What if...

 

Putting 2020 in our Rearview Mirror

The honest truth?  2020 has been a year!  And not one we've always embraced with joy...

But, most any cancer patient can tell you that 2020's got nothing on their cancer journey years.  For most, those cancer years are brutal, emotional and so difficult to leave behind.  Cancer has a way of haunting our days. Truth?  Yes... there are many reasons for looking with anticipation towards a new year and putting this one behind us.

We dream, we yearn for better days ahead!  The anticipation builds for the new year, a clean start, a gift ready to be unwrapped, a hope for the answer to our prayers.  Hope for a successful cancer treatment plan, Hope for peace, Hope for strength, Hope for a cure!

2021 is a blank slate and holds so much potential!  

Sending 2020 out with our thanksgiving and welcoming 2021 with open arms!

My Love,
Always,
            Jane 

 

Give us a clue!

 

;-)

365 Days of Gratitude

So honored to be a contributor in this new book...

Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude

Celebrating the power of gratitude, this little book packs a punch.  There is an encouraging thought for each day of the year and with each inspiring message, the light of hope grows brighter.

Hope. It has been the theme of our lives since cancer hi-jacked our journey... for the Giving of Thanks alone has buried the despair and birthed a Hope that has carried us through the dark.

The 365 Days of Gratitude project has been so timely in my own life.   I need these daily reminders that we all have much to give thanks for.  And this isn't some Pollyanna kind of excessively cheerful, overly optimistic thanks-giving.  It's in the trenches, gritting your teeth, staring down death, where do you find hope here, giving-thanks-is-a-choice kind of gratitude.  

It is steadfast resolve.  It is hard.  And it is the only way to navigate the dark. When we choose gratitude over despair, it lights the way for the next step... And don't we all need some light when our path is hard?  Perhaps the words and message might offer hope for your journey as well. It is my prayer for you, no matter where this night finds you... don't give up.  There is Hope, and Life, and Grace for our days in the Thanksgiving.

Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude is available now on Amazon.

Much Love,

Always,

         Jane

Christmas and Cancer

Two words that should never be in the same sentence... but they are, for too many of our loved ones.

Celebrating Christmas with cancer, there is no right (or wrong) way.

Every cancer journey is completely personal. Some are very private and others very open.

Mom was willing to share her story because she wanted her pain to matter. And I know she prayed it might be of help to other pancreatic cancer patients.

She was also very practical and she faced that first Christmas with a grim determination and a huge dose of grace.  With a prognosis of 3-6 months, we all knew this might be her last Christmas with us... and how exactly do you celebrate that kind of Christmas??  

Too much pressure in the midst of excruciating and nauseating treatments... celebrating anything wasn't really in the cards.

Maybe you are feeling the same.  Or perhaps you have a loved one just diagnosed.

It can be incredibly hard to get into the Christmas spirit.

If mom could, I know she'd want to offer a bit of advice.  A way through the minefield of expectations and parties and years of family traditions... a bit of grace to lighten your load.

To begin she would tell you to give yourself permission... permission to put  yourself first.

Know, and then honor, your limits.  This year might mean limiting your list.  Choosing to prioritize one or two things that are especially meaningful to you and then let go of the rest.

Someone once told her to cut her list in half, and then cut it in half again. Excellent advice!

The best gift you can give to yourself and your loved ones is time spent well with them.  It is the gift of presence.  And it means the world to the ones who love you.

May this Christmas bring moments of unexpected graces and quiet joys to see you through even the hardest days.

My Love, Always,
Jane

How can it be 10 years?

Time can stand still and yet rush by in an instant... it's a truth many cancer patients and their families struggle with.

10 years ago this month we spent our last Christmas with mom.

We just didn't know it.

The smiles speak to the happiness captured as we ringed mom and dad
in front of their Christmas tree that day.

If I close my eyes I can almost reach out and touch her shoulder.

The decade past has not dimmed the light nor the love we feel.

But, seriously, how can it be 10 years?

We had just learned of mom's pancreatic cancer diagnosis the month before and were still processing the implications, settling into a chemotherapy regimen, and getting our bearings.

That Christmas celebration was sweet, yet filled with so many unspoken questions.

We had no way of knowing how hard the battle would become as we smiled for the camera.

       .Mom fought with grace and grit for the entire next year

But the cancer fought harder and in the most cruel of ironies, pancreatic cancer took her from us just weeks before the following Christmas.

We miss mom every day, and so much more even, if that is possible, during this special season of Christmas.

"Mom loved Christmas.  As a matter of fact, as she faced her 1st Year Canciversary, she insisted on decorating the house before Thanksgiving... which was early even by her standards!  She said she just wanted to enjoy the season as long as possible... I wonder if she knew down deep that her days were dwindling.

It puts an ache in my heart to remember walking back into their home the Sunday she passed away, December 4th, to see the Christmas lights twinkling and the ornaments hanging just the way she had placed them... for us.  I know that if she hadn't decorated that tree when she did, we would never have had the strength to do it... But each day of that first December, as we planned a funeral and wrote her obituary, and accepted flowers and food and sweet hugs, the house sparkled with her special touch.  It was small, but it was the nudge I believe she knew we would need...

Keep on Living. Don't forget to Celebrate.

Make. Every. Day. Count."

