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

Yesterday as I wandered the aisles and through the shelves of our library I was reminded of a very powerful conversation I had with my son Joshua a while back. He was all of about 10 years old when he sat down next to me announcing he had come to an interesting conclusion. What was it you ask? Are you sure you are ready for this one? As most things are with Joshua he very calmly, very quietly announced his conclusion : "Living with cancer is like being a ghost. " Now how do you think those words struck me? Well, let's just say I first had to pick myself up off of the floor and make sure I didn't have a concussion before responding. As I recovered I felt the emotion in his words. At just 10 years old he had already seen some of the worst cancer could muster our way. For a bit I just sat there holding my heart in my hands going over his words in my mind. "You know mom we are still here but it feels as if no one else is. Like we are so far behind everyone else. Do ...

Any cancer survivor will say it is a long hard road to remission. Many times before we know what has happened our lives have taken turns we never saw coming. The road of cancer is not an easy one nor is it one of complete hopelessness either. We are all given paths in this life to travel. Some are well beaten roads, some are clearly marked and many are simply unexplored. So what are we to do? Do we simply give up, give in, throw in the towel, walk away? What do you do when your specialist looks you in the eyes and tells you you have breast cancer? Suddenly our road is broken is it not? Don't we honestly feel as if we have been hit from all sides? Seriously how do you prepare for something like breast cancer? You don't, how can you? But I will give you this bit of advice from my own experience with this beast... it's what you do with your life after the diagnosis. Our world has completely changed and fair or not we have to change with it, rearrange our lives not to fit caner...

I was reminded a few weeks back just how precious my children are to me. Now don't get me wrong I hold them tight every chance I get and of course they run as quickly as they can on many others. But I have to say spending time with them on the road, well it was rather enlightening. I have found a road trip brings out a whole new dynamic in a family and in many ways can either bring you closer or pull you apart. Of course it depends upon how you allow the pendulum to swing. As we traveled from here to there we shared stories, watched a movie or two or three, text until our fingers hurt, fought a few times but at the end of each day we were family. We drove through cities, counties and states, slept in crooked positions and fought off bugs as we ate sandwiches out of the van. Know what? We found ourselves again as we bonded over tuna fish and baloney, lemonade and diet coke and of course all while fighting off natures critters together. Our travels took us far and wide as we spe...