What are the motifs in At the Cancer Clinic by Ted Kooser?

Grace is a recurring idea in the poem. There are many different understandings of the word “grace,” which holds a special relevance at the end of “At the Cancer Clinic.” In the Catholic religion, there are two distinct types of grace, both of them pertaining to this poem. “Sanctifying grace” is the supernatural life that exists in a person, the soul.