A prayer for Ryan

See the end of this post for the story of this image

Fellow D-Blogger Meri from Our Diabetic Life, still needs our support as her husband continues his battle with cancer.  After reading the latest update, I felt compelled me to write this.

For the latest info, please click on this GiveForward site or visit the Schuhmacher Family Miracle Facebook page. On the GiveForward site, you can also make a donation to help the family with the financial burden due to the ongoing medical treatment.

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Dear God,

Ryan and Meri Schuhmacher are challenged with raising three of their four children with diabetes, and deal with that challenge with strength, confidence, and courage.  The family has been a vocal advocate and has been an inspiration and a role-model to countless others throughout the world.  Through all the obstacles which have faced them, their faith in You has not wavered.  Today, the family is confronted with an even bigger challenge, and while traditional medical treatments have faltered, they continue to put their faith in You and in their team of doctors. While Ryan’s health improves at times, those improvements are paired with setbacks, taking a physical toll on Ryan and an emotional toll on his family and many others who care.  People all around the world are rallying in prayer and moral support to help see the family through this difficult time, with the hopes that Ryan’s cancer goes into remission.

Please, may Ryan be granted the gift of health.  May the entire family be imbued with the emotional strength, courage, and perseverance to overcome the perils of cancer.  May these parents once again be able to focus their complete attention on their children, without need for the children to worry about their parent.  Their’s is a good, wholesome family, and I can think of no one more deserving of Your blessing than this family.  May this be this God’s will. Amen.

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Mi-sheberakh avoteinu v’imoteinu, Avraham v’Sarah, Yitzhak v’Rivkah, Ya’akov, Rachel v’Leah hu y’varekh et Ryan Schuhmacher v’yavi aleihem refuat hanefesh u’refuat haguf yachad im kol cholei amo Yisrael. Barukh atah Adonai, rofeh ha’cholim.  Amen.

May the One who was a source of blessing for our ancestors: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah; bring blessings of healing upon Ryan Schuhmacher, a healing of body and a healing of spirit. May those in whose care they are entrusted be gifted with wisdom and skill, and those who surround them be gifted with love and trust, openness and support in their care. And may they be healed along with all those who are in need. Blessed are You, Source of healing.­ Amen.

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The above is a traditional Jewish prayer for healing (there are several variations), used countless times to pray for the health of Jews and non-Jews alike.  I included it because it is the one with which I am most familiar, and I believe its message to be complete yet concise. Personally, I believe that prayer is highly individualized and should be done in the way that a person is most comfortable to them, irrespective of any particular religious beliefs (or lack thereof).  Please take a moment out of your day to channel some of your own thoughts of hope towards Ryan, Meri, their kids, and the family.

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About the image at the top of this post:  One bright, sunny day about a month ago, I was sitting at home writing a blog entry (still unpublished) about religion.  While in the middle of a paragraph pertaining to Ryan, my son pointed out the window and exclaimed “Daddy, look! A rainbow!”  I was in disbelief considering the weather, but he was right. As I stepped outside to snap a picture, just a handful of raindrops fell — then they stopped.  It was just barely enough rain to create that image – the image of natural beauty and inspiration – and to sustain it while I photographed it.  Why did the rainbow make its unexpected appearance at precisely that time?  I can’t say for sure, but maybe it’s a sign that someone’s listening.

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Also related: this post on RITD, from March 1, 2012.