I endured months of chemotherapy and a Stem Cell transplant to rid my body of Multiple Myeloma that had spread up my spine and in my hips and ribs. I was too sick, too tired and too vulnerable to germs to go outside, other than to the hospital for frequent appointments, or as an inpatient.

It felt like I was living in a cave. I couldn't read books due to 'brain fog', so I listened to audiobooks. I practised the art of mindfulness as I crossed the treacherous mountains and dark emotional valleys, lonely deserts and roaring rivers of life.

I was reminded of the Bible stories of Elijah, 1 Kings 19:11-18, and Hagar, Genesis 16 and 21. God whispered to Elijah and gently spoke to Hagar, promising them inner strength and relief.

Although cancer-free now, I grapple with the lasting physical damage to my bones, accepting a slower pace of life while seeking inner peace and patience amidst my ongoing journey of recovery. My life has changed in many ways. This new normal of living at a slower pace is challenging. Beverley Joy.

Desert Mind

I sit here quiet with my desert mind

Wondering why this barren time.

My pace is slow, I thirst to know

How disease became my troubled foe.

I endure through life’s desert storm

I hide in a cave, wondering when, if, tears will rain.

I stand in peace, now that I see

Answers whisper mid mountain tremor

Elijah, Hagar, promised relief, and strength received.

I walk the walk, in contemplative thought

Mountains high, through valleys low

Across desert sands and rivers deep

Oasis relief, meditative breeze.

I stand in peace, now that I see

Answers whisper mid mountain tremor

Elijah, Hagar, promised relief, and strength received.

Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry © 2025 All Rights Reserved

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Thank you for listening.