It's a trite but true cliché that the best sermons are lived, not spoken. In this case, selflessness and love were the themes of the homily.
Lois Moyer had persevered through many trials during her life. She even had to endure the worst fate that can befall a parent - her only child died of cancer when he was just in his early 20s.
Yet, her life was marked by generosity. She gave freely of her time as family member, friend and neighbor, and her talents as a nurse. In addition, she made quiet monetary contributions to dozens of good causes and needy individuals.
Lois' last living sermon began with a sore throat. It persisted for weeks and a doctor's visit wound up with her receiving antibiotics as a remedy. Unfortunately, the condition grew steadily worse.
An old friend finally got her to revisit the doctor after Lois' brother unsuccessfully and repeatedly tried to convince her to seek medical attention.
The doctor's visit did not last long; just long enough only for her to be told to go to an emergency room immediately because the throat problem affected her breathing.
Hours later, the problem was a mystery no longer. She had anaplastic thyroid cancer, the rarest and deadliest of thyroid cancers. Surgery to remove it was impossible because it had a tentacle-like grip on the other parts of her throat.
The immediate course of action was to do a tracheotomy so she could breathe and install a feeding tube in her stomach so she could get nutrition. Even though she could not speak, Lois could communicate by writing notes and by mouthing what she wanted to say.
After Lois had been told that she most likely had only a few months to live, she could have focused on her problems. No one would have blamed her if she had bitterly asked, "Why?"
Instead, she assigned her brother an important task. He was to go to her home and retrieve three birthday cards - one for his wife, another for Lois' best friend and the third for the friend's daughter. She also told him how much money to put in each.
Her brother brought the cards to the hospital, where Lois asked her sister-in-law to step out of the room. Then she signed the cards and had her sister-in-law return so she could give her card to her. As if that effort were not enough, Lois had also arranged for the nurses and aides to pick up a birthday cake!
Less than two months later, Lois Moyer lost her battle with cancer. However, the sermon that she lived and the generosity of the way she loved will live on as reminders that God's goodness is evident in good people in the midst of terrible hardships.
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The flower of God's love
can bloom in the harshest of conditions.