Suitcases from Heaven: A Mother’s Journey of Hope through Her Daughter-in-law’s Cancer
About The Book
“Jazmin came fluttering into our home, speaking of healing and miracles. I didn’t know how to tell her I didn’t believe in that nonsense.”
Cindy Henson had jumped on a miracle train twenty-five years earlier, believing God was going to heal her young son of severe autism, and quickly jumped off with a suitcase full of bitterness. God had healed the bitterness, but she still didn’t believe in miracles.
From day one, soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Jazmin, who had been diagnosed with terminal adrenal cancer, declares she is holding out on a miracle from God.
Cindy wonders if she has the fortitude to endure a life of believing in miracles and makes it her mission to help Jazmin accept that she is dying and the possibility of receiving no miracle at all.
Then God invites Cindy to take out her hope-suitcase, pack up her mourning, and help Jazmin live the rest of her life believing in miracles. Through fundraisers, prayer chains, long hospital stays, and deep conversations about faith, Cindy learns from Jazmin that the best way to live a fragile life is with hope and belief that miracles still happen every day.
Suitcases from Heaven: A Mother’s Journey of Hope through Her Daughter-in-law’s Cancer helps caregivers and cancer victims understand that God knows the number of their days, and their life is not in the hands of the medical community but in His loving hands.
About The Author
Cindy Seaton Henson
Cindy Henson has been a wife for thirty-three years to Vance, the love of her life. Together, they have five kids who married two of their bonus kids and gave them two grandchildren. Her first book, Beauty from Ashes, documents her journey with God when she expected Him to heal her son of severe autism. Suitcases from Heaven is her second book, showing how miracle-moving faith can bring deep healing. Cindy lives in northern Ontario, Canada, with her husband and oldest son, Kyle, and encourages women to live out their faith in her Facebook group, Fresh Ground Faith.
Quotes from... Suitcases from Heaven: A Mother’s Journey of Hope through Her Daughter-in-law’s Cancer
“Jazmin came fluttering into our home, speaking of healing and miracles. I didn’t know how to tell her I didn’t believe in that nonsense.”
“Within forty-eight hours, twenty-six thousand dollars was in Sherie’s hands. Sherie and Aaron were speechless—their hope bolstered as they watched God do His thing.”
“We were relieved the girls seemed to be making progress in their health. But we wondered if the treatments would work long term, or were we just wasting time and money, chasing after suitcases in the wind, hoping to catch a medical miracle?”
“I have believed for a miracle for years now, and I always knew if I beat cancer, it was going to be miraculous, so God could have all the glory. But in the past few months, my prayer has changed. I now pray, ‘God, whether you heal me, or take me to Heaven, I want to glorify You either way.’”
“These moments collected in my heart—these moments of bonding, sharing hardships with Jazmin through the trials of cancer.”
“Jazmin was slipping away. This couldn’t happen. I wasn’t ready for her to die. My son wasn’t ready. Her parents weren’t ready. We needed more time. Please, Lord, more time.”
“I was depleted of miracle-believing-faith when I met Jazmin, and if God hadn’t restored that faith part way through Jazmin’s story, my ability to care for her would have taken a nosedive.”
“Eythan knew Jazmin was sick when they started dating. And I don’t think he had a clue what he was about to go through. But he was still here, taking care of his wife.”
“I honestly wanted to grab my suitcase and smash that butterfly.”
“I wanted to hope, I really did, but I was only going to get hurt if the miracle butterfly flitted away again.
And if Jazmin never received a miracle . . .
I was struggling to pull the tiniest bottle of perfume out of my hope-suitcase.”
“Our faith was bolstered like an army as we marched onward into the spiritual battle grounds of cancer. We were hoping that with God’s help, we could fight off the demons of fear, anxiety, and death.”
“Hope was there, but it was in the background. I didn’t want to dare say Jazmin had received a miracle. This might just be a momentary gift from God. Watching Jazmin live in her fountain of hope, I soaked up every drop of happiness I could squeeze.”
“Without my sweet Jesus, I don’t think I could have made it this far in Jazmin’s journey with cancer.”
“We had made it through another day. Tomorrow could worry about itself. One day at a time was all I could do.”
“I looked ridiculous, but felt incredibly peaceful. I lived, and felt the wind in my hair as I rode Jazmin’s hope-train at full speed.”
“Jazmin had come close to death again and again, and yet she kept trudging up the down-escalator of death, fighting against this rare cancer, believing God was going to heal her.”
“Seeing the nurse’s expressions and hearing her unbelief at how Jazmin could possibly be doing so well, confirmed that God was still doing miracles in Jazmin’s life. We weren’t just dreaming these good spells up.”
“I hugged Jazmin longer and memorized the smell of her hair and the bones of her shoulder blades beneath my hands. I wanted her to get this miracle she kept believing in for over six years. It was time for her to capture the butterfly.”
“Sherie and I hugged goodbye. Two moms holding on to each other—hoping, wishing, and praying for miracles.”
“Only God can carry a heart broken man in deep grief and help him sort through his mourning.”
“Jazmin suffered almost every day of those three and half years, and Eythan said she was a blessing—that is true love.”
“If we’ve lived a life that glorifies God, our loved one’s hearts should be full of the beauty we have left behind for them—gifts from us—encouragement, laughter, hope, faith, and love. Treasures. What will you leave behind?”
“I don’t want people to be bitter if I don’t get a miracle. I want my death to cause people to lean into Jesus, and not to push Him away.”
“Hope is a beautiful treasure, one Jazmin left for us, so we could live life to its fullest.”