Anniversaries! Why do we care so much about them? I’m not talking about the wedding kind, that’s a no-brainer.

I am thinking of the ones that signify an event in our lives that is usually not so positive. Like the day the doctor told us we had cancer, for example, or the date we had a car accident, something tragic that sears into our memory bank…

I experienced something like that last week. On Thursday I went for my oncology appointment to be instructed on how to use my cancer medication. I have never thought of getting medication a “life event”, but when you have cancer, life is never the same, for sure. All sorts of thoughts running through my head, like, “Am I making a mistake? Is it too soon to be doing this? Are they making a mistake? Is this really happening?” And to make matters worse, because of Covid-19 I had to attend the appointment alone, so my emotions were flooding in while I waited by myself in the quiet examination room.

Earlier in the week, I had decided I would wait to start the medication the next day from the appointment which would be May 29. Then I looked at the calendar and realized that this date already held meaning. It was the date my mother-in-law had passed, nine years earlier. I thought to myself, “I will never forget the date my treatment started.”

My husband and I got to talking about the significance of dates and how the same date effects people differently. Like how his sisters were posting on social media how much they miss Mom…and how the brothers forgot the date entirely! But one thing they all agree upon: they loved their mother, even though she was not the model parent. After awhile, the memories fade, and it becomes harder and harder to remember her, unless you purposely put effort into reminiscing.

Do you feel forgotten or abandoned by the God of the universe? I tell you with authority this is impossible! We are so busy trying to control the details of our lives that we forget to remember the day: the very day we became a child of God. But God does not forget!

That day in the cancer center examination room, I was not all alone as I previously stated, but Jesus was there with me. He has been with me through so many good times and bad. Since I gave my heart and soul to Him in August of 1996, I have not always trusted in Him like I should, but He was and is always trustworthy. He has been so patient with me, like a father is to his young child. I turned my thoughts toward Him on Thursday, and I was instantly comforted.

The Bible says:

“Zion says, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me” (Isaiah 49:14-16)

Are you feeling alone in your health trial? Do you feel like no one really understands what you are feeling? God knows every thought you have, every question, every fear. He knows your body inside and out. He knows the number of our days, and promises to walk with you if you choose His son. He wants to turn your sadness into joy.