When I imagine the voice of God, I think of the smell of mildewed bibles and lemon wood polish. I see the blue and green itchy plaid jumper, interwoven with threads of yellow, my pale scabby knees jutting out over the edge of the pew. I remember the white leather bound missal with gold embossed… Continue reading Do Not Squander Your Gifts
Giving Thanks in Times of War
There has been a growing unrest between the daily headlines. I can read it in the new creases of my brow. Lines have been drawn and the artillery of offensive acts and politifacts carefully stacked. I am armed to the teeth and ready to face the enemy. That is where my story ends. Really I… Continue reading Giving Thanks in Times of War
Coping with Loss after Cancer
There is a raw wordless ache in my core. When I start to approach it, it builds into a fire that agitates my whole system and threatens to engulf the whole of me. It’s in my pulse and my blood. My scalp prickles and my hair hurts. I itch all over. My hands are restless,… Continue reading Coping with Loss after Cancer
What You Nurture Will Grow
In the dark cob-webbed cellar of my being, there is an old rooted belief that my value as a person is tied up in how hard I work. Logically, I know this to be untrue, but coming from a long line of type-A workaholics...
A Whole Year of Turning 40: Not Just Another Party
Forget the cake and the presents. I have a plan to make this celebration last all year long!
This Life Worth Saving
My baby is about to turn 7. This time of year sparks a charge for me, because as I hold him and look into those gigantic brown eyes, I remember how terrified I was three years ago at this time. As much as I wanted to crumble and hide from the world, I found myself… Continue reading This Life Worth Saving
All the Right Reasons
I poured my guts out a few months ago about an experience of applying for a full time job, the first real full time 9-5, salaried with benefits kind of job since being turned inside out by breast cancer and all that came with it. Recently the Young Survival Coalition shared my story as a… Continue reading All the Right Reasons
Trying and Crying, an Igloo made of Tears: Employment after Cancer
I pounded my fists into the snow, packing down the bucket, an obsessive attempt at completing the igloo Julian had started. Being only 6, he gave up about two bricks into the process before returning to his sled. Sliding the icy cylinder into place, soaking in the silence of winter, I let the first fiery… Continue reading Trying and Crying, an Igloo made of Tears: Employment after Cancer
Be the Safety Net, Don’t Let Meanness Win
It was a shadowy end of the year in our family, punctuated by peaks of brightness from our silly six year old boy anticipating Christmas. While everyone else was finishing their holiday shopping, word came that my young niece attempted to commit suicide. It struck me that this attempt was made now, at the darkest time of… Continue reading Be the Safety Net, Don’t Let Meanness Win
The Period at the End
I am reframing this from a story about loss, loss of fertility and youthful hormones, loss of yet another piece of my femininity to something else. This bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy will bring a gift of release.
Melissa's Healing Hope 