Five years later......

This is the longest gap in blog posts ever! I checked to see my last post was a year and half ago. It feels really good to make less posts about cancer, therapy,and the physical and emotional trip it takes you on. That's not to say that those thoughts go away, they are part of me now and always will be. While I hope and pray that my battle with cancer is over for good, (and I truly feel it is) it is my sincere hope to be of value and comfort to others that will also take that journey. I am five years out from my diagnosis and look forward to another healthy year ahead. When people hear "5 years" there is elation as a landmark date has been accomplished. I admit it does feel great.
So much has happened in the last year and a half that I couldn't begin to cover it all. When I was first diagnosed, change was imminent. I never felt that adapting to change was a skill with which I was blessed. But that saying.....the only thing permanent is change....holds truth. I've come to recognize that change is undoubtedly a very good thing. It is the only way to grow. If things always stay the same there is nothing to be learned and living without learning seems pointless now. There will always be heartache and sorrow but on the other side there's love and great joy! Knowing one helps me appreciate and accept the other. Sometimes you need a swift kick in the ass to be reminded, at least I know I do! Life now is about doing the best I can in every situation. I will screw up because I'm not perfect and I'm not supposed to be. Perfect is not what I'm going for anyway. What I am shooting for is good health and to love each and every day. I've had so much love in my life and still do and I will not take those that love me for granted. If I do....feel free to give me that swift kick in the ass! Please!:)
Christmas is always bittersweet as my Dad's birthday was on Christmas Eve. I miss him so much, sometimes it still hurts. When I think of him sometimes I think of a man who was like a second Dad to me and I miss him greatly too. Holidays and birthdays bring up these emotions. And it's the time of the year where we all seem to take more time to reflect, at least I know I do. Remembering those we've lost is the biggest jolt of all to help us realize all of those things that we all say but don't neccessarily always remember. That life is short. Forgive. Love and live each day and embrace each moment to the fullest. These are lifes true lessons indeed and if we're open to them, they can be the greatest gifts we will ever receive.