The Birthday Cake

As I worked on some program plans for my upcoming fall prayer group, a familiar line from scripture brought back a beautiful, yet difficult memory. The scripture verse which prompted my mind is often heard at weddings, but my particular remembrance involves something quite different. St. Paul spoke to the people of Corinth advising them of a more excellent way of living when he said, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-5)

It was a hot summer day in August 2016. I was staying with my parents on Cape Cod. My sister’s birthday was approaching and we were making plans to celebrate. My mom was in the late stages of (non-smoker’s) non-small cell lung cancer which had metastasized to her brain. She had received brain radiation in 2013, which had helped to free her of the evil impact of the disease, but it was only a temporary fix. The type of radiation that she received can only be administered once to a patient.

On this particular day, it was obvious that the cancer had selfishly reinvaded her brain and was taking over her ability to communicate. When I descended the stairs in the early morning hours and entered the kitchen, she was in her robe attempting to make a birthday cake for my little sister. For a few moments I just stared at her in silence. She had put a vanilla cake mix into a long glass baking dish and was stirring it with a fork. When I asked her if I could help, she turned suspicious and announced that she would make it by herself. 

The next hour involved her efforts to slowly stir the cake mix, water and oil in an odd shaped vessel using only a fork. She was not deterred by my presence though, and was absolutely set on her task at hand. She was patiently preparing a cake for the child she desperately loved, in order to honor her, without thought of her own physical needs or struggles. She was not angry or irritable, actually she was quite peaceful. That vision of my mom stirring the cake with a fork in the odd pan is probably one of the greatest visions of love in action that I will ever see. Despite her obvious suffering, the love deep within her soul – which she had purposefully cultivated over a lifetime – propelled her forward, allowing her to complete the birthday cake for her beloved daughter. At that moment, she didn’t recall that on countless occasions she had made delicious cakes using a round bowl, spatula and mixer. None of that mattered. Love won that day. Mom defied all odds by making my sister a birthday cake just a few short weeks before God called her home. It’s unbelievable to think about that now, but not when it comes to love – for love always wins. When we turn our hearts to the One who is Love, as Mom did, we have nothing to fear, Love always wins.

Perhaps the next time you find yourself getting angry, impatient or arrogant, think about this story and my mom. What would she do? I guarantee that your heart will soften and you will choose love instead. Wouldn’t the world be a kinder and more peaceful place if we all did that? God bless you – love wins.