I was staring down the barrel of an hour long ride with a total stranger in downtown Chicago. I needed to get to the airport by 8:30 in the morning to make my flight home. That meant hopping in the car before my morning coffee had kicked in.
I requested an Uber on my phone and then stood in front of ... Read More
The cancer is gone, the reconstruction is over, but there are days that take me right back to the heat of the battle.
Yesterday was one of them.
Yesterday was a day of pink.
And a day of celebration.
Courtesy of April Williams-Schrader FB post
And a day of friendship.
But it was also a day to remember that I lived ... Read More
My daughter adores the show Shark Tank. Not me. It gives me anxiety to see someone break out into a nervous sweat as they deliver their carefully crafted pitch, only to have Mr. Wonderful tell them their idea sucks. I can hardly stand to watch it with her.
I look over at my daughter and she’s practically salivating, taking mental notes, ... Read More
I fail every day. More to the point, I fail Jesus every day. You might think that’s a bad thing, but I don’t.
Why? Two reasons.
First, notice, I didn’t say “I fail people every day.” I do. I snap at my kids and renege on promises. I’m a person just like you’re a person, so I’m messing up all the time. ... Read More
Have you ever met someone so kind, so gentle, that the minute you see her sweet smile you just feel safe? Accepted? That’s how I felt when I met Michele O’Leary. She and I became online friends this summer, just before she took the brave step to start a blog. A few months later we connected face-to-face at a writer’s ... Read More
The enemy says you’re not good enough. The enemy says you’ve messed up beyond repair. The enemy says you should retreat, go back where it’s safe in the shadows.
I know the enemy’s tricks and yet I fall for them again and again. Do you? Do the lies become so loud they cloud out the Truth?
The Truth that says you are ... Read More
The funny thing about cancer drugs is that they seem to spit out side-effects cyclically.
I don’t always get hot flashes. They come in waves. Every few weeks I wake up hot and sweaty and know that for a few days I’m going to have some uncomfortable nights. Then just when I think I can’t stand it anymore, the hot flashes ... Read More
The woman beside me was a cancer survivor, too. We were diagnosed within weeks of each other. Her treatment plan was a lot more intense, but here she was, looking beautiful, with soft wisps of ebony hair shining beneath a diamond studded headband.
We were at a fancy ball, celebrating our journeys.
After asking about her diagnosis, I asked if she had ... Read More
The evening’s emcee stood on the stage and said the unthinkable. “The women I’ve talked to say they’re glad they were diagnosed with breast cancer. That it was one of the best things that ever happened to them.”
Jordan and I were invited to speak at the Pink Tie Ball in Indianapolis this weekend. It was a beautiful mother-daughter getaway complete ... Read More
I woke up this morning and realized I had nothing to say. The only words I had were for God. Thank you for this, please forgive me for that. I sat with Him and told Him about the help I needed today and asked Him to walk with my friends. And then I was done. Totally out of words.
I did ... Read More
