Tales of Cancer Survivorship: Resiliency & Healing through purpose, pleasure & reclaiming intimacy
There are periods in life when survival mode quietly becomes our default setting. The mind begins moving from one problem to the next, constantly scanning for what needs attention or what could go wrong. The body becomes something we push forward through responsibilities, appointments, and obligations. Many people who have moved through illness, trauma, caregiving,… Continue reading Pleasure as Self-Preservation
When parents are trying so very hard to keep their heads above water, they may not be able to show you what it is to be a strong swimmer. It can feel messy and scary, like drowning. As a young woman, I wish someone had told me is to stop flailing, to lie on my back and look up at the stars, and helped me to see what I could have and be if I stopped waiting for rescue.
"the degree to which you can own your own darkness is the degree to which you can own your light."
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
Tell a Mom not to use her right arm. Tell this to a Mom with a 4 year old and watch her face. I am one of those people who is never content to do just one thing at a time. While the onions are sauteing, I can get the laundry going, start a fire,… Continue reading Pick me up Mommy!
Waiting to start, a splinter of light against a vast dark. What can begin to take hold in this barren yet fertile ground? Chemotherapy strips you down, like paint thinner washing out the last self portrait. On a cellular level, diminished as each and every dark internal corner is washed in an acrid bath. It… Continue reading On Your Mark… Get Set…
Melissa's Healing Hope 