Scarface

Scarface
I recently had my second spot of skin cancer removed from my face which will cause me to have a scar. I know that there are ways to reduce the visibility of scars but because this has happened to me I have been thinking about scars, both physical and emotional. This can be a heavy subject but since I am writing a blog and not a book, I will try to be short and sweet.
My first thought is that a scar represents where I have been but it does not have to represent where I am going.  The good news is that no matter what has happened, we get to choose how we respond and in doing so can have some say in our future.
My skin cancer represents many years of living on a farm in Minnesota as a boy. It also represents 30 plus years of not letting snow or rain or gloom of night or sunshine keep me from my appointed rounds as a letter carrier for the US Postal Service.
Let me give you some options I have when I look at my scar.  I know this is very simplified but I think you will understand what I want to say. One option is to be mad at myself for not wearing a hat or using sun screen lotion. I could also be afraid that more cancer will show up in the future. I could blame my wife or my boss for not making me wear a hat. I do not like these options because they will take me to a place I do not want to go.
Cowboy Rick
The option I like is to be thankful for all the good years this scar represents. When I look at my scar, I could think of all the doctors and nurses that helped me and all the people that prayed for me. That makes me feel very blessed. In addition, I could be thankful for the faith and patience, also for the strength and endurance that going through hard things can bring. After all, I want to be an overcomer. You can't do that without something to overcome. The point is that I do not want what has happened to me to define who I am or who I can be.
Let me end with a funny story.  Many of you know that I am now a school bus driver. Because of my skin cancer I wear a broad rimmed hat  from Costco just like the doctor told me to do. Usually I take my hat off when I am inside the bus. One day I was filling in for a lady driving elementary kids. For no specific reason I kept my hat on that day. Some of the kids were very outgoing and as a result we had some good banter going.  The next day the bus lady asked her kids how it went with the substitute driver. "He was so cool," they said. "He was a real cowboy." I find that hilarious. Those of you who know me know that I am no where close to being a cowboy. But now, when I look at my scar, I can think of that story and smile.       Just a thought

Be sure to check back next week when I talk about what led me to write my blog and why I want people to read it.  I call it "Finding Your Passion."

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