The Sisterhood of the Travelling Chemo bag

Today I would like to talk about a special friend and cousin and a chemo bag.  The night before I was to start my first chemo session a new friend and fellow cancer club member arrived at my door with a beautiful black bag with an assortment of goodies inside.  She called it her "chemo bag". It was given to her and meant to bring her comfort and warmth as she went for treatments.  A fuzzy blanket, some soothing tea and some other things.  I used that chemo bag every time I went for a treatment.  I found great comfort and strength knowing that someone else wrapped themself in that blanket and was going through exactly the same thing I was. 
The contents of the chemo bag has grown- I have added hats, books that were given to me, a prayer shawl and of course the fuzzy blanket.  The chemo bag was given to a friend to comfort her and she recently gave it back to me. 
I wish I could say that the bag is in my closet collecting dust but it isn't.  Two weeks ago I had to ship that bag to my cousin Fio.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer and her first treatment was on Friday.
I wish I could be there with you Fio but I know that this bag will bring you some peace.  As you begin this journey I want you to know that you are loved. You sent me much love and light during my active treatment and you were there for me and now I will be there for you.   May you find comfort in that blanket when you wrap it around you and know that there were 3 other very strong women before you fighting the fight.   In yoga we do a pose called Warrior and everytime I do it I think "that's me- a warrior".  And that is you too.  We are warriors. I love you.

Molly Hope-our newest family member

Hi everyone
So not having blogged for almost a year and a half I am having some difficulty actually getting started.  I am not sure where I should start- should I try to fill everyone in on whats been going on or should I just jump in and stay in the present.  I think that's the best.  So I will begin by saying that this past September I did return to the classroom on a part time basis.  I am finding it both exciting and exhausting.  I love being back in the real world, love the daily interactions with staff and students but also find I just don't have the stamina like I did and by the time I go home all I want to do is hit the couch!  Oh, it just came to me!  I will start by telling you all about Molly!  Molly is our beautiful, energetic, loving and very smart labradoodle.  She is 16 months old and honestly, I can't imagine our family without her.  From the minute she was born (we were fortunate to see her at 9 days old) we knew she was ours and she has been welcomed with open arms.  All who see her love her, and she loves them!  Even Oma and Opa who always said they would never watch a dog for us have fallen head over heels! They even took her for a week this summer while we enjoyed some family vacation time. We finally caved into years of listening to our children whine and complain.  For many years Sarah would go to bed crying everynight for a dog and when she finally gave up Jake took up the fight. So I am not exaggerating when I say that we were harassed for years.  The deciding factor came when Jake looked at us one night soon after active treatment for me and he said "I know how we can celebrate you getting better- we should get a dog and we should call her Hope!"  How could we say no to that? We didn't go with Hope, she looked more like a Molly so she is now Molly Hope.
It doesn't matter if we are going outside for 2 minutes or 2 hours we always get greeted at the door with tail wagging and happy barking. I never thought I would say this but -every family needs a dog. She is truly a gift that we cherish. As I write this she is curled up at my feet on my bed- her favourite spot.  Now if we could just get the kids to stop complaining about taking her for walks. Take a look for yourself and you will agree- she is adorable

Reunited and it feels so good

Hi everyone
Yep, that's right.  I have decided to start blogging again.  I have been thinking about it alot lately and it has even been keeping me up at night that I decided there must be a reason why I am being called to write again.  So today I will start and see where it leads me.  Last night as I lay awake in bed (again) I thought about what my focus or theme would be for this blog and since I really couldn't think of one I thought I would just start.  SO HERE I GO!!!!
Stay tuned- I have so much to tell you!

"We need to be angels for each other, to give each other strength and consolation. Because only when we fully realize that the cup of life is not only a cup of sorrow but also a cup of joy will we be able to drink it."
— Henri J.M. Nouwen

Hello everyone
First I wanted to let everyone know that I am doing well.  I have 11 radiation treatments left and I am relieved that this is coming to an end.  I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and have decided to stop blogging.  I am not really sure why I have decided this and it might be hard to explain so I will just tell you that it feels like this is the time to stop.  I have enjoyed blogging and have found it a wonderful way to let many people who care for me know how I am doing.  I hope that along the way I have helped some other people going through their own cancer battle as well.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for being my angels along the way.  I have appreciated all of the support and love you have given me.  I could never do enough to pay you back for all that you have done but I can and will pay it forward. 
I know that this journey is not over for me and I am beginning to truly understand the scope and magnitude with which this has and will change my life.  It will be a new way of living not just for myself but for my family as well.  I am also beginning to understand that some days will be great and some will be challenging.  But that is what life is all about.  Being able to write about some of this experience has helped put some things into perspective and keep me focused on the positives in my life- and I do have so many. 


A friend is that other person with whom we can share our solitude, our silence, and our prayer. A friend is that other person with whom we can look at a tree and say, "Isn't that beautiful." With a friend we don't have to say or do something special. With a friend we can be still and know that God is there with both of us."
— Henri J.M. Nouwen