A Battle or a Journey? Maybe it's Both.
So I just returned from another great event complete with music, fun and friends as well as camping and lots of parties. I am doing a bit less partying now that I have given up alcohol entirely but am learning you can still have fun sober. Being that I have always been a social drinker, events like this with free alcohol test my resolve. This one was called Fischer Fest (near Wimberley) and it is small, intimate, primitive and wonderful. Although I do know many people who come to this from my Kerrville and Conroe families, this was only my second year at Fischer and I am always meeting new people as I add more of this friendly and funny group of people to my ever-widening circle of friends.
I have always believed that everything happens for a reason. No matter if it is bad or good, all of these experiences combine and intermingle to make you the person you are. All of us have our own things to deal with: many of my friends have RA, diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis C (until recently when they were cured!), etc. My daughter has a rare disease called IC that she will have to deal with all her life. Mine just happens to be cancer. But all these experiences are there to teach you something. And difficulties and challenges breed character.
Anyway, back to my story about meeting people at Fischer Fest ...
I was walking to the silent auction barn from the hall when, by chance, a woman whom I didn't know reached out and grabbed my arm as we passed each other. She had seen my pink ribbon and felt the need to stop me. She asked about it and I told her about my cancer and we had the immediate bond of sisterhood that only comes from walking this particular path. She is a survivor (she prefers to call it thriver) of stage 4 breast cancer and in meeting and talking with her, I would feel compassion and hope for the future in her example. The day before, I had picked up (and am wearing) a rainbow colored tie-dyed bracelet honoring another woman from Fischer Fest with stage 4 breast cancer who had recently passed away.
A massage therapist, she offered her services and I really do want to explore all the avenues of holistic healing from nutrition to acupuncture. While I think good doctors that practice Western medicine have a lot to offer, I think that Eastern medicine and a holistic approach to healing should not be discounted. Again, I want to be aware of all the options and people like this wonderful new friend are put in my path (literally) for a reason.
A couple of the things she said really hit home with me. One was that she recognized, as I do, that I was her mission for the day. She didn't use those exact words, but the thought was there. The other was in how I looked at this ... a battle or a journey? I think we both concluded it was both. With a hug and a promise to keep in touch we parted ways. I am certain she was heaven sent. I have decided not to use any names in this blog because it is public and I feel I would need permission from anyone whom I named directly. But you, dear lady, know who you are.
Thank you for your gift today.
Lyrics from the festival anthem ...
"when I die, let them judge me by my company of friends"
I have always believed that everything happens for a reason. No matter if it is bad or good, all of these experiences combine and intermingle to make you the person you are. All of us have our own things to deal with: many of my friends have RA, diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis C (until recently when they were cured!), etc. My daughter has a rare disease called IC that she will have to deal with all her life. Mine just happens to be cancer. But all these experiences are there to teach you something. And difficulties and challenges breed character.
Anyway, back to my story about meeting people at Fischer Fest ...
I was walking to the silent auction barn from the hall when, by chance, a woman whom I didn't know reached out and grabbed my arm as we passed each other. She had seen my pink ribbon and felt the need to stop me. She asked about it and I told her about my cancer and we had the immediate bond of sisterhood that only comes from walking this particular path. She is a survivor (she prefers to call it thriver) of stage 4 breast cancer and in meeting and talking with her, I would feel compassion and hope for the future in her example. The day before, I had picked up (and am wearing) a rainbow colored tie-dyed bracelet honoring another woman from Fischer Fest with stage 4 breast cancer who had recently passed away.
A massage therapist, she offered her services and I really do want to explore all the avenues of holistic healing from nutrition to acupuncture. While I think good doctors that practice Western medicine have a lot to offer, I think that Eastern medicine and a holistic approach to healing should not be discounted. Again, I want to be aware of all the options and people like this wonderful new friend are put in my path (literally) for a reason.
A couple of the things she said really hit home with me. One was that she recognized, as I do, that I was her mission for the day. She didn't use those exact words, but the thought was there. The other was in how I looked at this ... a battle or a journey? I think we both concluded it was both. With a hug and a promise to keep in touch we parted ways. I am certain she was heaven sent. I have decided not to use any names in this blog because it is public and I feel I would need permission from anyone whom I named directly. But you, dear lady, know who you are.
Thank you for your gift today.
Lyrics from the festival anthem ...
"when I die, let them judge me by my company of friends"
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