Blessed beyond belief

Clare,

I am so surrounded by love…
you can't even imagine how wonderful it feels.
This cancer has given me a gift…
I can see how many people are supporting me…
that's a glimpse not many are not privileged to have.

I went to Meeting yesterday and at the rise of Meeting I had a line of well-wishers…
so many hugs and good wishes…
and "I love you".
I took my elderly friend grocery shopping and she bathed me in love and optimism.
I met a friend for lunch…
my first love who has turned out to be a wonderful friend…
and sat and reminisced and ate and had a wonderful time.
I came home to my husband who is trying so hard to make things calm…
and my youngest, who is insisting on going to the hospital and sitting through the long hours of waiting.
My girls who are checking in on me, multiple times a day.
Text messages and emails from friends offering support.
friends stopping when they see me to ask if they can help in any way.
You checking in daily.
It is amazing.
I am so blessed.
And I wouldn't have known this except for this cancer.

We had a baseball game tonight…
one of the players has been playing despite getting chemo and radiation for lymphoma…
he has neuropathy from the chemo so his coordination is off and he is slower than normal…
but he shows up every game and wants to play.
One game he pitched 3 or 4 innings, at the end of the game he sat down on the mound and called for water. He was so spent that he couldn't even stand up to shake hands with the other team. But, they all came to him. He is courageous to say the least. Well tonight was his last game because of radiation treatments scheduled for the next 2 evenings, so we gave him a jersey with every one's signature on it. After it was all over I stopped to talk to him…
to tell him how inspiring I find him…
and to thank him for making cancer not so scary…
he told me that if I ever need him to go to a treatment with me he would be happy to do that…
"just email or call me", he said, "I'll be happy to go with you".
I started to cry…
happy tears.

Tomorrow husband and I have an appointment with the genetics counselor…
it will be interesting to see what she has found.
Not that it will change this week's plans…but maybe future considerations.
Then Wednesday, S#3 is going with me for the injection for the sentinel node biopsy…
I hope we have time to chat.
Wednesday my oldest comes home and husband's brother is coming over to help while we are gone.
Then Thursday, very early I will go to surgery.
I am as ready as I will ever be.
I am already feeling that I will be cancer free by Thursday afternoon…
that's a good feeling.

So, hold me in a bright Light…
one full of energy and promise…
not one that leaves shadows…
This is going to be an amazing week for me…

I will keep coming here to write until Thursday…
then when I am able I will return…
it may be incoherent but I will try.

I love you dearly sister,
Maggie