Prayers for Meggie

The boys and I just got back from visiting Meggie in California. Although it was absolutely wonderful to be in the sun with people we love, the reason for going wasn't so fun. Meggie found out that her cancer is back but this time its in her liver. After over a year of fighting cancer and after being told that she was cancer-free, this news came as a low blow. Mehgan has decided to fight on and start another round of chemotherapy.  She could really use all the thoughts and prayers that she can get. In case you don't know how great Meggie is already, I will share a little info about her.

One Sunday, when Meggie and I were about 16 or 17, we were sitting through a particularly boring lesson in Sunday school at church. Out of nowhere, Meggie scribbled a note in bold letters on a large piece of paper and held it up to me in a way that allowed all of the guys sitting along the wall in our class to read it. To my horror the note read, "Do you still like Riley?" Now, nothing against Riley, but I never had any feelings for him of any sort and was mortified.  However, there wasn't a thing I could say to defend myself without making the situation any worse. Instead all I could do was blush deeply and try my best to stifle laughter. 

Another example of her prankster side comes from our freshman year in college when I went down to her room on the ground level of our dorm to visit. I found her waiting in her dark room where she whispered something about the group of people standing outside her window and asked me if I knew any of them. Since it was dark in her room I wasn't worried of getting caught and I walked right up to the window and took my time figuring out who was out there. SUDDENLY, Meggie flipped on the light and slammed the door, leaving me lit up in the window only feet away from the group that I was spying on! For the rest of the night, Mehgan tricked other friends of ours into making the same mistake. Some girls tried to hide, some tried to play it off cool, and one even hid under a blanket and crawled across the floor to safety while the group outside looked on. Mehgan always loves a good time and is incredibly quick-witted and funny. These attributes are just a few of the reasons that people like to be around her....even if they do have to watch their back every now and again.

Meggie has always been athletic. I remember watching her sail across the high school football field during a powder puff game where she made the one and only touchdown. During college I went to every one of her intramural games from basketball to volleyball to water polo and about burst with pride that I was there cheering for her. But even though she is truly athletically gifted, she can still build up even the most un-gifted athlete in a way that makes them (me) feel needed on the court. During our Freshman year we would jokingly carry her large stereo down to the basketball court on our shoulders while it thumped all sorts of obnoxious music. There she would patiently play basketball with me while I tried my best to keep up. Other times our basketball games turned into games of "what will you give me if I make a baskedt" that inevitably always ended in one of us (99.9 % of the time it was me) having to perform some humiliating but hilarious dare when the other would make a particularly difficult basket.

Another memory comes from when we were in Merry Miss (a church program that they used to have for 10 and 11 year-old girls) and we had a sleepover party at our teacher's house. I dreaded it because I was so shy and didn't really know the girls in my class that well. Before the night of fun began, our teacher gave a quick lesson on friendship and talked about finding someone who you don't know that well and befriending them. After that, we had snacks and played games into the wee hours of the morning. I say "we" rather loosely since I mostly just quietly watched everyone else have fun while I felt awkward. At one point, I sat quietly drawing a picture of a cartoon bear when I heard Mehgan say, "Wow, Malinda! That bear looks amazing!" I was thrilled to have the most popular girl around say such a nice thing to me...even if the teacher had encouraged us all to look out for the underdog just a little while before! Lucky for me, we became friends and I have felt lucky about that ever since. Even more important than her popularity, Mehgan is devoted, dependable and encouraging; the truest kind of friend of all. Over the years I have watched her quietly include all sorts of people in a way that made them feel special just like I felt as a Merry Miss.

I wish Meggie didn't have to undergo chemotherapy again. But I know that she will come off conqueror, especially with all of our prayers and fasting for her and her family.