Olivia was so overwhelmed with grief after losing Patrick, she had to be medicated for 6 months. Creating these songs was therapeutic in helping her to emerge from the shadows. Now she uses her pain to reach out and help others, singing on ?Love is letting go of fear: Remember the wounded bird still sings. Remember that faith has tiny wings.?
No matter what the outcome of my mother?s biopsy, I hope I will have her kind of strength to look for the positives even through the most difficult times, knowing that life, with all its up and downs, is a gift to be cherished with grace and gratitude.
