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"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made." -Luke 10:38-40, NIV

__I do not think I understood the Bible at all until I paid attention to the families I care for. In the pediatric cancer ward where I work, I see startling reflections of biblical themes. Scripture comes alive in the families I meet, showing me how the Bible lives and speaks to the complexities of our day. Two mothers in particular remind me very much of two friends of Jesus-the sisters of Luke 10, Mary and Martha.__

I never worried about my day starting on time if Teddy Campbell's name was on my clinic list. Martha and her son Teddy were usually in the waiting area long before the receptionist arrived. She wanted to be the first in line when the lab opened. By the time I entered the examining room, Martha was ready, greeting me with Teddy's completed blood report.

When Mary Bonito would finally reach the clinic with daughter Sarah, however, the nurses would be glancing impatiently at the clock. There was no way they could start the baby's chemotherapy and still get to lunch themselves. Mary would ask for the latest possible appointment but did not even make that on time. Nurses begged me to talk to Mary about punctuality, while the doctors coming in for the next specialty clinic grouched, "Why do your clinics always seem to run so late?"

Nine-year-old Teddy and nine-month-old Sarah came to us on the same day with the same disease. Their mothers, however, were quite different. Martha kept in regular touch with parents at other treatment centers, comparing notes. The only mothers that Mary sought out were those in the chemo room and the parents' support group. Martha shared with other parents what she had learned from Teddy's doctors about the newest research; Mary cared nothing for medical details and concerned herself with how the other moms were doing, whether their children were happy.

Like their biblical namesakes, Mary and Martha were as different as a fast and a feast.

When Teddy was born, Martha and Roger were ready. The young couple waited until they were financially secure before they started their family. Everything-even Teddy-had been planned. The birth of their second child three years after Teddy brought a brief moment of chaos, but Martha recovered quickly and restored order in no time.

Mary and Pete's children just happily happened. Sarah was their third in six years, the baby of the family and the only girl. Cheery chaos had ruled their home for so long that Pete could not remember the last time he had seen an uncluttered house. With each successive pregnancy, Mary's mother came a few days later, rescuing the family from the pizza taxi.

One day, Teddy's bones began to ache, keeping him awake at night. The first pediatrician called it "growing pains." The second doctor suggested arthritis as the diagnosis. Martha became frantic as she received no answer that helped. This was the first time that her life felt out of order. A neighbor stopped by one day for coffee, found her hysterical in her own kitchen, and took both her and Teddy to the emergency room.

A pediatrician showed Martha the x-ray film, pointing to the bones. "This should be all white, but the bones look moth-eaten, both legs. We think it's a tumor, a form of cancer."

Cancer! It was then that Martha knew that if Teddy were to survive-if she were to survive-she would have to get control of herself.

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August 1 1995, Vol. 39, No. 9