Remember the old classic Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons? The ones with the alternate title? Well that format seems to fit the format for this update, besides that it tickles my fancy and makes me smile!
WHCRA stands for Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act. Signed into law on October 21, 1998. The purpose of the law is to require the following mastectomy benefits:
-reconstruction of the breast that was removed by mastectomy
-surgery and reconstruction of the other breast to make the breasts look symmetrical or balanced after mastectomy
-any external breast prostheses (breast from that fits into a bra) that are needed before or during reconstruction
-any physical complications at all stages of mastectomy, including lymphedema.
TMI stands for Too Much Information. Which this update may contain. But it has been my goal to share my experience with others, to increase knowledge which of course is power.
So why am I talking about laws that refer to a mastectomy? After all I didn’t have a mastectomy….. Or did I?
Definition of Lumpectomy according to Right Health web site:
Lumpectomy; Wide local excision; Excisional biopsy; Limited breast surgery; Segmental mastectomy: Breast conservation therapy or surgery; Tylectomy; Breast sparing surgery; Partial mastectomy; Segmental breast excision
Actually a lumpectomy is really just a modified mastectomy, so the law does apply to me.
Let’s go back in time to April of 2008, when I was diagnosed and meeting with my surgical oncologist. At that time I was given the option of having reconstruction on the affected (cancerous) breast at the time of the lumpectomy. My first reaction was to do as little as possible. But I asked questions, the questions I asked was basically would insurance cover a reduction on the larger, healthier breast after I was done with the adjuvant therapies?* I was told then about the law that required insurance companies to cover this which is called: acquired breast asymmetry. So being the very pragmatic person I am, I decided to not go through augmentation/reconstruction on the affected breast.
adjuvant therapy (A-joo-vant THAYR-uh-pee)
Additional cancer treatment given after the primary treatment to lower the risk that the cancer will come back. Adjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, or biological therapy.
.
Now, after my 16 rounds of chemotherapy and my 38 sessions of radiation are complete I am on the road to feeling more like Lynn again. However when I look at myself in the mirror or glance down, I see a lopsided fruit plate! I told my husband it was like having a grapefruit and an orange. “Frankly” he replied, “it is more like a grapefruit and an apple”. Too funny! Anyway, so I could be like a fruit salad and use whipped cream to even things out (translate to padding or prostheses) but that is a bit messy and tedious. I could just continue to be lopsided, but traditional bras now bruise me due to the ill fit.
So this Thursday the 24th of September I am having a reduction mammaplasty!
I have been referred to a wonderful plastic surgeon who has been the surgeon for many of my new sisters! Here is a link to his information:
http://www.iowaclinicplasticsurgeons.com/dr_konstantinos_lekkas_md.cfm
As always, I thank each and everyone of you for your prayers and good wishes, you have made my journey so much easier! Hopefully I am helping you understand what a friend or family member may be going through who is not as outspoken as I!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Lucky Dog
Lucky Dog....
Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'
Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.
Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body f felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
Remember......live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.
If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God
A small request
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.
Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.
Amen
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more person, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle.
Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'
Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.
Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body f felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
Remember......live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.
If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God
A small request
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.
Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.
Amen
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more person, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Happy Anniversary! April 7
Dear Friends,
It was just one year ago today that I received my diagnosis of cancer. At the time I was filled with many fears, now I have great peace. To celebrate I have this to share with you.
What has cancer taught me?
I was asked this on finishing my course of 33 radiation treatments. Now it is two months later and I am ready to share (in written form) what I have learned.
Having been diagnosed with cancer and dealing with it’s treatment has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life. There are all the hours you are awake in the middle of the night, the time spend locked behind a steel door in radiation and those twilight minutes between naps!
I have always considered myself to be a person of faith. I was so blessed to be brought up by a mother and father who saw to it that I had a relationship with God. My Grandmother McAdams passed away when I was 5 years old. My parents handled the potential of my being scared by death by calmly explaining to me that when a person dies that they go to heaven. What a gift! Of course, you do need to accept the gift and acknowledge it, have that gift become a part of your life.
