Parts of speech are a lot like Life. Some of them are used more frequently than others, just as some seasons of Life stretch out before us- seemingly and deceptively infinite in nature. Yet Life has a way of placing definitive parentheses around certain seasons and exclamation points after others. Every season and each part of speech has a purpose, a function.

Prepositions- there are nearly 150 in the English language. These small, unassuming words are used more frequently than any other part of speech. “Of, to, in” are among the 10 most frequently used words. Prepositions indicate location or some other relationship between a noun and a pronoun and the other parts of a sentence.

Life is marked by prepositions: after children, before grandchildren, through breast cancer, beside a life partner, and  amid transitions.  A preposition isn’t a preposition unless it goes with a related noun or pronoun affectionately named the object of the preposition. And life- the seasons that bring us Joy and inevitably deliver Sorrow- aren’t really worth the journey without a purpose, a relationship.

We search for that all-encompassing purpose, that elusive function through each season. First we peer through the looking-glass of child-rearing. We can build an entire identity in essay style as we linger here. This season masquerades as if it will last forever, when in reality it lives  briefly and leaves us breathless and wistful- the After.

Before grandchildren and beside your life partner are beautiful moments that leave you smiling as you get to know the man you chose all over again. You take deep, cleansing breaths and enjoy the illusion that this season will last forever.

Through breast cancer is a season that truly doesn’t end- even when you swim your way to survival’s shore. There is always the next blood draw, the annual chest x-ray, the six-month check-up, the waiting and wondering.

Amid all the transitions you gather strength, laughter, and ultimately JOY. You discover that moving on to the next stage, the new season, the big event is really not what Life is about. Life is about a preposition that we often neglect: with…

With is the connection- the bringer of the object of our preposition. With great love, With deep sorrow, With contagious laughter, With abundant JOY. With Jesus.

When you look in the rearview mirror you can see His footprints. After the children are grown, Before the grandchildren arrive, Beside your life partner, Through the breast cancer, Amid each of Life’s transitions.

So in this Christmas season and in the midst of whatever transition you are experiencing, look for the With. And there you will find Him..

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel- which means, “God with us.”  -Matthew 1:22-23

A buffet is always a balancing act. The dinner plate you receive is usually 9 inches in diameter yet the selection of meats, salads, cheeses, soups, fruits, and decadent desserts rivals that of an Elizabethan feast. What to do?

You wait in line and add a succulent serving here, a warm and juicy entree’ there- and then it happens. You add one last culinary treasure and the slide begins. Your chicken is headed south toward your beans and the delectable dessert is hovering oh so precariously on the edge of your plate.

I think journeying through a breast cancer diagnosis is a little like a buffet.  You gratefully accept your plate marking the end of official treatment and then you begin to add on your selections. A regimen of Tamoxifen or another hormone therapy is your entrée. You add a serving of blood work every 3 to 6 months.  Next, add just a pinch of waiting for the results of said blood work. Sidled up next to the waiting is an appointment every 6 months with the oncologist who I will forever refer to as the “Queen Bee.” On the other side of your plate is the annual chest x-ray.  The plate looks rather full but you must save room for a generous heaping of Hope.

Then, the inevitable happens.  That nagging ache or that unusual sense of tiredness creeps in. You try to make room for it on your plate. You wait about a week to see if these new additions are still demanding a spot on your plate.  If so, you manage to squeeze a telephone call in to the “Queen Bee” for an appointment to check out the serving of  nagging ache or unusual sense of tiredness. Oops- you look closer and that generous heaping of Hope is starting to slip. And then it begins to slide off of your plate.  You quickly grab a fork, arrive at said doctor’s appointment, and wait for the “Queen Bee” to proclaim all is well. Her proclamation is delivered and you gingerly push the heaping of Hope back on to your plate.

I wonder if we should change the way we serve the Hope. Maybe instead of adding it to the side we should pour it generously on top of our selections- a gravy for our spirit.

“Now Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” -Hebrews 11:1