What have I learned?

So, Amy, one of my BFFs, asked me in an email last night what I have learned that I didn't expect thru this process...  Gosh, I haven't really stopped to think about that but its a darn good question.  So I started putting together a list off the top of my head & here is what I came up with.  There are explanations behind all of them of course but I decided to leave those out.  Maybe I will get into them later in the year.

…people need to help & its okay to let them

…cancer sucks but your attitude can overpower the suckiness 99% of the time (okay maybe more like 80%)

…if you feel like shit its okay & it won’t last forever - and it will definitely make you appreciate when you don't

…hair is over-rated - but you can't say that until you know the shape of your head

…I (we) have more friends than we ever knew

…hospitals should not allow chinese food in the cafeteria

 …working is healthy - for me - that doesn't mean it is for everybody

 …kids are really resilient & are amazingly capable of looking past short term stuff - most of us could stand to take a page or two from their book

 …some people just cannot cook & really should rely on takeout - but it doesn't matter because the thoughts & intentions are so good

...nurses & medical professionals have a bitch of a job & its not their fault you are sick - so treat them with respect

…a lot of people are carrying some sort of burden – its better to assume that than assume they are just grouchy & mean

 ...you don't know the impact you might have on another person

In other deep thoughts, a guy at work circulated a list of Rick Frost-isms (Rick is our CEO who is retiring in a few weeks).  I thought some of them were spot on so I shared the list with Kendall.  He singled out this one as being particularly applicable to this point in our lives.

“teamwork means sometimes the individual sacrifices for the good of the team, and sometimes the team sacrifices for the good of the individual”

So much is true in that statement and in how it is representative of the challenges we are facing.  The team we are surrounded with both at home and at work has sacrificed so much for us.  Although I try to be very diligent about recognizing and expressing appreciation for each contribution and sacrifice, I can never say enough.

One more deep thought.  Yesterday Emilia said she had come up with a metaphor.  She said to me that gardens cannot grow without rain.  I said, Duh.  She said, well mommy, cancer is your rain.  You are the garden & the rain is going to make you grow into a big strong garden.  Really, she is ELEVEN years old.  I seriously don't know how I would be getting thru this without her, Kendall & my comic relief Eriana.  They each bring their own rays of sunshine to this journey and together it makes us the tightest of families.

And here is your photo therapy for today, which is definitely not in keeping with the "serious" tone of this post!!  Suffice to say I have gotten a lot of comments and looks today!!