Pink suits you

No - really it does. Monday 23 October is the National Breast Cancer Foundation's Pink Ribbon Day and that means that there should be people everywhere wearing pink ribbons. The foundation has the lofty aim of funding a cure for breast cancer and this day is a key component of their program. It's also why all those Mt Franklin water bottles have been sporting those trendy pink lids for some time now.

I've never really paid much attention to Pink Ribbon Day before. It's always been just another one of those charity days that seem to pass by with a fading flourish of PR hype. But this year it's different. It's personal. Three people I'm connected to in various ways have contracted breast cancer and had to go through the horrors of chemo. I've hoped and prayed for my aunty, a woman at church and the sister of a guy at church as they battled the illness.

It's amazing how powerful the experiences of loved ones are. Issues that once lingered in the shadows are suddenly thrown out in the open. Earlier in the year my cousins home was threatened by bushfires. The fire passed close by but they were spared but in the days before the reassurance came through I was gripped like never before. Those people on the news were in the same situation as my family. It really brought home how narrow my outlook can be. In a needy, groaning world it can be easy to close my eyes and claim compassion fatigue - until something happens.

My awakening to breast cancer has had a much more encouraging impact as well though as I have been blessed to witness the great testimony of the woman at church undergoing treatment. Every time she makes it along she's full of praise and is just so thankful for the opportunity to meet with her brothers and sisters. We always thank God for the privilege but she's helped us see how true that is. In a recent conversation she told me her faith's been tested but as it has been refined we have all been challenged. Even in the shadows the light penetrates.

And in the dimness don't forget to show some pink.