Brave Heart, Brave Soul. She who is brave is free.

The Two Faces of Breast Cancer I have lived and loved. I have succeeded and failed. I have laughed and I have wept. I have hoped and I have felt fear tear it away. I have touched grace and I have laid in anguish. I have held faith close to my heart and I have struggled to find mercy for my soul. My eyes have seen beauty and my ears have heard the pain of cancer’s cries. What does that make me, a survivor? Am I weak or am I strong? Is there glory in living to tell the tale? What about the sorrow? What about the dark times, do we forget about how they tear at us? What do we do with the dark seeker’s chains? Water or rain, freedom or life, how do we take one without the other? What darkness hides within us when cancer comes to call? How do we suffer the scars, the pain and the sorrow of cancer without losing our sanity? How do we stand tall, hold our hearts together? How do we keep our souls from scattering? Where is the turn around when breast cancer steers you down her road of uncerta...

Hope What is Hope? Is it just a front, a way of coping, encouraging yourself when there is nothing else to say or do? Is hope just a catchy a way of patting a friend on the back? Is Hope a silly idea or just a word we use to rally support for a cause? No, Hope is more than that, stronger than that! Hope is a living part of us, hope is the air we breath, the water we drink and the light we embrace each day with! Hope is life, and it is how we live our lives. Hope lives in our laughter and in our tears. Hope picks us up when we fail and stands by us when we succeed. Hope is present when we fall and when we rise. Hope does not die, no hope re- invents itself in the legacy we leave behind. Hope is not always patient, yet hope does continue to inspire us, pushing us forward. Hope reminds us of why we are grateful. Hope does not concede defeat yet hope knows when to graciously bow out of conflict. Hope whispers in our ears to be thankful not just for what we have but also for what we do...

For All My J Land Family.... aoljembedAdd , aoljembedAdd_2

The Scars of Cancer... We all have scars physical and emotional. Most of us we tend to hide them away from the sight of others and usually we do a good job of it too . It doesn't matter how big or small they may be, we simply don't want the world to see our imperfections. We don't want to appear to be weak, emotional or unable to carry the world on our shoulders. So we cover our scars up fearful of what the world may think of us. This is the fight I have fought and the battlefront I have lived upon for the last 2 years. I have been forthright when needed and I have allowed my heart to be broken openly. I have done my best to be as open and honest as possible with my friends and family. But I have also hidden my deepest fears away so as not to burden or scare those that cannot handle the thought of what lies beneath the surface. I have kept myself from being overly exposed keeping this part of my heart, my soul and my body closed to all but a select few. As I have traveled ...