Is Cancer Contagious?

We have so many hopes and dreams for our children.
And so many of these do not come to fruition.


My children are journeying into experiences I never imagined they would be at their ages.
Mine are the first in their circle of friends to introduce the word "divorce" into their friends' vocabularies.
Words do not express how that has broken my heart.
I've imagined the conversations between these friends and their respective parents.
Questions.
Confusion.
I've seen the perplexed looks on friends' faces when I see them on Sundays and have to explain that my children are not with me that day.  They'll be back at church next week.
*sigh*


So much that children don't understand.
But as they grow and mature, and face new circumstances, 
New questions arise.


One day last week, my daughter asked me,
"Mommy, Is cancer contagious?"


What?
Random.
Odd.
Bewildering.

One of my dearest friends is the mother of my daughter's best friend.

This mother is fighting, and beating, cancer.

Cancer. Another word newly introduced.

Questions.

Confusion.

This time from my own children directed to me.

This dear friend of mine is crafty.  And creative.  And clever.

Many, many things I am not.

She has crocheted both of my children baby blankets.

And for my birthday this year, in the midst of chemo treatments, she crocheted me a beautiful, soft, yellow blanket.

I treasure it.

It is gold to me.

And, unbeknownst to me, just prior to this random question posed by my angel-girl, she was rifling through a box of hand-me-downs in my closet, and she found this blanket my friend made me.  And questions arose in her precious 8-year-old mind.


Logical line of thinking, to her.


So, we chatted.  About cancer.  What it is.  Where it comes from.
And that it is definitely not contagious.
I will not catch it from snuggling my precious blanket.


Friends, our children are bombarded.
From without and within.


And as I held her closely, and tried to reassure her innocent mind, I prayed for her future.
So many new issues to be quickly introduced.
Childhood is fleeting.


God, strengthen my babies with your Armor.