March Madness & Celebrations

A supportive guy, VERY relieved 3/31/06 surgery is over!

Originally "penned" March 2013

and edited March 2015

     Easter and springtime are life-giving celebrations. Both of my children were born during the Easter season (one on Easter). AND, on April 1, 2006, I awoke. Free. A virulent poison was removed. April Fool's, cancer.


     I'll never forget people's special acts of kindness and love. The [long-time special friends'] group prayer at my home, Rebecca's gift cards for food, and Nevelle's personally-delivered plant. They kept me grounded to life, to fight, for the people I love. They encouraged me to press through months of pain and chemo. I wanted to live, for future life events like weddings, grandbabies, and more. 

Nostalgic arrangement from my sister-in-law

     The pictured vase and sheep have a special story. Mom owned them when she was alive, and it was passed on to my Chicago Sister-in-law. She secretly mailed them both to my son with money to buy the roses. When I arrived home from the hospital, the deja-vu, nostalgic arrangement on my dinette table temporarily jarred and uplifted me, with the endearing note: I hope this arrangement helps you feel like your Mom is cheering you on from heaven. Priceless!!

     I celebrate many new-life, springtime things, including 9 years of freedom. My 2.5-hour-long double mastectomy removing stage 2, grade 3, her2 neu, aggressive cancer occurred during 2006 March Madness. Each year as we watch hours of televised games, an inescapable reminder glares at me... of my personal March Madness. Months of painful recuperation, sickening chemo treatments, degrading hair loss and baldness, extended chemo fog, and then Tamoxifen meds slamming my body and emotions into 1,000-mph cray-cray menopause. All MAD! I stand on the other side of all of that, gratefully embracing my BS and MM degrees.


First stomach-turning chemo treatment

     I experience new life in a distinctive way and cherish family get-togethers, adventures to the Sears Tower and Chicago land in general, grandchild encounters, special friend activities, crafting encounters, movies, dates and nature adventures with my husband, and holidays... especially Easter!

Degrading balding & cray-cray menopause
mega-zappers to self-esteem

     Jesus is risen, and I, too, can each day live the resurrected life. I feel the Hunger Games competitiveness of everyday life, but it is coupled with a forever perspective. I seek helpful Reinforcement when I waiver, attempting to do what is just and right, including handling painful blows to my mid-50's identity. My senses are awake to a dynamic world. But tip-toeing so near to death's reality makes me ever-mindful of my final destination.

     IF I had been defeated on this earth, I know I would reside in a forever perfect place. That would be ideal. But instead, this world is still my home, and it is indeed very good.