Small blessings

I'm coming up to my 6 month anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis - today is my 6 month anniversary of my 1st mammogram, breast ultrasound and biopsy and the 18th is the 6 month anniversary of my diagnosis (it also was a Friday and a Monday, coincidentally). As I take a look behind me at those past 6 months, I know I am a changed woman in many ways! More than ever though, I see these past 6 months as having been difficult, but a true blessing to me and a gift from God.

It's been a crazy year, but it's only getting crazier...and how lucky am I to have had the crash course in cancer that I had over the past 6 months? I'm a much stronger woman now, and under duress I do see that I have created so many more emotional pathways for myself during these past 6 months (despite what I said just last week when I was in a little crisis - also a gift to make me stronger for what came our way this week). Bill and I can navigate these cancer waters with the best of them - we know when to call, who to hound for answers. We know how to look at hard statistics and to still find hope. We know what some of the tougher hurdles will be and how to get over them (for example, this week of waiting for the upcoming appointments for Sybil - the waiting is hard). Best of all, we have learned what a strong network of family and friends we have (some of the messages from my newest friends have really sustained me during these past two days - I really believe I have found some friends for life.).

Bill says he would have preferred to have found a way to deal with cancer now without my having had breast cancer...I can see where he would say that! It's hard to be the husband of a cancer patient. BUT, I know it is going to be more helpful for him that I have become so strong inside, and I know it is going to be helpful for my children as well. I feel ready to take on this challenge, and to carry the others through it too!