What would we do without you?

This is Roni writing:

Without our faith -- and without the support of so many who help to bolster out faith when we're having a hard day -- I don't know how we'd get through those hard days. Not to mention that there'd be a lot more of them, if not for you.

And without being able to share the joys and challenges in the lives of so many we love -- helping us to lift our eyes from our own struggles -- the quality of our life would be tremendously diminished.

After a very frustrating (putting it mildly) phone call with our oncologist this morning (see separate entry if you've not yet heard about it), I sent out a sort of S.O.S. prayer request to Kevin's immediate family, my immediate and extended family and my congregation. I just returned home after an afternoon of errands to find many emails assuring us of prayer, love and support. It did so much to bolster me--more than I know how to express.

I keep saying that your prayers and kind and encouraging words help more than you can know. Now science is backing me up.

The following excerpts (in italics) are from an article entitled "God Help Us" printed in Time Out New York's Oct. 16-23, 2003 issue. (Thanks Marlene S. for the photocopy). The article is about the power of prayer and meditation in healing. It focuses in part on the findings of a recently completed study of Tibetan monks, which measured positive affects of meditation on the brain, shedding more light on the mind-body connection. I read a similar article based on the same study a few months ago in Time magazine.

Keep those cards, emails and phone messages coming!
The Time Out New York article quotes Veruschka Biddle, a psychologist who coauthored a book about the relationship between "Spiritual Healing" and healing from cancer. He says,
Cancer patients are so physically and emotionally drained, but when you work to bolster their sense of spirit, suddenly many of them are able to get stronger. [I knew that!] We have seen some dramatic improvements.

Prayer Works
Some people believe—and some research suggests—that praying for others works... '"There have been eight studies published on the effects of remote prayer, five of which showed statistically positive results," says Larry Dossey, a physician... The article goes on to describe how patients improved in a triple blind study (they didn't know they were being prayed for.)

We also know that sometimes people who are prayed for don't get better. It's not because the prayer was "not enough" or "not right." As Kevin often says, "G-d always answers prayer. 'No' is also an answer." We also know with perfect faith that all of G-d's works are done in faithfulness.

What answer we receive is in the hands of a sovereign, loving G-d. Praying is in our hands. We are so grateful to be in the prayers so many and also for the many ways that G-d has already graciously answered "yes."

Why You Shouldn't "Spare Us" from Your Problems or to quote 1,000 Maniacs, "Trouble me, disturb me with all your cares and your worries."

It's actually good for us! The article states:

...in the tests on the Tibetan monks, the greatest increases in left-prefrontal-cortex activity [the part of the brain associated with feelings of happiness, alertness and well-being] occurred when they performed a type of meditation in which they focus on compassion for others, which is akin to praying for the well-being of others. There were also strong results associated with meditation that focus on devotion.