Happiness is a choice!

To the Love of my Life, Jim

We won We never gave up. We saw the vision And we worked Consistently for years and years Our reward is invisible to many We are not flashy We are not the leaders on stage We sit in the back We hold each other’s hands as tears run down our face We wonder why we did not reach our goals OR have we We have us, health, breath, more than we would have We plant seeds and they are slow-growing We may not see the reward in our lives But the seeds are in the ground as deep roots We have what we need. Much more than we had. We have been blessed. We may never advance on stage again, But someone we introduced will change the world Because we never gave up We keep on keeping on Because we do, a legacy is born We are the messenger and others have the decision to listen Some will, some won’t, so what? Their life will change or won’t Some will have more and be more Because we never gave up We are the little man We changed our own life in a big way To the world, it seems small

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No one can minimize what happened- again and again

Am I hallucinating or is it PTSD? I see his figure in the doorway. It has been years since the incidences They tell me he has changed. Why do I still see his face and feel the fear? I am free of his hold I have forgiven Again Again And again The again’s are never-ending I have been told that I was not really abused. That I am crazy and hormonal. In one instance when I was expected to die from stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in July 2015, there was a group of my family members talking about this. One person said that it was “karma” and there was laughter. The laughter that I was going to die, that I would lose my hair, laughter that I would feel deaths breath on my face. I have been told there was only one child who stood up for me and said,” guys, this is our mom. “ I have heard about the incidence on more than on occasion. These people were my people, some are my flesh and blood, I love them as only a mother can. To be honest, after my mother died, then a hideous divorce, then Tex died

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Death and Trauma

On the outside to many, I look like the out happy girl, that is what I am known for. At times, underneath the smile is trauma and tears. I have learned to cry and smile at the same time. This is my coping mechanism. I don’t want to make others uncomfortable or feel sorry for me. When I am grouchy or sad and share these feelings with someone, I feel horrible afterward! My greatest wish is to share sunshine with everyone I meet. How can I do that if I am sad and unhappy? My practice is to get control of my feelings and deal with them, then go change the world. My greatest nightmare as a child was that my mom would die. She did.  I was an adult with 5 children, but it was still devastating. She was my greatest cheerleader. I want to climb in the casket with her. I had put on a happy face and now she knew my marriage was a deep disaster and horrific. She now knew all from her soft white seat in heaven.  For Grieving Mothersby Dr. Joanne Cacciatore  I am not a stranger to death and had witnessed grandmothers and

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Hug yo wife, Hug yo kids

My baby brother, 4 kids, in his 40’s . He Just graduated from business college , a great job, his health was better than it had been in a long time. Then the news came,…. What a difference a month can make. First week in Sept I was hiking the Tetons with a great friend. A month later I’m battling leukemia. Hug yo wife, hug yo kids. Life is crazy!- Chad Cannon We just never know. if you know me you know then you know my cancer experience story. If you don’t you can get an overview here. My brother commented- C. Cannon7 months ago Love this, Sis! Grateful you’re still around to brighten our days! Now it is him. He is 13 years younger, a miracle in itself that he is alive this long. He has his own story of heath and pushing through hard. He is sweet, kind, and smart. He helped me get my graduation plan in place and teaches me to be a little more kind, a little more unselfish every day. He is a peacemaker. This scripture shows the world what he is all about. Mosiah 37 And how blessed are they! For they did apublish bpeace; they

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Survivor or Thriver

\ It was getting harder and harder to breathe. I was afraid to eat food because it was getting stuck in my throat. There were 5 doctors around me, feeling the 18-centimeter lump in my stomach. The pet scan indicated that I had cancer from my chin to my ankles. I was diagnosed with the big “C” and according to the pet scan,  I lit up like a Christmas tree. The questions were ringing in my ears. How is she still alive? Can her heart make it through this treatment? She is going to die either way. How is she still walking? “Carol are you up for this? We are going to double the treatment, your heart might not be able to handle it, you will die if we don’t do something fast. I understand fully well. My own personal mantra is,” life is hard when we can get through hard we can have a good life.” I would survive, I knew it without a doubt. We are all survivors. If you are reading this, you are alive and you are a survivor. A thriver is living life to its fullest. I was using the, “as if,” principle and planning

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