Wednesday, June 3, 2009

LESSONS FROM CANCER

I knew when I came home that I would have to take off doing every thing to get ready for our display at Evergreen Hospital on Thursday all day. It is sorta like a book signing ( I guess), where  people come to meet the new artists (Chris and I ) that will be selling their gifts at the Gift Shops. Of course we could never accomplish it without our sweet ANGELS helping us. A dear friend has been hours helping us come up with our tags. Plus, I just spent a couple of ours at another friend's house and she was helping me do a mock set up for our table on Thursday. It is going to be spectacular with her help, so please if you are near Evergreen, stop in and check out our table and say hi!

I am tired and it is late but I am thrilled that I got soooo much accomplished today. I am grateful to be home, I did miss Jeff and all the kids. I think Angie was glad to have her Nana back. I still didn't get everything on my To Do list done but ....there's always tomorrow. I will close with a few lessons and insight of a cancer survivor, I think it is quite enlightening. So good night dear friends.

"WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER I DECIDED TO TAKE THE "INTERACTIVE" CHOICE. I CHOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DECISIONS AFFECTING THE REMAINDER OF MY LIFE-HOWEVER LONG THAT MAY BE. IT WAS A GOOD DECISION!

I BEGAN READING AND LEARNING ABOUT MY ILLNESS. I READ THE SURVIVAL RATE OF CANCER PATIENTS  WHO FIT MY DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE. I READ ABOUT CLINICAL TRIALS IN EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT FOR MY DISEASE. I READ ABOUT THE VARIETY OF CHEMICAL THERAPIES THAT HAD BEEN USED TO TREAT MY DISEASE, AND THE SIDE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. I CONSULTED A NURSE WHO TREATED CANCER PATIENTS AND WHO WORKED WITH ONCOLOGISTS. I READ EVERYTHING THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HAD TO PRINT ABOUT MY DISEASE. I WAS READY TO MAKE INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT MY TREATMENT. THE FIRST LESSON I LEARNED IS: MAKE INFORMED CHOICES. DIFFICULT TIMES ARE MUCH EASIER TO ENDURE WHEN THEY RESULT FROM ONE'S OWN CHOICE.

THE SECOND LESSON CANCER TAUGHT ME IS: DON'T AVOID HARD CHOICES. WE ARE TOUGHER THAN WE THINK! IN THE BOOK LOVE,MEDICINE AND MIRACLES, DR. SIEGEL POSES A VERY POWERFUL QUESTION: WHAT WILL THIS DISEASE PERMIT YOU TO DO THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO BEFORE?

THE THIRD LESSON CANCER  TAUGHT ME IS: LOVE MYSELF MORE. ( that is harder than it looks)

THE FORTH LESSON CANCER TAUGHT ME IS: LOOK FOR GOOD ANYWHERE AND  YOU'LL FIND GOOD EVERYWHERE!

THE FIFTH LESSON CANCER TAUGHT ME IS: ENJOY THE HUMOR IN MY CIRCUMSTANCES! IT HELPED OTHER PEOPLE FIND COURAGE IN MY ATTITUDE.

THE SIXTH LESSON CANCER TAUGHT ME IS: TO LIVE LIFE MORE VIGOROUSLY. (GO FOR THOSE DREAMS OF YOURS)

THE LAST BUT NOT LEAST LESSON THAT CANCER TAUGHT ME IS: WE ARE ALL ONE. IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, OUR LEAST COMMON DENOMINATOR IS THE WILL TO THRIVE.

AS A CANCER SURVIVOR, I PROCLAIM THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS OF MY LIFE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT BY CANCER- A SEVERE TEACHER. IT HAS TAUGHT ME THE BEST WAY TO LIVE... IS TO REMEMBER THESE 7 LESSONS.

LIKE EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE, THE WAY I SEE IT ALWAYS DEPENDS On how I look at it.  ~Bernadette C. Randle 

If you use the letters: G-O-D-I-S-N-O-W-H-E-R-E, or it can be read, "GOD IS NOWHERE!" or GOD IS NOW HERE!

The is a different way to look at things. Please remember to watch your thoughts!

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