How the Best Face the Worst

The words jumped at me from the computer screen. Stage IV ovarian cancer!

Robert and Bobbie Wolgemuth have been personal friends for years so when we learned that Bobbie had received this serious diagnosis our hearts went out to our friends and our prayers began in earnest.

Over the last two years the cancer has gone from discovery to treatment and from remission to recurrence. Bobbie is now undergoing more chemotherapy and an experimental clinical trial. 

I hope your prayers will be added to ours for God’s miraculous intervention.  However…  The spirit and faith of Bobbie Wolgemuth has not wavered. Her life is changing my life and the lives of almost every person she meets. She is one of the most positive people I have ever met.  What makes the difference?

Bobbie is surrounded by an amazing loving family.

With each update, Robert sends pictures of a family that has learned to love each other from generations of example. In difficult times a loving family is one of the most comforting, healing, motivating pillars of support a person can have. It is not something to be assembled quickly in the face of trouble. This kind of support springs from the nurture and love demonstrated over many good and bad years. I have been inspired by Robert and Bobbie to continue build that kind of family every single day.

Bobbie leans on an amazing, loving God.

I am sure there have been tears shed during this trial, perhaps even moments of fear. But this family’s faith in God and personal trust in Jesus has not only sustained them, it has radiated like a tsunami of love to encompass all who meet them. From the hospital personnel who administer treatments, to neighbors who benefit from watching that genuine faith demonstrated in Bobbies life, they all know what allows her to radiate love during her fight against this disease. This faith in Christ is not a bandage hastily dug from a box to cover a recent wound.  It is a healing balm that like the tight Wolgemuth family relationship has been nourished for generations.

Bobbie is choosing joy.

Bird Choir

Bobbie is an amazing artist. I opened my e-mail recently to see that painting of that single flower with a bird sitting on top.  (She loves painting birds) The inscription on the painting simply said, “Today, I choose joy.”

The day I received that e-mail was cold and overcast.  I was just finishing a long tour of shows and I was feeling sorry for myself and exceedingly grumpy. The words “Today, I choose joy” jumped out with more power and than “Stage IV ovarian cancer” ever could.

Bobbie was on her way to another difficult treatment and she was bringing stacks of Valentine’s Day cards for her caretakers and other women in treatment at one of the Arnold Palmer Orlando Heath Hospitals. “I choose joy” was one of the cards. Bobbie chooses joy not just for herself but she chooses to bring it to everyone she meets. As she walks the neighborhood recovering from the affects of treatment she prays for neighbors.

Not long ago when I was visiting with Robert and Bobbie, I watched as she walked across a restaurant to greet Arnold Palmer, not to get an autograph but to thank him for establishing the hospital where she gets her treatments.

Someday I will face a challenge greater than any cold overcast day can offer.  Thanks to the life of Bobbie, Robert, the beloved Wolgemuth children and grandchildren, I will be more prepared. They have taught me how the best face the worst. For that I will be eternally grateful.

Embrace Family
Lean on Jesus
Choose Joy