putting one foot in front of the other

i've often been asked

how i kept so upbeat and positive

while going through a cancer diagnosis

twice.

 while losing both of my breasts

and all of my hair

and just plain

being sick.

hmmm-

i have thought about this myself

actually!

i guess we never really know

how tough we are

until we NEED to know

how tough we are! 

my dad passed away

when i was 30 years old

from cancer...

a mere eight years later

i received my first diagnosis:

"you have breast cancer"

my girls we are still so young

it was hard for me to even fathom

not being here for them

so

i kept waking up

and putting one foot in front of the other

trying to keep life

as normal as i possibly could

for my girls

for me

for my family

sure, my girls saw mom

getting sick-

after each chemo treatment

sure, they saw mom

lose all of her hair...

they were not immune 

to it...

no they were right in the 

middle of it all.

on the journey 

right along side 

my husband and i.

we

tried to keep up

daily living

and traditions...

i went to their ball games

volunteered in their classrooms

sang on the worship team

at church...

life just went on.

i woke up

and put one foot in front of the other

and kept smiling---

even when 

sometimes, that smile

didn't reach my 'eyes'

i kept smiling!

it wasn't in me

to quit.

to give up.

i always had hope & faith.

years later

after i had been clean and clear

for a very long time

almost getting complacent about it all;

my husband was diagnosed with 

cancer! *

are you kidding me?

really?

now, you know...

some people

could say,

"that poor family, haven't they had enough cancer?"

but, you see

never once did

i think 

after losing my dad, or me having cancer twice

 or my husband too...

not once, did i ever even entertain the thought---

"why me?"

it would've been easy

to feel sorry for myself

but, truly what good does that do?

no, i wouldn't give up

HOPE!

i just keep putting one foot in front of the other

and

i kept looking UP!

~~~~

it seems like every day

i hear of someone i know

or someone who knows someone

who has just been given a 

cancer diagnosis.

i do not think

anyone can say,

that they do not know of someone

who has not been touched 

by a cancer diagnosis!

cancer is ugly.

just plain U.G.L.Y.

it doesn't care

if you are rich, poor,

old, young.

pretty or not so pretty

popular or not so popular...

if you are married or single,

have kids or have never had kids...
if you are

black or white...

republican or democrat ;)

cancer just doesn't care.

it is UGLY!

i do not know why

cancer seems so prevalent---

is it in our water, food the air we breathe?

why can we not find a cure?

i do not know.

but,

i do know this:

 that someone

out there

TODAY

maybe, right NOW---

is hearing those 

ugly, ugly words...

"you have cancer."

i wish i could

wrap them tight in my arms.

pray with them,

just love on them...

sit with them

hold their hand

smile at them

and really just let them know,

they are not alone.

that someone cares.

that

they are loved!

no matter what

they are LOVED!

there is always 

HOPE.

that no matter what 

HOPE 

shines through!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 & 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails....

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

* my husband and i are both healthy and cancer free!
thank you, Jesus!

**bold italic in scripture was done by me.