Being a recipient of a gift so freely given is not so easy, I have discovered. It is a humbling experience. After all, I am a very independent, self-suffiencent person! Accepting the knowledge that I cannot do it all on, my own in fact that I NEED to let others give is new to me. I much prefer to be on the giving side. Somehow, that has been my nature. All the details in the giving create joy within me. Thinking of what the recipient could use, what they need and enjoy. Factored in also is will this gift delight? Will the recipient’s eyes light up? Did they even know such a thing existed?
How much are the above thoughts like those of God when he sent his son to save us?
My faith has become so much deeper over the last year. I see examples of God’s promises to us everywhere I look.
Several years ago, I heard. Ken McCaughey, the father of the sptuplets born in 1997 speak. He said that they left everything in God’s hands once they made the decision to carry all 7 babies to term as opposed to doing a selective reduction. I clearly remember thinking his faith was somewhat naive, that we need to work, to be reasonable in our prayer requests. Now I realize that at times prayer is all that is available. That it takes a humble person to honestly believe that God will provide exactly what you need. Not what you think you need.
All of my prayers have been answered. Many of the answers were not what I was expecting. Other answers came in the form of gifts. Yes some prayers I am still waiting to discover the answer.
It all reminds me of the newest GEICO commercial where the CEO does the “trust fall” with the Gecko. Yes, I trust God that much! My wish for you is that you can learn the lesson without the expensive tuition!
It was just one year ago today that I received my diagnosis of cancer. At the time I was filled with many fears, now I have great peace. To celebrate I have this to share with you.
What has cancer taught me?
I was asked this on finishing my course of 33 radiation treatments. Now it is two months later and I am ready to share (in written form) what I have learned.
Having been diagnosed with cancer and dealing with it’s treatment has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life. There are all the hours you are awake in the middle of the night, the time spend locked behind a steel door in radiation and those twilight minutes between naps!
I have always considered myself to be a person of faith. I was so blessed to be brought up by a mother and father who saw to it that I had a relationship with God. My Grandmother McAdams passed away when I was 5 years old. My parents handled the potential of my being scared by death by calmly explaining to me that when a person dies that they go to heaven. What a gift! Of course, you do need to accept the gift and acknowledge it, have that gift become a part of your life.
Being a recipient of a gift so freely given is not so easy, I have discovered. It is a humbling experience. After all, I am a very independent, self-suffiencent person! Accepting the knowledge that I cannot do it all on, my own in fact that I NEED to let others give is new to me. I much prefer to be on the giving side. Somehow, that has been my nature. All the details in the giving create joy within me. Thinking of what the recipient could use, what they need and enjoy. Factored in also is will this gift delight? Will the recipient’s eyes light up? Did they even know such a thing existed?
How much are the above thoughts like those of God when he sent his son to save us?
My faith has become so much deeper over the last year. I see examples of God’s promises to us everywhere I look.
Several years ago, I heard. Ken McCaughey, the father of the sptuplets born in 1997 speak. He said that they left everything in God’s hands once they made the decision to carry all 7 babies to term as opposed to doing a selective reduction. I clearly remember thinking his faith was somewhat naive, that we need to work, to be reasonable in our prayer requests. Now I realize that at times prayer is all that is available. That it takes a humble person to honestly believe that God will provide exactly what you need. Not what you think you need.
All of my prayers have been answered. Many of the answers were not what I was expecting. Other answers came in the form of gifts. Yes some prayers I am still waiting to discover the answer.
It all reminds me of the newest GEICO commercial where the CEO does the “trust fall” with the Gecko. Yes, I trust God that much! My wish for you is that you can learn the lesson without the expensive tuition!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is May 2
Last week I had the pleasure to be invited to speak at the Kick Off Breakfast for this year's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Campaign. The following is what I said. I am so glad to be associated with the firm that I am.... and yes I will be asking for donations! I have found it is much easier to ask for money to beat cancer than it is to tell friends and family I have cancer.
My name is Lynn Carlson and I am proud to be associated with Coldwell Banker Mid America Group Realtors. Marilynn Cedarstrom is the VP Director of Corporate Services at Coldwell Banker and was supposed to speak today but is out of town, so I am here to try to fill her shoes. Anyone who knows me knows that I am always one to try a new pair of shoes and it is better yet if it involves the color pink!
