A CLOUDY DAY

A Journey
January 13,2008
A Journey Through Cancer
By Muffet Dolar Villegas
The Battle Goes On


It is a cloudy day at the beach, and the pictures I take show no excitement, the colors are drab. The sea reflects the gray skies. But as the sun comes out and the rays find its right places, shadows emerge and the ordinary bangka (canoe) transforms into a beautiful lighted vessel against the backdrop of blue green waters and gleaming sand.
My two little friends, Miggy and Abby frolic in the beach looking for hermit crabs. Miggy is my prayer warrior and Abby is my little model for painting. Their laughter combined with the sound of the waves is life in a nutshell.
The shadows of life is important to superimpose the essence of living. It is not easy to linger in the the shadows, but it makes us appreciate the sunshine. There are ferns that thrives in the shadows and there are plants that explodes in colors only in summer. Both are friends. In one time or another , all of us have passed the shadows and enjoyed the sunshine even more because we knew how it was without it.
In painting, we need the shadows to highlight our focal point. The focus of the subject brings all the emotions that captures the painter and the viewer. The soul of the painting vibrates when we strike the balance of light and dark. All the other objects must play in the shadows to give drama to the main character.
I am three years now since I was diagnosed with breast cancer that was immediately followed by radical mastectomy and chemotherapy. The battle goes on.
Life has changed then. It has become more meaningful, just like today.
Time flies so fast, and without God and your prayers, I won’t be able to survive those valleys of shadows.
The most beautiful part of this journey is touching God through you. The reason behind a person’s strengths, hope, faith, triumphs in life is because someone, somewhere, prayed. I will go through my routine medical tests on the last week of this month, and thank you for the prayers.
When God allows us to walk in the shadow of death, His presence comforts us in spite of fear and pain. His love is magnified when we need it most.
Philip Brookes once said, “Do not pray for easy times. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”
If you have time, please visit my blog to see some of my paintings which I am able to document. www.muffetvillegascancerart.blogspot.com