~ excerpt from Grief and the Holidays

  My Love, Always,

Jane

This is Gratitude!

 Joy for this day...

Sitting in the company of these amazing Pancreatic Cancer Survivors!

Each survivor shares their story and grants Hope for the Journey!

This is a thanksgiving overflowing with gratitude.

I love the resounding hope and encouragement they offer.

And while so many pancreatic cancer patients hear a devastating prognosis, and are thrown into a nightmare measured in just weeks or months,
don't miss this...

There are people walking away from Pancreatic Cancer.

These men and women are living, breathing, grateful survivors of this brutal cancer.  Treatments and therapies are making a difference!

Never giving up hope.

And Always giving thanks...

My Love today,
           Jane

Wearing Purple Proudly This Day...

 because today is World Pancreatic Cancer Day!

Join us today...

Let's
Turn the World Purple
to raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer!

We can make a difference when we join our resources together
and fight as one!

And that begins with knowing the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer...

The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition has gathered over 80 organizations in a global initiative to raise awareness, share knowledge, and unify their collective voices to end pancreatic cancer.

Join us today for World Pancreatic Cancer Day to make a Difference...

Whether you wear purple to spark a conversation, help fund research for new treatments, or share the knowledge you have learned about early detection, it's about time we stand up and make a difference...

Because Every. Moment. Matters.

My Love,
Always,
    Jane

Remembering Poppy

 It has been one year since I've heard his voice, or seen his smile...

The missing is always there,
the turn of a thought, the sight of that photo album of our last cruise together,

or the glimpse of his favorite iris blooming now in our front garden...

But then there are days.

Days when the remembering is especially poignant. 

These "anniversaries" are hard...

And each step is a part of this grief journey, I know that.

But oh, we miss the phone calls,

the traveling, the jokes, the stories,

the hugs, and boy, that smile.

What I would give for heaven's veil to part
for just a moment and see his face...

And I've decided that the remembering helps with the grief. Truly.

We have been loved so well and it serves us up a huge helping of joy to reminise over the years we have had with Dad.

Even his quirks made us smile today

and we just had to stop at his favorite Burger joint for a bite to eat ;-)

Comfort food for a day like today!
(And he was right, their fries are really the best, just sayin')

Oh, Dad, we miss you so...

We cherish the legacy you have left us.

We gladly become the Rememberers,

it is a gift to be yours.

My Love,
Always,

       Jane

A Day for Gratitude

To All our Brave Men and Women who have served so Faithfully... 

To the veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our very freedoms, gratitude pours freely, this and every day.

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

 2020 can just stop.  It seems that every time we turn around more bad news piles up.

Devastating Wildfires scorching homes and hearts.

Destructive Volcanoes and Earthquakes rattling our peace.

Pandemics and Fear squeezing the breath right out of us.

Quarantines and Suffering continuing to haunt.

So many plans that were abruptly changed or cancelled... the weddings, the birthdays... the trips, the visits... and funerals that hung in limbo for much too long. 

The world stood still while our heartaches mounted.

Yesterday we were served yet again another dose of bad news.  Hard news.  News that we perhaps knew was coming, but nevertheless caught us off guard.

Alex Trebek lost his long battle with pancreatic cancer this weekend past.

And it made my heart falter a bit when I heard the news.

Alex Trebek felt like a friend.  We invited him into our home every evening after supper and he never failed to entertain...and educate us!

His charm and dry wit and kindness on the long-time set of Jeopardy has been a staple in our lives for decades, passed down from our parents... I can remember a sweet Mother-in-law who loved his show and could pose questions to his answers faster than we could look them up on google!

We have followed his pancreatic cancer journey with hope as he passed the dreaded 3-6 month prognosis and then a year, and 18 months... we dared to believe he would be one of the few who beat this cancer and could pave the way for others to find a treatment that worked.

Our hearts go out to his family and friends who loved him well.

He will be mssed by so many.

Mike Richards, the executive producer of Jeopardy, shared his thoughts in a touching tribute last night before Alex Trebek's final Jeopardy episode series began.

"He loved this show and everything it stood for.  In fact, he filmed his final episodes less than two weeks ago.  He will forever be an inspiration for his constant desire to learn, his kindness and for his love of his family."

And now, he will also be the face of hope to all those fighting this deadly disease.

He chose to meet his cancer head-on and through his transparent, honest updates, he has encouraged all of us to stand up and do something about this cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer research is one of the least funded cancers and the 5-year survival rate is dismally still in the single digits. That needs to change, and Alex was determined to use his platform to make a difference.

With his death, the torch has been passed to us.

We can and must make a difference for all those in the fight of their lives...

Pancreatic Cancer does not get the final say.

During an interview earlier this year, Alex Trebek said his final sign-off will be a significant moment for him, sharing these parting words,

"And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye."

Jurassic Park at the Lake!

 We've been over-run by dinosaurs!

The cutest kind!

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Happy Fall!

 

This might be me...

Love, from Texas!

October Happenings

There's just something about the crisp, chilly days of autumn...And we have filled them up to overflowing this year (there might be a pic or two!)

Traveling the back roads of America's heartland with good friends, a surprise and cherished family photo shoot, and a fabulous, much-needed girls getaway to Waco... 

We have been loved well by our family and friends!! 

In a world

where you can be anything,

Be

Kind...

My Love,
Always,
Jane