Songs in My Head
A Cancer Spiritual
by JoAnn Post
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Startled by the unexpected diagnosis of a rare and often-terminal cancer, JoAnn A. Post chronicles the course of her treatment in Songs in My Head, a journal written both for her own sake, and for friends, family, and colleagues. Each of her twelve chemotherapy treatments is presented as a verse of the songs that hummed in her heart during and at the close of treatment. Inspiration and encouragement come through simple events like the return of a lost dog ("Chasing Maggie") and complicated events like allergic reactions to chemotherapy ("A False Summit"). The journal closes with an ancient Jewish ritual of thanksgiving, the Birkat HaGomel, which places the author's suffering in the context of the suffering and healing of God's people through the centuries.
While writing from the perspective of faith, the author neither offers easy solutions, nor glosses over the difficult questions posed by illness and disability. During a difficult time she writes with hope, humor, and honesty. This journal is written for those living with cancer, and for those who love and care for them.
JoAnn A. Post is a Lutheran pastor, writer, and cancer survivor. Raised in rural north central Iowa, she attended Wartburg College and Wartburg Theological Seminary, before serving diverse congregation settings in Alaska, Georgia, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Illinois. Her ministry has been committed to strong preaching and worship leadership, pastoral care, and community outreach. She lives with her husband in the Chicago area, and is the mother of two adult daughters.
"Post . . . speaks to the reader personally with an intensity that tells it like it is, but which also engenders hope and comfort. This book is a gift to those who have cancer and those who suffer with them."
--David Nahrwold, Retired Loyal and Edith Davis Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University
"Post's eloquent journal entries from her year with cancer will no doubt become traveling companions for others navigating similar terrain, for she offers clues on how the soundtrack of our lives--the ballads, the psalms, the liturgies, the hymns, even songs of praise--help make it more possible to face life's awfulness as well as its moments of grace."
--Deanna A. Thompson, Author of Hoping for More: Having Cancer, Talking Faith, and Accepting Grace
"Because Jo Ann Post paid attention to the songs in her head, what often lies so mysteriously interlaced--anger and humor, lament and hope, letting go and holding on, death and resurrection--is narrated with clarity and grace. This is a book I will eagerly give to people who seek to sustain faith, hope, and resilience in the face of serious illness, and also to those who accompany them."
--Kathleen D. Billman, John H. Tietjen Professor of Pastoral Ministry: Pastoral Theology, Director of the Master of Divinity Program, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
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