What A Wonderful World ...

Tuesday I had the privilege of attending the first Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Luncheon hosted by Mary and Dick Lowe at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth.  It was a wonderful time.  There were tables set up that we visited before the lunch began.  We chatted with women I have met along my journey.  These women are all breast cancer survivors and such an inspiration to me... just their very presence has inspired me.  I met new friends and was able to share my blog so the information can reach as many as possible.  I continue to Praise my awesome Lord for all that He has provided me.

Above:  Alverna, my friend and adopted sister
accompanied me to the lunch.  She looked absolutely
beautiful.  If you remember, Alverna took me to
all my chemo treatments.  When I started
chemo, she helped me make it through many days by
bringing me groceries that I thought I could eat, fixing me
food, calling and checking on me.  Thank you does not
seem to be enough for her support during those difficult
days when my family could not be with me.  

Above:  One of the most wonderful things that
Alverna and I got to experience was a chair massage.
Joni was the massage therapist and might I tell you,
that she was wonderful.  For all that Alverna does
for her family and friends, she deserves a much longer
massage than five minutes.  

Above:  Everyone was assigned a table and we were at
 table 17.   We were seated with others who had the same
type cancer as me.  I was the recipient at our table of
the beautiful hydrangeas 

Above:  Looking across the area.

Above:  The speaker is Sherree Bennett,
the sweetest lady you will ever meet.  I met with
Sherree before my journey began.  

Above:  The North Texas Laryngectomy Society Choir
graced us with the song...
What a Wonderful World.
It was so emotional for me.  I watched this group of
five who fought throat cancer and won.  Here they are here today,
pressing the buttons on their necks singing.  They were truly a blessing.

Above:  Dr. Alan Johns, Survivor and Author
of "The Lump".  A man's journey through
breast cancer.

Above:  The incredible Joan Katz herself.
Three time breast cancer survivor and one time
bladder cancer survivor.  She was an incredible speaker
with so many inspiring words.  Her topic ...
We Have, We Will and We Can ...

I forgot my real camera and was using the camera on my cell phone.  I just had to have pictures so I could share on here although they are not the best.

Sherree reminded us 'not to waste our cancer'.  I knew early on that I was not going to waste the opportunity to 1) share my awesome Lord and 2) make available as much knowledge as I possibly could to other women and men regarding breast cancer and treatment.  God has provided many open doors for me in both areas and I always take the opportunity He gives me.  My passion is to share Him with others as I do not know how anyone could walk this journey without Him.  And I love being able to educate women in all aspects of this disease.  I will continue this until the day the Lord calls me home as I know I am doing what He wants me to do.

At the end of the luncheon, Sherree announced that the newest diagnosed person at the table would get the potted hydrangeas and at our table that was me.  You might have guessed it ... and I'll admit it ....
I cried.  I have come so far since my diagnosis on September 15, 2011, but my emotions continue to run very high when I think about the love and support that I have received.  People say that my words bless them ... I say that I am the one that is blessed.

Cancer and cancer treatment is a journey.  The journey we would not have chosen to take but some of us have to.  Attitude is so important when dealing with this dreadful disease and it's dreadful treatment but if you look around at all you have, you will see the blessings as you go through.  Hold on to your
HOPE ...

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Do not allow anything to steal your HOPE ... not even cancer.  Cancer put a bump in my road, a mere detour but it will not steal my HOPE, my FAITH, my LOVE, or my JOY.  

Blessed and praying blessings for all.

gkmorrison12@gmail.com

Decisions ... We All Have Them to Make!

PRAISE THE LORD for every second/minute/hour/day, every situation, every blessing ...

Give Him the Praise  

I feel sad for folks who on Monday morning come to work and wish it was already Friday.  Don't get me wrong ... Fridays are good as they mean two days of no real schedules, no deadlines to speak of, a time for our bodies and minds to rest, however, there are so many blessings to be found in the other six days of the week.  I am happy for every day, hour, minute, second of the day that I am here.  I look out my office window and see how blessed I am.  At home I walk outside and look around at the trees, grass, my garden, flowers and know that God made all these things and they are beautiful.  My decision is to be happy no matter what the day, what the situation, where I'm at ... I chose to not wish for Friday ... I chose to make the most of the moment I am living.  I have a decision to make every morning before I get out of bed ... I chose God, life, love and to see all the blessings that surround me.

