Surviving Cancer: A Poet's Arduous Journey of Love and Lament, Verse by Verse.

By Robert Weinhofer

A poet's arduous journey of love and lament, verse by verse.

Please read this book's content, and discover life at its best and its worst.

There are many defining moments in life. The moment which defines my life is when I rang the bell at Penn Medicine, in Philadelphia, which put an exclamation point to the last of my 30 radiation treatments for cancer of the larynx. Because of my wife, our four children, seven grandchildren and dear friends, I have survived the darkest days in my life. I can never thank them enough. On the field called life, it’s not about watching from the side lines, it’s about participating in daily living and giving your heart and soul to making yourself wiser and healthier, and to helping those near and dear to you reach their goals. This book is dedicated to all those brave souls, who fight the good fight and never give up when unforeseen disease strikes them down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Sep 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781649792099

Robert Weinhofer

Robert Weinhofer was born in a small town in Pennsylvania. He served for two years in the military during the Vietnam War. He received an associate degree from Northampton Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree from East Stroudsburg University. He retired in 2013 as director of the Northampton Borough Recreation Centre. He resides in Bangor, PA.

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About the Author

Robert Weinhofer was born in a small town in Pennsylvania. He served for two years in the military during the Vietnam War. He received an associate degree from Northampton Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree from East Stroudsburg University. He retired in 2013 as director of the Northampton Borough Recreation Centre. He resides in Bangor, PA.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife, Linda, whose love and support and caregiving have instilled within me the fighting spirit to overcome the challenges in surviving cancer. To our children and grandchildren, words can never describe my feelings for them.

Copyright Information ©

Robert Weinhofer (2021)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Weinhofer, Robert

Surviving Cancer

ISBN 9781649792075 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781649792082 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781649792099 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021914865

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published (2021)

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

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Acknowledgment

I would like to thank the Boys Club from our church for listening and encouraging me to write words that reach out from my heart. When I could not recite my poetry, one of the members would step forward and be my voice. That is the true meaning of friendship. What a lonely life it would be if I didn’t have friends to share joy and laughter with me about 10.

I also want to give a shout out to my sister-in-law. During my radiation treatments, which lasted for six weeks, Monday through Friday, Marge opened her home to my wife and me. She offered us lodging and food during that entire time. Her kindness and generosity are measureless.

A Dear Friend

Since the dawn of civilization, human life has had a beginning and an end.

And one of the greatest achievements in the life of a human being

is to earn the love and respect of a dear friend.

To know someone truly, cares for you, is it not a heaven-sent blessing?

Through the passage of time, I have often thought about a friend’s compassion and trust.

How do I put down in words the true meaning of a friend?

What I do know is that time, the relentless thief of life, can never turn friendship to dust.

And, when we are drawn closer to Heaven’s gate, a dear friend will be with us to the end.

When the raging storms in life are becoming more severe as the years fly by.

And when you think you have reached the summit of your life-long days.

A dear friend is always there to try to answer your questions that begin with a simple why.

His or her love will never abandon you as you travel life’s treacherous ways.

The worthiness of a dear friend is that he or she will never elicit tears of doubt.

And through the darkness of grief a dear friend will always be there to offer a shoulder to lean on.

True friendship is an ideal that finds sanctuary in a caring heart; it can never be bought.

One of the greatest wonders of life is the ability of a dear friend to go above and beyond.

But sometimes in life, true friendship pays a terrible cost.

It looks helplessly through the window of time, knowing that nothing lasts forever.

And there is an emptiness in one’s heart when a trusted and honorable friend is lost.

A world of pain and sorrow, they soon will discover.

Memories of a dear friend lost never truly die.

They are forever nestled in one’s heart and soul.

In the vault of a thoughtful mind, they forever lie.

And through the hardships of life, the wonder of friendship is always there to console.

Always and Forever

My dearest darling, let us always remember when we were young.

When our love for each other streaked across the night sky,

and that celestial love was aglow like a fiery rocket.

Let us never forget that wonderful Valentine’s Day

when winter laid down its snow-white blanket.

It was on that magnificent day our undying love for each other had just begun.

The days of our youth have long since come and gone,

but a lifetime of memories like beautiful roses

that lie beneath the snow will forever blossom

in the springtime of our hearts and keep us forever young.

Is it not amazing how gently the gift of Valentine’s Day love,

the magic of its soft touch upon two wanting hearts, it bestows?

Character

Character finds its beginning on a blank sheet of white paper waiting for the first

pen to write down the common experiences of life, which will be

invaluable tools that will afford character its finest

opportunities in building a strong foundation.

In the school of life, those experiences will be time-tested, but never in vain,

for they will have the greatest impact in forming character’s strength.

