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

This month, always is a mixed bag of blessing and conflict for me. A solid month of Pink, celebrating survivors and remembering our loved ones lost to Breast Cancer. Truthfully, I have spent most of October in reflection.  I quietly wear a small pink ribbon year round because breast cancer is not a once a year, for one month disease. So what did I physically do for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this year? Well for starters I began each day as I always do, with thankfulness.   No, I didn’t walk; I didn’t put out any survivor ribbons in the yard, wear a pink T-shirt or purchase anything in honor of my own survival. To be honest, I haven’t actually done anything this year outside of supporting a particular amazing fundraiser whose goal is supporting those affected by this disease. What I have really done though is reflect.  Interestingly enough, I haven’t experienced all the fanfare usually associated with October which I found to be a relief honestly. Instea...

As we go into the weekend, and I see all the pink surrounding every one of us, during breast cancer awareness month, I’m reminded our battle with this particular cancer, is more than skin deep. It's been close to nine years since I first heard the words BREAST CANCER thumping around in my world of possibilities. I was 32 years old, and getting close to celebrating our 10 th wedding anniversary with my husband Johnny. We were raising our two boys, one in first grade and the other in third grade at the time. The year was 2006, January to be specific. We had finally bought our first home just six months prior, and had so many plans for our future, none of which included cancer of any kind. This was a time in our lives in which we should have been care free, excited as we began to find our own place in this big world, but life had other plans for us. Suddenly, there she was, like some kind of sick prank, waiting for me, wearing a bright pink robe with a sickle in her hand and a b...

If you are a breast cancer survivor or have been actively involved in the life of one then you understand the feeling of falling into the pink abyss. I sometimes feel as if I am living out my life inside a strange other worldly type of experiment.   I seriously question my sanity some days noting my unusual view, humor and tango with the keeper of this abyss. I for one have felt trapped inside a strange lab, living inside a test tube at times but lucky me on special days I’m let out, set loose, in a big giant bubble to live among the normal folk. Being tagged or labeled and yes at times even feeling permanently tattooed with a BIG PINK RIBBON across my forehead if not the way I saw my life turning out.   Honestly speaking, if you feel the need to run from the giant pink abyss trying to swallow you whole,   possibly referring to this crazy breast cancer woman as the pink blob, then imagine how overwhelming, if not a tad strange it must feel for   those us   ...