Hello! Good Morning to all of you! I am sure that most of you are rushing about as you are working on Christmas plans. First of all, I would like to thank you for all of the nice comments. They mean so much to me. I am so happy to know this blog is a help to so many. It has been my constant prayer for a couple of years, now, to encourage others and to make a positive difference in as many lives that I could touch. If even one person benefits from it, it is all worthwhile.

Today I want to talk to you about my life before cancer. It’s cold outside so pour that cup of coffee and let’s chat for awhile. This blog is going to be about many different topics. I don’t want to limit it to only about being sick, because life is all about many varied things that can change from time to time. When you combine all the good with the difficult times, they can be bittersweet, but when enjoyed to the fullest, day by day, it is an incredible journey!

I am a very family oriented person. I love my family dearly. I have a husband, Mark, and three grown children, Sarah, Bethany, and Travis, and three adorable grandchildren that I thoroughly enjoy! Mark and I have been married for 31 years now. How could that be?! I have a wonderful mom and brother also. My dad passed away several years ago with Lung Cancer. I was also very close to my grandparents. They were a very special part of my life when I was growing up. My most cherished memory of Grandma was her warm smile and that loving sparkle in her eyes. Hers was another precious life lost to cancer as she died of Melanoma, a form of skin cancer. As you can see, cancer has touched the life of my family more than once.

I enjoyed my childhood and teen years. We lived in a house in the country. I had great fun riding my pony. As I went into my teen years, I took baton and dancing lessons. I loved every minute of it. They were a major part of my life while I was growing up. I was picked as a semi-finalist in the Miss Teenage America Pageant when I was in high school.

As I got older and married, I really enjoyed the role of wife and mother. My kids and I were quite a group. You may have heard of the movie, Three Men and A Baby; Well, we were Three Kids and A Mom!
Grocery shopping with all three of them was quite a challenge. You know you are a mother when you are pushing a grocery cart the size of a minivan. I guess that’s a sure sign you have a lot of kids. I have always said I played the game of Life too much as a child because my car was always full of kids and that has never changed. Now, it’s my grandchildren that I am enjoying and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

This is my story before cancer and who I still am today. Life can be a frightening journey, even without cancer, when you go it all alone. I compare it to being blindfolded and sent on a long trip without a map or a destination. Sometimes when I stop for just a moment and listen to that still small voice, I hear Jesus say, ever so gently, “Just trust me. Put your hand in mine. I’ll show you great and mighty things You’re in for the time of your life!”

By now, you might be wondering what any of this has to do with cancer. I’m glad you asked. There are times my book and this blog may pull at your heartstrings. There will be times when you will laugh, and other times, you might cry, especially when you think of your own life and special memories. I believe there is healing in our laughter as well as our tears.

What memories do you recall? If you have good memories, that is wonderful. Hold onto them with all your heart, but don’t stop there. Keep on making new ones. If you have some bad ones, give them all to God. He can help erase them, while giving you the strength to get up another day and start afresh. In his time, he makes all things new.

As for me, there are never enough hours in a day. Life is a wonderful journey to celebrate, from every bird that sings in the morning to every sun that sets in the evening. I just love life!

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord. thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Psalm 16:11
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore!

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