I can vividly remember the day of my Norman’s surgery. They were removing the kidney that had a large, cancerous tumor on it. The surgeon asked my husband this question: “Are you ready to meet your maker?” The question, “Are you ready to meet your maker”? caused my husband to ask the surgeon a question: “Do you know my Maker?” They both smiled, and the surgeon said, “I sure do.” The grateful look on the surgeon’s face was matched by the recognition of a brother in Christ on my Norman’s face. They chatted a bit more and then Norman was taken to surgery. That question brought me to tears as I realized that this was yet another indicator of how seriously ill my husband was. Stage four renal cell carcinoma, or kidney cancer, has a low survival rate. The five-year survival rate is 17%, which means 17 out of 100 people may still be alive after five years. Some live longer, but many don’t make it that far. As I sat in the waiting room crying quietly, a nurse walked in. She asked me what was wrong, and I told her about my Norman’s cancer prognosis and how this was all so sudden and hard. That’s when she made a statement that I have never forgotten: “Oh honey, she said, “We are ALL terminally ill.” She hit me with the truth. We know our birthdays, but only God knows the day of our death. When a loved one is terminally ill, there are many things to face. In this brief episode, I’ll provide suggestions for walking through this challenging time. These are not in-depth solutions. In fact, if this is not the first time you’ve had a loved one who was terminally ill, you could add to this short list easily. These are just some things I wish someone had shared with me when I was walking this road. Workplace Protections for Individuals Impacted by Cancer (mentioned in the episode) VISIT THE SHOP AT KEEP THE HEART BOOK CLUB FAVORITE: Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions What Do I Have to Lose: A 50-Day Devotional (Book Two) by Janice Wolfe From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram Like Keep the Heart on Facebook