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

  Today I want to share a part of me I rarely open up to anyone. True I am an open book on any given day at any given time just ask my family, they will give you a resounding yep. I tend to hold nothing back especially when it comes to my battle with breast cancer. I embrace my scars, my battle wounds and I do not apologize for any one of them. I have pretty much been one of those gals who wears her heart on her sleeve from the get go. Honestly from the time I was a little girl I would speak my mind, mostly to my parents dismay. As a teenager I had my heart broken more times than I can shake a stick at. As I became a woman I found I tended not just to open the windows to my heart , nope instead I couldn’t seem to stop myself from throwing open the front door, making myself a welcome mate for anyone I allowed my heart to warm up to. Now I bet you are wondering how this has anything to do with breast cancer right. Well, let me clue you in, those of us with soft, tender hearts on...

I was reminded about a week ago of just how unpredictable life can be. We are never fully ready for the storm, no matter how much we prepare or how hard we brace for the first wave. In the end all we can really do is sit back and pray for the best. Once we have checked our to do list off, prepared our homes, our lives and our families for the worst to come what can we do except huddle together, holding each other’s hands and close our eyes? We can pray, we can believe in spite of the winds, the distance between us and the ground below, the chaos building up inside of us and the gunfire all around us that God has a plan. I have to say I have always had a way of asking God in my own are you kidding attitude kind of way what He was up to in my life, why this, why now and yes even why me? I have spent many days looking over my own plans, my escape route, and my emergency evacuation blueprints and simply shook my head wondering what was wrong with my way of doing things? Why ...

What is the first word which comes to your mind when you think of a car wreck? How about destruction, devastation, crippling, marred, out of commission, shot to pieces? Any of the above ring a bell? Well the truth is being diagnosed with breast cancer is basically like a car wreck. Maybe you didn’t see it coming or you may have indeed had notice but the fact is you are still sliding into this situation, this pile up of crushed hopes and dreams in slow motion helpless to stop any of the careening chaos ahead. Breast Cancer, two words that slice through your heart, bringing devastation and hardship beyond any nightmare Freddy on Elm Street could ever cook up! A three alarm fire has erupted, and you are tied down at the very center of its flames! Being suddenly thrown into the Big C can take away your ability to respond or cope with anything else. You may feel impaired, on the ropes, out of gas, paralyzed, and just plain afraid, anxious, frightened and apprehensive. By the ti...