Hello friends. It has been quite some time since I last posted. In fact, for those of you not familiar with the story, my last post was made in April 2011. Since that time, I retired from full time work in Education after 32 years of service, was diagnosed with cancer, had chemo and radiation treatments, surgery to remove the tumor, follow up chemo, and learned to live with a permanent colostomy. The past year and a half has, to say the least, not followed the plan I had for retirement!
And there's the rub...as the Yiddish proverb goes: "Man plans, God laughs". In coming to grips with cancer in our house, an amazing thing began to happen. I found myself developing, as a writer friend of mine says "an attitude of gratitude". I became aware of the many blessings that surround me each day, many of which meant little or nothing to me prior to my diagnosis and treatment. I found myself grateful for big and little things, from the dawning of a new day, to a minimal reaction to chemo, to the smile or touch of a friend who cares.
Having come through the tunnel that was the last year and the half, a couple of things warrant highlighting. The first is that I never lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. For this I have my wife, my family, my medical team and my friends to thank. Whether they knew it or not, they became my own personal cheering section, encouraging me, uplifting me, consoling me, and sharing my journey. This cheer team kept me focused on a positive outcome throughout the past year and a half. They were indeed the wind beneath my wings.
The second is that none of us knows what the future has in store for us. Throughout my trial, I learned of the many struggles and losses endured by members of my cheer team...struggles and losses that I previously knew nothing about. It was one of the many blessings that emerged from the struggle...sharing hardship and knowing that regardless of the outcome, life goes on. I have learned that it is now that matters, and that living each day to it's fullest is the only guarantee that when the end does come we will have lived a full and complete life without regret. I suppose that really is the goal, isn't it...a life without regrets. I can imagine no better way to die.
One of the stories I came across during my recovery was the story of a poster found in a second hand book shop in England in 2000. The poster was originally produced in 1939, as part of an attempt to raise British morale during World War II. The sign read simply: Keep calm, and carry on. At the time, the threat of invasion was real, and the poster was intended to avoid the paralysis that comes with panic during a crisis. In reading the story, it struck me that there could be no better advice for us as we face our struggles and embrace our blessings each day...Keep calm, and carry on.
