The Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches (17 page)

Dear Reader,

The reason I wrote
The Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches
is that I wanted to write about a group of young women who have become friends—sisters, even—in the hard times of life. These are the kinds of friends you can call on no matter what. I'm sure many of you have (and are) friends like that. I hope this book encourages you in those friendships.

As I wrote this book, I found myself constantly asking myself what a good friend would do in a certain situation. Would she be nosy? Yes, sometimes. Would she be too pushy once in a while? Yes, probably. Would she be perfect? Maybe—for
brief
periods of time. What she would be, I decided, is by her friend's side—whether or not she agreed with her friend, whether or not it was easy, she'd be there.

The American Breast Cancer Foundation recommends women over:

Age 20:
Should perform self breast exams each month. Have a clinical breast exam at least every two years.

Age 40:
Should perform self breast exams each month. Have a clinical breast exam and a mammogram at least every year.

I hope you enjoy
The Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches.
And may you have many good friends.

Blessings,

1. The four main characters each responded to their cancer in different ways. Think of a time in your life when it seemed like you were singled out for hard times. Which Sisterhood character's response is closest to your response? (see below)

Becca—She believed in telling it as it was, no matter how unpleasant the “it” might be.

Carly—She knew what she faced, right down to the numbers on her blood test. She just always thought everything would be okay.

Lizabett—She was too shy sometimes to even find out what she needed to know from the nurses or the lab techs.

Marilee—The resentment about how unfair her life had become festered in her. She used to wonder if God had been watching some landmark football game on television when He made us and that was why He missed the stitches that ended up letting cancer into our bodies.

2. Extreme hardship (such as cancer) can also bring blessings along with the pain. What blessings did you find for the members of the Sisterhood, both during and after their battle with cancer? What blessings have you found in your own life in hard times?

3. Have you ever been in a tight-knit, small group like the Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches? If so, what was your experience?

4. Marilee struggled with her relationship with her father and felt he did not care enough about her cancer. How did this affect her relationship with God?

5. Lizabett also struggled in the opposite way with her oldest brother, “The Old Mother Hen.” Have you ever had someone worry too much about you? Do you think that would affect someone's relationship with God, as well? In what ways?

6. Thinking about your own struggles in life, have they drawn you closer to God? How?

7. The Sisterhood decide to share their story with others. Do you share your struggles with others? Where and how do you do this? What is the result of this sharing?

8. Do you think churches do enough to help people who are sick deal with their spiritual questions? What more could we all do?