That's a wrap...

It seems like I just finished lugging all the Christmas decorations upstairs from the basement and now it's time to put them all away.  

 Here are a few glimpses into our holiday this year. 

Victor's parents house...'

My parents' house...

Our house...

 One of my talented aunts made this beautiful card.  I plan on framing it and using it as part of my decorations each year. 

Some of my treasured decorations...

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday filled with blessings too plentiful to count.  

Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas. 

Dale Evans 
 

I was here...

Have you seen this?  

Needless to say the events of the past year have caused me to be reflective.  Everything that happens, once seemingly insignificant, I now digest and seek to find a deeper meaner.  Listening to this song the other night on T.V. was one of those moments.  Sometimes it may seem that we as individuals have little to no impact on the world as a whole, but really, it has to start somewhere.  This song seemed to go along with the 26 acts of kindness post from last week.  So, I thought I'd check in and let you know what we've been doing.

The kids and I took a trip to Target on the Friday before Christmas to pick up some things to make bags for homeless people.  This is some of what we put in the bags...toothbrush, toothpaste, tissues, cough drops, snacks, deodorant, first aid kit, gloves, drinks, brush, chocolates, chapstick, soap, gift card to stop and shop...

I attached a kindness quote to each of the 6 bags. 

 On Christmas Eve morning we drove around to where we usually see homeless people and we passed out the bags.  The kids passed them out from the back seat and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. I knew this "act" made an impact when E started to become very quiet from the back seat and then he said, "Mom, can we do this every year?  I like helping people."  

Yesterday we completed act #7 by leaving our waitress at Bertucci's a big tip and today I completed act #8 by making a donation here.  

Remember in high school when you went to the bathroom and it seemed the entire school had written on the walls stating that they were there?  "Justine was here, 11/9/86, Jay was here, 9/4/87"...

I never was one to write on the bathroom walls, but it does seem important to make a difference and do something significant with my life and make it known that "I was here."  By the way, I plan on having 60 more years to leave my mark ;)

I was hereI lived, I lovedI was hereI did, I've done, everything that I wantedAnd it was more than I thought it would beI will leave my mark so everyone will know-Beyonce

Patience...

So I've decided to follow the trend of many other bloggers and choose a word for 2013, a word to reflect on as the next chapter of my life book is written.  The word is Patience....patience with others (especially my children), patience with myself and patience with life and what it brings.  This past year has forced me to slow down and be more patient, especially with my health, but I still have work to do.  

photo by Blue Lily

I liked so many quotes I found today, and I couldn't choose just one, so here are three.

Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity. 

Carl Jung 

I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. 

Lao Tzu 

The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen. 

Ralph Marston 

Ready...

One year ago today I was outside playing in the yard with the kids and my cell phone rang.  Part of me thought that because it was New Year's Eve, it certainly was going to be good news and I could ring in the New Year with a big sigh of relief.  However, that is not how the story went.  I proceeded to answer the phone and got the news that I indeed had tested positive for Breast Cancer...that was it...that was all I knew...that I tested positive.  Having a lack of information just allows the brain to go all sorts of crazy creating scenarios, and for the days that followed that's pretty much how the story played out.  

Now, here I am one year later.  In some ways it seems like I have been through so much during this past year and in other ways, it's gone by quickly, somewhat of a blur (probably in part due to the enormous amounts of meds ;/)

Although I now realize that this past year taught me so very much, that it was supposed to happen, and that it was a part of a Master Plan, I'm ready to move on to 2013, and start anew.

Thank you for following me on this life journey during the past turbulent year.  I'm looking forward to the year ahead with a renewed sense of gratitude and appreciation for life.  

Photos from today's 4th Christmas Celebration.  I love this time of year!

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. 

Helen Keller

Christmas and a New Page

Well, another Christmas has come and gone...so much preparation and it goes by in the blink of an eye.  

 E looks thrilled, doesn't he?  

As the next chapter in my journey gets started, it seemed fitting to add a new Breast Cancer page to my blog, hoping that perhaps my experience could help someone else.  I'll be adding more resources as I find them.

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn. 
C. S. Lewis 

Merry Christmas

Tainted, but thankful...

The original title of this post was going to be tainted, but then my wise BFF steered me into adding thankful.

It was 363 days ago, on Christmas, when I had an itch-I now refer to it as the itch that saved my life.  However today I found myself annoyed that the Christmas season is also the anniversary of me being diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  This time of year is now tainted with the the Big C.  And then, a midst my whining and self pity, my BFF said she was thankful I found the lump, "not thankful that it was there, but finding it was the best thing that could have happened" in the situation.  And when you put it that way, who can argue?  Who even wants to think about what would have happened if I didn't find it...I'm going to choose not to go there. 

...And so with that I'm going to move forward and be grateful during this season.   It's all a matter of how you look at things...perception... 

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. 

Alphonse Karr