Monday, March 7

Quote of the Day:  “Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.”  Benjamin Franklin

Got to walk today w/ Sue B., Sue O., Denise and Kent (for a few minutes).  These are hard-core runners.  I am holding them back but they will walk because that’s the kind of people they are.

This goes so well with what I was thinking about during church yesterday.  Yes, my mind wanders a lot.  Anyway, I was thinking about when you laugh really hard and you have trouble catching your breath and how that makes your body feel.  It’s almost as though your refreshed when you stop laughing- some positive chemical is released in your body.  I want to feel that every day.  I’m tired of telling my gloomy story.  I want something funny to hit me so hard that I forget about what hurts and laugh my guts out.

I don’t believe in coincidences anymore!  There are just too many, too often, that it boggles my mind.  God has such a part of each of our lives.  I saw my nephew, Nick Harvey, at the library today and it gave me such a great chance to catch up w/ him.  He is Alex’s age (25)  and lost his mother, my sister, Heidi when he was 8.   When you lose your mother at that age, your view on life has to be largely impacted.  He has always been in my heart- I feel very tender towards him.  He is always willing to give me a hug when I see him.  He is trying hard to make his life what he wants it to be.  How sweet that he would tell me he loves me as we parted.

My sister, Lynne, who is the strongest person I know, is battling cancer also.  She has been an incredible example to me of someone who never complains, never acts like she can’t handle things, never feels sorry for herself and is so optimistic in trying whatever she can to heal her body.  She sent me the book Waking the Warrior Goddess which I can’t wait to read.  It’s a program to harness the power of nature and natural medicines to achieve extraordinary health.   When I say Lynne is strong, I don’t just mean emotionally,  I mean physically too.  When we were young, she would arm wrestle all the boys in the neighborhood and win!  She would stand on the highest platform at the swimming pool in Lava Hot Springs and without flinching, jump.   But this is all fluff compared to facing cancer twice.  I love you, Lynne!

I’m sitting here with this beautiful necklace around my neck, and here is another example of how connected our lives are.  Jackie Shifrar is the nurse practioner at St. Mark’s who encouraged me to get a mammogram.  She said that I needed to have one every year and so I was moved to make the appointment.  My dear friends, Kathy C., Patti, Lori and Mikey, gave me this incredible necklace w/ the pink ribbon signifying support for breast cancer research and cure on one side and on the other side the saying: “FIGHT LIKE A GIRL” , made by Jackie.  You can imagine the significance of this necklace when I put it around my neck.  Thanks Jackie and thanks dear friends for brightening up my life!

Lynne on Princess Cruise in Tahiti-  January 2011