The Rotten Truth

As October transitions into November, we end the month with Halloween (a day that always tickles my fancy). I love to see kids all dressed up in their costumes. It's that look in their eye that gets me every time. It says something words cannot say. It's a feeling only a child can feel. It's as if they are hiding a great big wonderful secret…

This week is a busy week. The day before Halloween is our Pink Promise Celebration. It's a day to honor breast cancer survivors. I have worn a lot of pink this month. I've painted my nails pink. I've bought a few things in the name of breast cancer. I've celebrated my own pinkness in my own way.

But… here's the truth (the rotten truth). As I write this blog, I have 3 dear friends suffering with stage 4 cancer. Today I watched some testimonials on The Breast Cancer Awareness web sight. They brought tears to my eyes. Yesterday, someone I didn't know died from breast cancer. We had many mutual friends. My heart grieves even though I didn't know her.

I work very hard at not allowing this terrible disease to bring me down. But, some days, try as I might, it hits me square in the face. The severity of it overwhelms me, & knowing my own reality sends a jolt right through my heart. As I see my own dear friends suffer, I cry inside. As I see their strength, their beauty, I can only admire them. I learn from them.

I converse with myself. I imagine their pain. I find it unbearable. They have school age children. There is no sense of fairness here. They have endured much, yet their suffering continues. It's truly an act of surrender. Each of them has an incredible faith. It is their faith that sustains them. I believe it's what makes each of them so beautiful. It preserves their dignity.

Their faith gives them grace. This grace allows them to be a light house to others who can only wonder how they cope with the severity & reality of their health. Having young children changes the whole picture. Each of them longs for one more day to spend with their children. Nothing is taken for granted. As this month of pink draws to a close, the horrors of this disease never ends for these courageous women. Just one more day, that's all they ask...