What Cancer Taught Us About Paying Attention

Posted June 2nd, 2016

In a week of walks along the river that flows through the middle of my town, I snapped several photos – of young guitar player on large boulder; beautifully-choreographed fly fisherman’s cast; fallen tree growing its own lawn. As many times as I’ve walked this portion of the river trail—hundreds of times—it seems there’s always something […]

Prescription for Depression – Whether Cancer Patient or Caregiver

Posted May 23rd, 2016

It hung around way too late in the day before I recognized this no-energy-no-interest-in-anything blahness. That’s when I got out my script pad and wrote a prescription for mild depression: Go take a hike. Near a body of water. Part of the cure requires that the patient stop somewhere along the path to contemplate all there is […]

Nurses – From The Cancer Caregiver’s Perspective

Posted May 16th, 2016

I remember the nurse – after the surgery where we learned the cancer had already spread – who brought blankets and pillows so I could sleep in the recliner next to Hubby’s hospital bed. Because I didn’t have the courage to go home and sleep alone in our bed that night. And I remember how an oncology […]

What Cancer Taught Us About Traveling Lighter

Posted May 9th, 2016

What we didn’t realize during our *wilderness years* – that season of time from Hubby’s job loss through cancer – was this: The paring down and simplifying of our lives was for a larger purpose, for lighter travel over mountain trails and barren places. As it turned out, the circumstances that forced us to pare down benefitted us in more than […]

Your Path Has Been Redirected By Cancer: Now What?

Posted May 2nd, 2016

What circumstances have redirected your path? Cancer or other serious illness? Job loss? Or job change and subsequent relocation? Financial reversals? Death of a loved one? Widowhood?

7 Reasons For Settling In And Venturing Out

Posted April 21st, 2016

My niece recently posted this to my Facebook page: “She was an adventurer at heart; but oh how she loved drinking this tea from this mug in this chair. Oh how she loved home.” My niece knows me well. Walking into my sweet little guest house rental, after being out of town for a week, I […]

5 Ways To Live An Extraordinary Life

Posted April 18th, 2016

Shortly after Hubby died, I read a book by Eugene O’Kelly, Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life. O’Kelly was diagnosed with cancer and given maybe three months to live. His book is about what he wanted to accomplish and how he determined to live those remaining 100 days. It reads like a business book because O’Kelly […]

8 Cancer-Generated Secrets For Becoming More Attractive

Posted April 8th, 2016

If you’ve lost something to cancer that is of incredible value — your health, a way of life, someone who is precious beyond words — then it is important to grieve. To take your time and grieve in your own way. At some point, though, it will be to your advantage and good health to set aside […]