When poet and breast cancer survivor, Selma Sims, spoke to the Greenwood Catholic Women’s Club at Our Lady of Lourdes Church as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she brought with her a message of hope and joy.
Sims said she was shocked at being diagnosed with breast cancer as there was no history of it in her family. But as she came to terms with the disease, she discovered a deeper appreciation of life and the ordinary moments that can enrich life.
“God blessed me with the gift of writing Christian poetry in 2010, after I started breast cancer treatments,” said Sims. She found herself amazed by small joys, such as a bright yellow dandelion growing in her green lawn, no longer viewing it as a weed that needed to be mowed down.
“I began to appreciate the simple things in life,” she said.
Catholic Women’s Club member Charlotte Cabri said, “Selma inspired us to be grateful, to think positively. She had us smiling and clapping. She brought with her friends and members of her church, and we were so moved when the praise group to which she belongs gave us an impromptu rendering of a song about Jesus still working miracles today.”
Some of Sims’ poetry titles are “The Gift,” “Lord, Lord, that Stained-Glass Window” and “The Beauty of the Pew.” She has also written two children ‘s books, “Billy the Bully Bullfrog” about bullying, and “The Crack in the Sidewalk.”
A member of Weston Chapel A.M.E. Church, Sims has shared her testimony and poetry with churches, through radio and television broadcasts, and through prison ministry. Active in her church, she has served in youth and senior ministry, as a member of the choir and as teacher.
She closed her presentation by reminding the audience that, like the stained-glass window in her poem, they are more beautiful when they let the light of God’s love shine through them.
Submitted by the Greenwood Catholic Women’s Club.
Photo provided: Members of Greenwood Catholic Women’s Club observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a message of joy from Selma Sims, center, a breast cancer survivor and poet. From left are Annemarie Humm, club president, Sims, and Lema Sudik, a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and the GCWC.