The mind and body of character will not be free of life’s sorrow or regret.

And the soul of character at times will suffer the dearest cost of pain.

But it will also bathe in the healing waters of tenderness and sincere devotion.

Its ideals will never be mired in the mindless muck of prejudice or discontent.

Character thrives on the nourishing soil of love for its full growth.

In the sweet fullness of time, character blossoms in the springtime of our lives.

It is the voice of moral decency, which endeavors to uphold its solemn oath.

Nurtured by love, character looks at life’s misfortunes through compassionate eyes.

And it is absolutely necessary for character’s maturity

to grow stronger in the knowledge of life’s lessons.

Mindfulness and discipline are great tests of character’s wisdom.

Character confronts the injustices in life with fearlessness like the clinging tenacity

of mountain goats on the breathtaking heights of the craggy cliffs of oblivion.

Love, the building block of character, comes into being

like the gentleness of the warm rain from heaven.

There is a new springtime of character where before all had been wintry and barren.

Character is like a dry sponge ready to absorb the moral moisture in the air and breathe it in.

Character does not increase its worth by chance but by choice.

It sweeps into the heart like the sun racing

down the mountainside as it screams out in a jubilant voice.

The values of a better life for those whom it touches; it is forever embracing.

True character never succumbs to shiftless foolhardiness,

or to idol worship of the gods of ignorance.

Character is a servant to its sense of right.

It is a belief in one’s self to right what is wrong no matter the circumstances.

Character is the heart of truth within the human being

that stands up for equality throughout the light of day and the dark of night.

It is that keen sense for justice that in a man or woman, it awakens.

And in the course of living, never walk on the path of selfishness.

For anyone who reaches its full loathsome end will suffer character’s demise.

In life, the essential cornerstone in the construction of character is its ongoing willingness

to stand firm against hatred and violence, which it despises.

Memories

To be able to recall fond family memories of our youthful years,

Is it not one of life’s most wondrous delights?

And even though the passage of time may be laced with countless tears,

we pray that those cherished memories will never vanish like the sun in the dark of night.

There have been times in my life when the child inside of me wants to drift

back to a time when my two brothers and I received our only toy as a Christmas gift.

I often remember that day when an insignificant toy plastered smiles on three young faces.

Poverty was never a stranger to our growing family with

so many mouths to feed but, for a little boy, the wealth of life I would never trade places.

We played that electronic football game until we wore out the pieces.

I remember as a young boy holding my Mother’s hand

as we trudged through the snow to attend Christmas Mass.

Those tender moments that bring joy to one’s life are not easy to understand.

We live in the present and look forward to the future, but we can have fun remembering the past.

But, as I walk through the forest of my life, O, how my lonely

heart cries out in unrelenting agony

every time I bid farewell to a beloved family

member who has disappeared behind death’s solemn door.

The Grim Reaper recently claimed my sister at the golden age of 84.

Alzheimer’s disease took from me the essence of her love long before

she said her last goodbye and died

I am the last born of seventeen children, and now there

are only three of us left to share God’s beautiful blue sky.

A brother and a sister are all that remain of our loving family.

Gone are those older siblings to whom I could always confide.

Death hath no mercy as it stills the sounds of loved ones; it is life’s cruel irony.

If only I could share one day of laughter with them and cast all my sorrow aside.

It is the most grieving moment in life when the death bell rings out its mournful cry.

Through the long agonizing years of witnessing the passing away of sisters and brothers,

I have learned life’s most valuable lesson. Always cherish and love one another.

One day, the good Lord will come to take me home.

I will not fear that day because when I arrive at my point of no return, I will not be alone.

Only You

To the woman of my dreams, O, how my heart beats with unparalleled joy every time I hear you say, Until the end of time, I will always love you. Since the day we first met, you have captivated me with love’s cunning ploy. How wonderful life is that you have blessed me with love’s endless sky of blue!

Dearest sweetheart, I want you to know that even though the dreary frustrations

of our times may find us in the bitter coldness of life’s wilderness.

Our love will always feel the fireside warmth of heartfelt emotions.

Sometimes in life, it can be difficult to make our way through the valley of darkness.

But with faith in our undying love for each other,

we will be rescued by an angel’s arms of tenderness.

And as we conquer the trials and tribulations that life may throw at us,

your compassionate love will always be my sword and shield.

On the hallowed ground of love, I will exhaust every ounce of courage, which I possess

to slay the cunning, deceitful foe called forgetfulness.

And on that high ground of truth, honor, and faithfulness, I will never yield.

The sweet sacrifice of love, does it not caress the heart with its open arms of gentleness?

I pray that our unconditional love for each other will always

and forever be anointed with love’s pureness.

Let our unbreakable will to love