I have made the decision to stop the Celebrax that I was given for my hip pain.  I have taken the medicine for six days which I feel is plenty of time for it have gotten in my body and help with my hip pain.  I cannot tell you that it has helped much at all.  I believe the side effects are too great to continue with not any real results. My hips continue to hurt after I sit for awhile but if I take my time when I stand and let the pain settle before I step, I am OK.  My decision is not to take the Celebrax.

My decision when I found out I had breast cancer was to fight.  I did not know what was to come but I knew that when I put my 'boxing gloves' on ... there was no taking them off.  I made the decision to not do reconstruction surgery early on and then especially after I talked to my surgeon about getting the tumor borders clean.  I wanted her to get all the cancer and surrounding area.   After that decision came the decision for treatment.  Dr. Y, my Oncologist, showed me the statistics for survival if I did this treatment or that treatment.  There were about three options and I 'chose' to take the chemo, radiation and estrogen inhibitor option.  I was not told that this is the plan Dr. Y had laid out for me ... I was given the options and I made the choice.  My decision was the full gamut of treatment and I am thankful I did and I am more thankful that I am almost complete with the first two areas of treatment.  The third and fourth will be the hysterectomy and the estrogen inhibitor that I will take for the next five years.

I made the choice to embrace going bald.  Did I want to lose all my hair?  Absolutely not but I knew it was going to happen so I embraced it.  After about four days of wearing those wigs, I said ... I can't do this and from that day to this, I have never put one of them on.  During the winter months, I wore toboggans or my cap.  My choice was not to let losing my hair define who I was.  I see people sneak a peek at me or look at me and then do a double take ... doesn't bother me.  If I see them do that ... I speak to them.  I get on an elevator at work and I embrace the people on there ... I break the ice ... because so many times, people look down at the floor and won't look at me.  I say to myself ... pooey on that.  I talk to them and let them know I am human and I am OK ... I'm a person who lost their hair due to chemo.  I made the choice to embrace the situation of losing my hair and I've made the most of it.  Do you know how many doors my baldness has opened and allowed me to share our Lord?  Many many opportunities and I try never to miss a single one.

Another decision I made when I found out I had cancer was how I would walk my journey.  I had yet another choice to make.  I could walk it with my head down and an 'oh whoa is me' attitude or I could hold my head up and face it head on.  My choice was the later and I know by making that choice, my journey has been much easier.  I am not a 'down in the dumps' type person and I just can't imagine being down in the dumps through this journey ... that's a long time to be down in the dumps ... and it's NOT for me!  My choice was to have a good attitude and it has made things much more bearable.

Last but never ever least has been my choice to follow my Lord and do what He tells me to do.  He has been the rock that I leaned on so many times while on my journey.  He has carried me through the troubled waters when I could not carry myself.  He has loved me even during those bad after chemo days when I know I was not lovable.  He assured me there were brighter days ahead and to keep my eyes on Him.  My choice was and is always to follow my Lord.

We all have decisions to make in life.  Sometimes decisions are not easy ... many are very hard.  I suggest today that you pray about all decisions and follow God's will.  He will give you answers ... not necessarily yes or no because sometimes He says 'wait'.  Decide to open your ears to His answers.

I am so thankful that I am where I am today.  I feel good, I am on the road back to my 'new normal', I know God has a plan for me and I know He knows every minute as to what is going to happen to me.  That is very reassuring.  Trust Him ... let Him lead you in making your decisions.

Psalm 23

Common English Bible (CEB)

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd.
    I lack nothing.
² He lets me rest in grassy meadows;
    he leads me to restful waters;
³         he keeps me ^[a] alive.
He guides me in proper paths
    for the sake of his good name.

⁴ Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no danger because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—
    they protect me.

⁵ You set a table for me
    right in front of my enemies.
You bathe my head in oil;
    my cup is so full it spills over!
⁶ Yes, goodness and faithful love
    will pursue me all the days of my life,
    and I will live^[b] in the Lord’s house
    as long as I live.

I want to share with you the cutest picture that was posted on Facebook.  The saying below is my greatest desire for the future of women (and men).