Marilynn has been instrumental in our company’s involvement with the Making Strides Campaign.
Nine years ago, Marilynn attended the very first Kick Off Breakfast that Making Strides had. At the end of the campaign, she was not happy with the amount that our company raised, so she made a pledge to herself that the next year we would raise much more. The second year we raised over $5000. To Celebrate, Marilynn and her husband Larry had the first Pink Party at Marilynn’s Pink Pad. Everyone in our company that contributed was invited for dinner and about 15 people came. The Pink Party has grown to over 50 people. Last year we raised over $15,000 and with matching funds from our owner, Marvin Pomerantz and the Pomerantz Foundation, the total we were able to donate to Making Strides was $33,000.
Marilynn starts each campaign by picking a Team Captain from each of our offices, which is 8. Our larger offices actually have more than one captain. Then we meet and set our goals, which of course is always higher than last year’s actual. She makes sure that we all have and wear our pink wrist band for the entire two months of fund raising. This helps to remind us of our goals, much like a string around your finger would do. We are Realtors, so we are very competitive and we want our office to raise more than the other offices. Marilynn sends a weekly email company wide letting everyone know how much each office has raised. In addition, our company buys either a T-Shirt or Hat for everyone that contributes. One year, we all signed our names for the back of the shirt, now that made me feel accountable to raise some money! A donation is encouraged for this.
The day of the walk Marilynn puts up a tent with a banner so we can all meet and walk together. Then we end up our efforts with the Pink Party at Marilynn’s Pink Pad.
Both Marilynn and the President of our company, Carolyn Hemlinger, are survivors and are therefore very passionate to our cause. They genuinely care about each agent and have created a family atmosphere at Coldwell Banker. We all know that families are there to support each other and to celebrate life.
That is why last year; I attended the Making Strides Breakfast as my office captain. An agent in my office had been diagnosed the previous fall and had a mastectomy followed by reconstruction. I so admired her strength, her positive attitude that combined with how our company rallied to support her that I wanted to do my part. I knew I could never be as brave as her. Funny thing about the word never…it usually comes back to show you just how wrong you were.
Little did I know that my Making Strides involvement would become very personal. Just a few weeks after the kick off, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. My first reaction was tears and fears. Cancer is a nasty word, it is synonymous with all that is evil and out of control, that did not help my attitude any so I decided to refer to my cancer as crap…. That I can handle! Thankfully, I was blessed that two of our guest speakers from 2008 were a part of my team, they are Dr. Kollmorgan and Edra Frouts, Breast Cancer Care Coordinator at John Stoddard. They were so instrumental in changing my attitude from one of fear to one of knowledge and empowerment to beat this crap.
I had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. The thought of chemotherapy had me scared witless, but you know what? It was not all that bad. Chemotherapy has changed from what I remembered my father went through in 1980. Yes, I lost my hair, food tasted like cardboard and I had no energy but I did not get sick once! I want to thank everyone who works in the medical industry to improve the care for cancer patients.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see breast cancer cured by the time my 2 year old granddaughter grows up? To have 1 in 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer is too many. I found that once I was diagnosed that I met so many people who are survivors. I want to thank each survivor who went before me to give me courage; you are the sisters I always longed for when I was growing up. It surprised me that there were so many because they had been so quiet about their survivorship. Many survivors do not want to make a big deal out of their survival, but we need to be vocal, we need to celebrate life and show just how much breast cancer affects our lives.
So let’s set some personal goals, Remember goals need to be specific and public, my personal goal is to raise $1 for each day from the day of my diagnosis to the day of Making Strides which is about $400. Since I made that goal public, and I realized that amount is equal to what one course of my anti-nausea drugs cost, it should be easy to raise that. Therefore, after I reach that goal, I will set the bar for an additional $365 for each of the two survivors from my office who also fought the fight.
So my question to you is what will your goals be? Let’s set them, have some fun and raise lots of money so we can beat this thing I call crap.
My name is Lynn Carlson and I am proud to be associated with Coldwell Banker Mid America Group Realtors. Marilynn Cedarstrom is the VP Director of Corporate Services at Coldwell Banker and was supposed to speak today but is out of town, so I am here to try to fill her shoes. Anyone who knows me knows that I am always one to try a new pair of shoes and it is better yet if it involves the color pink!
