What is Your 'Something'?

I ran into a friend downtown today who I haven’t seen in a while. He asked how I was doing. “Cancer hasn’t returned?” he queried.

“Nope,” I replied, “not so far. It’s been nearly a year since the last time I was diagnosed and I’m feeling pretty good.”

“Life isn’t fair,” he stated flatly, referring to the fact that I had cancer in the first place. He always says the same thing to me when we meet. It’s because he cares.

“Life’s fair,” I responded. And when he looked me in the eye as if I had lost my marbles, I continued. “Things could be so much worse than they are. I hope my cancer doesn’t come back, but I’m still alive and right now I feel good. I’m happy with that.”

“Yup,” he said. “You’re right. Things could have been a whole lot worse.”

And then we moved on to other topics. But I know we will have this same conversation the next time I see him because we have had it since I was first diagnosed more than 11 years ago.

Just prior to this conversation, another friend - who has retired and feels better now than she has in years – talked about the various ailments she had while working that have now nearly disappeared with medication and exercise. “We are all at the age where we have something wrong,” she said. “It’s just a matter of what that ‘something’ is.”

I certainly could not disagree with her!! It seems that everyone I know, both younger and older, are developing some kind of physical (or mental) issue. Fortunate (and rare) are those who reach retirement age and have had nothing serious to complain about up until this point. You know, I have told myself many times that if I was given the opportunity to choose between the cancer that I have been blessed with and some of the other illnesses that plague my friends, I would keep what I have. At least I have a reprieve between recurrences, where I feel like there is nothing wrong with my body. Some of my friends don’t get that break; and many can’t remember how it feels to not be in pain. My heart goes out to them.

But for me – at least at this point in time – life is fair. I will continue to pray that my cancer does not return. But if it does, I’ll just dig deep in my trunk for a supply of ‘get me through it’ strength and cross that bridge when I come to it.

Until next time …..

~ B-Optimistic ~

The Power of Words ......

When I was younger, I always used to wonder why my Mother kept the greeting cards that were given to her on special occasions. There were tons of them, each bunch circled by an elastic band to keep them together, collected over the years for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and condolences – and any other occasion befitting a message of hope, joy, or sorrow.

I am definitely my Mother’s daughter. I, too, have my bundle of cards …. well, OK, more than one. My collection is growing each year, but I don’t expect to ever reach the number of cards my mother had saved.

As I was rearranging things in my dresser drawer today in an effort to become more organized, I came across a large bundle of cards – encircled with an elastic, each containing a personal message reflective of the occasion. Against my better judgment (and my goal of getting things done), I sat down on the bed and started to read through them in hopes of whittling down the pile. A valiant effort …. but, alas, all cards will go into the new box of memories delegated just for them.

There were so many wonderful hand written notes, each one heartfelt and memorable. But there was one card in particular that caught and held my attention. The poem inside – written by Emily Matthews – was beautiful – but it was the personal sentiment expressed by my friend, Kathy C, in a card sent to me several years ago, that demanded I stop long enough to share the message with you now.

“I recently heard a minister say something which hit a note with me,” Kathy wrote. “When you are down to nothing, that is when God is up to something.”

There were many times over the past 10 years that I could have easily crawled into a fetal position and asked, “Why me”. But it is messages like this one that have kept me strong and helped me face my personal battle with cancer optimistically. Thank you, Kathy! Your words are still bringing me hope and determination after all these years.

Do you have a friend whose spirit could use a little lift? Send them a card with a handwritten message, perhaps one that they will tuck away in their memory bundle. You just never know how many years of joy that message will bring!

Until next time ……

~ BOptimistic ~

P.S. For the record, it will be four months this week since my surgery and I am very thankful that life is returning to normal and I am now able to resume many of the tasks of everyday life. :-)