I ask you today to
Support Breast Cancer causes.
Let's find a cure so our grand babies
never have to endure this dreadful
disease.  

Blessings abound for us all.  Be thankful.  Make wise decisions.  I'm praying for you today.


gkmorrison12@gmail.com

Harboring vs Letting It Go !!!

Webster defines the word 1) 'harbor' (noun) a place of security and comfort; and 2) 'harbor' (verb)  a part of a body of water protected and deep enough to furnish anchorage.  Today I want to talk about the noun of 'harbor'.  Something that has weighed heavy on my mind since my diagnosis is how for many years and for whatever reason, I harbored ill feelings towards people who had hurt me or said something I didn't like or want to hear.  And now when I look at the definition of the word harbor as a noun, that means a place of security and comfort,  I ask myself, how in the world can harboring ill feelings towards someone mean a place of security and comfort?  Does it mean that if I do not let that person or persons who hurt me back in to my life that I have found security and comfort?  Has it made me feel better to continue holding a grudge because one time someone hurt me by what they said or didn't say, what they did or didn't do, excluded me from a function, etc?   Sometimes people do not know they have hurt us and yes, there are times that people do know they have but holding grudges only allows the devil to slip in and whisper in your ear ... 'remember when so and so said this or so and so did that ... remember how it made you feel'?  I say ... slap the devil off your shoulder and let it go.  The longer we hold a grudge, the harder it is to let it go.  

I have learned by acknowledging the issue, I have a choice to make ...  move forward or stay there harboring those ill feelings.  I have tried communicating with the person(s) whom I have been in conflict with and to understand the other persons point of view.  This didn't mean I had to agree with them but trying never hurts.  In the long run, does an apology make it better?  Aren't we just wanting the person to acknowledge our hurt feelings?  Often times I have discovered that the person I was in conflict with had moved on and never thought twice about the issue.  Holding on to a grudge, drains you physically and emotionally.  Rehashing the incident, I have found keeps the embers burning and those old hurt feelings resurface and the devil gets back up on my shoulder and whispers in my ear so that I continue to live the hurt over and over again.  Forgiveness sometimes is a hard thing to do especially if you have been deeply hurt but I believe that it is truly the only way to let go and have peace.

My story ....

I have a long time friend, a person I have known most of my life.  We started elementary school together and went all the way through graduation of high school and the years here after.  We  stayed in contact but were not shopping buddies or anything ... friends.   After my breast cancer diagnosis, I never heard from my friend.  Nothing!  Months later, I got a text message from this person that said something like ... I haven't bothered you through your whole ordeal but wanted you to know I have prayed for you.  Quite frankly I was hurt because I didn't know about your surgery until the day of.  My response was ...  REALLY?   I have been fighting for my life and you were HURT because you didn't know about my surgery?  Needless to say, I thought this was about the most selfish thing I had ever heard and I was upset and mad.  Oh you know what I'm talking about ... you have probably at one time or another had a similar reaction to something someone has said to you.  Side Note - When you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you really only want your immediate family to be there to talk to at the time.  Perhaps this person did not know that.  After much thought, I ask myself ... why am I harboring these ill feelings?  This person is a longtime friend and a friend of my family for many years.  So recently I let it go.  Does it take the sting away from what was said ... No ... but there's always bee balm to help that sting.  How can I not forgive when Jesus forgave me?  I do not have the energy to even 'want' to harbor ill feelings toward someone much less have the energy to 'do' it.  I know this person realized that perhaps what they said was hurtful and I know that they would not intentionally hurt me.  Praise the Lord that He alone has brought me to the place that I can forgive when someone upsets my little apple cart.  I do not like having ill feelings toward someone, it drags me down.  

So today ... I say if you are harboring ill feelings toward someone, let it go.  Bring back the peace and joy in your life.  Get rid of the emotional and physical strain on your health ... yes, these types of things bring your health down.  Knock that trouble making devil off your shoulder, step on him,  and move forward.  

I write with love and compassion as I walk the human walk just like you.  I am not exempt from hurt and pain but I can chose a different path on my life journey ... the path to 'let it go' in order to find the joy God intends for me to have.  I'm blessed and I know it.  God has taught me so much while on this journey ... I'm so thankful.

Matthew 6:14-15  "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

  

Blessings!  

gkmorrison12@gmail.com