Marilynn has been instrumental in our company’s involvement with the Making Strides Campaign.
Nine years ago, Marilynn attended the very first Kick Off Breakfast that Making Strides had. At the end of the campaign, she was not happy with the amount that our company raised, so she made a pledge to herself that the next year we would raise much more. The second year we raised over $5000. To Celebrate, Marilynn and her husband Larry had the first Pink Party at Marilynn’s Pink Pad. Everyone in our company that contributed was invited for dinner and about 15 people came. The Pink Party has grown to over 50 people. Last year we raised over $15,000 and with matching funds from our owner, Marvin Pomerantz and the Pomerantz Foundation, the total we were able to donate to Making Strides was $33,000.
Marilynn starts each campaign by picking a Team Captain from each of our offices, which is 8. Our larger offices actually have more than one captain. Then we meet and set our goals, which of course is always higher than last year’s actual. She makes sure that we all have and wear our pink wrist band for the entire two months of fund raising. This helps to remind us of our goals, much like a string around your finger would do. We are Realtors, so we are very competitive and we want our office to raise more than the other offices. Marilynn sends a weekly email company wide letting everyone know how much each office has raised. In addition, our company buys either a T-Shirt or Hat for everyone that contributes. One year, we all signed our names for the back of the shirt, now that made me feel accountable to raise some money! A donation is encouraged for this.
The day of the walk Marilynn puts up a tent with a banner so we can all meet and walk together. Then we end up our efforts with the Pink Party at Marilynn’s Pink Pad.
Both Marilynn and the President of our company, Carolyn Hemlinger, are survivors and are therefore very passionate to our cause. They genuinely care about each agent and have created a family atmosphere at Coldwell Banker. We all know that families are there to support each other and to celebrate life.
That is why last year; I attended the Making Strides Breakfast as my office captain. An agent in my office had been diagnosed the previous fall and had a mastectomy followed by reconstruction. I so admired her strength, her positive attitude that combined with how our company rallied to support her that I wanted to do my part. I knew I could never be as brave as her. Funny thing about the word never…it usually comes back to show you just how wrong you were.
Little did I know that my Making Strides involvement would become very personal. Just a few weeks after the kick off, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. My first reaction was tears and fears. Cancer is a nasty word, it is synonymous with all that is evil and out of control, that did not help my attitude any so I decided to refer to my cancer as crap…. That I can handle! Thankfully, I was blessed that two of our guest speakers from 2008 were a part of my team, they are Dr. Kollmorgan and Edra Frouts, Breast Cancer Care Coordinator at John Stoddard. They were so instrumental in changing my attitude from one of fear to one of knowledge and empowerment to beat this crap.
I had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. The thought of chemotherapy had me scared witless, but you know what? It was not all that bad. Chemotherapy has changed from what I remembered my father went through in 1980. Yes, I lost my hair, food tasted like cardboard and I had no energy but I did not get sick once! I want to thank everyone who works in the medical industry to improve the care for cancer patients.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see breast cancer cured by the time my 2 year old granddaughter grows up? To have 1 in 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer is too many. I found that once I was diagnosed that I met so many people who are survivors. I want to thank each survivor who went before me to give me courage; you are the sisters I always longed for when I was growing up. It surprised me that there were so many because they had been so quiet about their survivorship. Many survivors do not want to make a big deal out of their survival, but we need to be vocal, we need to celebrate life and show just how much breast cancer affects our lives.
So let’s set some personal goals, Remember goals need to be specific and public, my personal goal is to raise $1 for each day from the day of my diagnosis to the day of Making Strides which is about $400. Since I made that goal public, and I realized that amount is equal to what one course of my anti-nausea drugs cost, it should be easy to raise that. Therefore, after I reach that goal, I will set the bar for an additional $365 for each of the two survivors from my office who also fought the fight.
