Life After Cancer

I think many are guilty of thinking that someone who has been declared cancer free should be able to just return to their normal lives as if nothing had happened. But that is just not the case. Most cancer survivors spend the rest of their lives with the fear and anxiety of regular follow up scans and the constant fear of cancer returning. The trauma of fighting this battle, from the shock of diagnosis through the hell of treatment and surgery, and then follow up treatments and scans, doesn't just fade away. Many come out of it with a form of PTSD that makes it almost impossible to just pick up their lives where they were before cancer. Try to be patient and understanding with your friends and family who have been through the hell of cancer. They may not just "get over it." They might not even realize that they are different now, and it won't help them for you to point that out. Just love them...shower them with love and understanding. Love can help heal the unseen scars of cancer. Just love them, let them know you are there for them, and be patient.

These are my thoughts after reading a blog from the "I Had Cancer" page.  It's a good read:

I Wasn't Prepared For Life After Cancer

by Steve Pake

By the Way...

It was late in the year of 1992, and I had been dating Scott for a few months when I wrote the words to "By the Way."  I remember that I gave him a copy of my love poem, and when I saw him again 2 days later he had turned my poem into a song.  I've been writing verse for as long as I can remember, often humming along with the tune in my head as I wrote.  It is an indescribable thrill to have someone hear the song in my words.  With his lovely finger picking and string harmonics, together we wrote a beautiful song, if I do say so myself!

He is performing at a wedding today, and the couple chose it as their recessional song.  The first time he performed "By the Way" at a wedding was for some friends and we were actually in the wedding party.  Tony and Shelly loved our song and had Scott play and sing it for their first dance.
That was in 1999.

Over the years, he has played more weddings than he can even remember. Many brides and grooms request "By the Way"...
CONTINUE READING

"...then you reached out to me and you put your hand in mine,
and you said that life's a song, and we were the next line.
And by the way, I'm in love with you today."

Honey Moon

June 20th, it will be a Honey Moon

A Full Moon hasn’t landed smack on the solstice since 1948. It’s the kind of thing that would have inspired the Mayans to shove a few extra in-laws from their pyramids. The sort of coincidence that would have made the Stonehenge folks haul additional stones into position. But that’s what’s actually happening on Monday, June 20.

This has visible in-your-face consequences. The solstice is of course the day with the most minutes of sunshine. It’s when the midday Sun is the year’s highest. When the sun rises at its leftmost spot on the horizon and sets at its rightmost position. When the setting sun sprays into windows at a strange angle, and touches bits of furniture that are not illuminated at any other time. It’s when the Sun’s path across the sky makes its longest and most curvy arc.

Then you have the full Moon. By landing exactly on the solstice, this Full Moon doesn’t just rise as the sun sets but is opposite the Sun in all other ways too. The Sun gets super high so this Moon must be super-low. Even at its loftiest at 1 AM, it’s downright wimpy-low. This forces its light through thicker air, which also tends to be humid this time of year, and the combination typically makes it amber colored.

This is the true Honey Moon.

The moment of full Moon is early Monday morning. So it will look equally full on Sunday night and Monday night. You get two chances to enjoy the Solstice honeymoon.

From: The Best of the Florida Keys

New Lizzie Cook!

It's about time!  Y'all know what a big Elizabeth Cook fan I am, so you know that I'm thrilled she has finally released a new album, "Exodus of Venus."  And, you know what?  It was well worth the wait!  This is some kick ass music.  Wow.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND LISTEN TO THE MUSIC!

Let me know what you think about Lizzie's new sound!