Anne Cockerham

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7

Our family was scheduled to spend the week of Thanksgiving at Sunset Beach in 2023 when our plans were upended by a cancer diagnosis of a close family member. It’s at that moment you realize you have no control over events that are unfolding. You soon learn that choices and decisions are no longer individual occurrences, for there are ripple effects in a cancer diagnosis that touch all who love the patient.

In a hospital room at UNC, I clearly felt God’s presence. I felt Him in the smiles and hugs from medical personnel, from an offered Kleenex in the waiting room from a stranger, from texts from people who love our family, from phoned prayers from our church staff, from a friend who brought a special angel to me.

In the early morning hours, the day after a 7 1/2-hour surgery, I watched the sun rise, and I felt in my soul HE was there carrying us, loving us, sustaining us. I felt an unexplainable peace as those colors spread over the sky. I fully knew I had a personal Savior I could trust and lean on.

- Anne Cockerham