So my question to you is what will your goals be? Let’s set them, have some fun and raise lots of money so we can beat this thing I call crap.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
New Year's Update
First things first… an update on how I am doing. I am doing really quite well. I have just 4 radiation treatments left to go. The first 25 treatments were of the whole breast and now the last 8 treatments are what they refer to as “Boost” treatments. The Boost treatment concentrates on the area of the tumor bed (who knew tumor’s had beds? And no wonder why they chose to visit?) and uses electrons instead of protons… or maybe it is the other way around , I get confused! Once again, the staff at John Stoddard Cancer Center have outdone themselves! It is so nice to go in every day and be greeted with smiles! I do not know what I will do every day at 9:15 AM, but I am sure I will find something fun to do. After all, I did find a way to fill my time after chemo was over!
I am regaining my energy, my fingernails are in the process of recovering from the taxol and my hair is beginning to grow. Every day I look in the mirror and I think of Fuzzy Wuzzy the Bear. I should have John take a picture and send it out… maybe next week!
As we approached the end of the year 2008, I had cause to reflect on my life and just how blessed I am. For once in my life, or at least since I started to talk, I am at a loss for words in an effort to let everyone know just how much your love, prayers and support have lifted my spirits.
This all reminds me of the philosophy expressed in the movie, “Pay It Forward”, which was based on the concept of Random Acts of Kindness. Many may be skeptical of the impact of one act of kindness, trust me the impact is more powerful than you may realize. I would like to share with you my first experience as a recipient of such generosity. It is a well-known fact to those who know me well, that I tired to fly when I was 5 years olds. Needless to say, using my little Suzy Homemaker broom with the railing of our split level home for a take off platform, while well thought out did not work. Instead of amazing my family with my ability to fly, I surprised them by falling down 14 stairs. Lucky for me I had no broken bones, but I was bruised, unable to walk and therefore unable to go trick or treating. Remember this is back in the ‘olden’ days when Trick-or-Treating was a huge deal and most costumes were homemade. So my dear sweet mother asked everyone to come inside the house so I could admire their costumes (again this was back in the day when this was not an odd request). Two young boys were so sweet, when they realized that I could not go out for Trick-or-Treating, they let me choose anything I wanted from their bags! To this day, I remember choosing a Hershey’s Chocolate Bar from each boy. Amazing what an impact of such a simple, thoughtful act has had that I remember the example so clearly some 45+ years later! I bet those boys do not remember what they did, or that I send prayers their way often.
Any way, the list of those who have blessed my life has increased dramatically this year. It is my dearest wish to be able to express my gratitude by paying your generosity forward.
I am regaining my energy, my fingernails are in the process of recovering from the taxol and my hair is beginning to grow. Every day I look in the mirror and I think of Fuzzy Wuzzy the Bear. I should have John take a picture and send it out… maybe next week!
As we approached the end of the year 2008, I had cause to reflect on my life and just how blessed I am. For once in my life, or at least since I started to talk, I am at a loss for words in an effort to let everyone know just how much your love, prayers and support have lifted my spirits.
This all reminds me of the philosophy expressed in the movie, “Pay It Forward”, which was based on the concept of Random Acts of Kindness. Many may be skeptical of the impact of one act of kindness, trust me the impact is more powerful than you may realize. I would like to share with you my first experience as a recipient of such generosity. It is a well-known fact to those who know me well, that I tired to fly when I was 5 years olds. Needless to say, using my little Suzy Homemaker broom with the railing of our split level home for a take off platform, while well thought out did not work. Instead of amazing my family with my ability to fly, I surprised them by falling down 14 stairs. Lucky for me I had no broken bones, but I was bruised, unable to walk and therefore unable to go trick or treating. Remember this is back in the ‘olden’ days when Trick-or-Treating was a huge deal and most costumes were homemade. So my dear sweet mother asked everyone to come inside the house so I could admire their costumes (again this was back in the day when this was not an odd request). Two young boys were so sweet, when they realized that I could not go out for Trick-or-Treating, they let me choose anything I wanted from their bags! To this day, I remember choosing a Hershey’s Chocolate Bar from each boy. Amazing what an impact of such a simple, thoughtful act has had that I remember the example so clearly some 45+ years later! I bet those boys do not remember what they did, or that I send prayers their way often.
Any way, the list of those who have blessed my life has increased dramatically this year. It is my dearest wish to be able to express my gratitude by paying your generosity forward.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
