I'm Still Here!

Three years of silence doesn't mean I'm dead just yet! We all need a break now and then from the power of words and the pressure that comes with cancer. Initially diagnosed in 2008 with Colon Cancer, I was overwhelmed to receive a recent PET Scan confirming after eight (8) years, I remain clear of all signs of The Dragon! God has been good to me.

Tonight I reread all 33 posts I wrote on this blog between 2009 and 2013 chronicling the path of my cancer journey. My writing brought back memories in waves. The power of words become a part of our lives and that is why I have always loved writing. Words woven together have the power to cut through what doesn't matter and highlight what does. I learned so much about myself during my battle to overcome a disease that could have killed me. Tonight, I reflect on the affirmations I committed to memory that cancer would not become my undoing. There were still victories to be won and other battles to fight. 

Since my last post, I have indeed fought to overcome other life challenges while never losing sight of how cancer gave my life a new perspective. It changed who I am today. I have since redirected my career into health care working for a large Level II trauma center in Palm Springs, California. The facility has a well established Cancer Center and the people who work there in my opinion, are doing God's work. I recently found myself walking through this Cancer Center on the way to get my long overdue PET Scan. As I sat in the lobby waiting my turn, I watched people going through their cancer journey now. I thought about how I felt all those years ago, getting chemo and radiation treatment everyday and remembering how towards the end, I began to question my ability to continue to fight the fight. I was just as afraid as they must be. It takes courage to move forward and believe you will win the battle that seems beyond reach. But that December afternoon, I was wondering IF my cancer could have returned. I had put off getting this scan for awhile because, well I just couldn't think about it coming back. Finally, I was ready to face the music. As I sat there in the lobby, I wanted to tell every patient who crossed my path that they are a warrior and to keep believing. These were people I will never know and will never see again. The best I could do was just give them a smile and hope they could see my compassion and ability to understand their fear. I realized then that I will always feel connected to the cancer community. Once you take on The Dragon, you undergo a right of passage that none of us ever wanted. Although I don't wear my cancer diagnosis on my sleeve, having had the experience connects me to all kinds of people in so many positive ways.

Today I believe I was one of the lucky ones. If you are still fighting the battle I want you to never give up no matter how bleak life may seem. Know that you are a warrior and that the human soul has so much power to overcome anything once you commit to life.  In the meantime, document your journey, it will teach you so much about who you have become.

The Power of Our Love

The Power of Our Love

My love for a friend has taught me compassion for things I do not understand.


Her journey has become a lesson in honoring the spirit and reminding us to listen to our bodies when we forget to protect our own well-being. I trust God will not let her down during this intense time of struggle.

Fighting through the haze of a reality that is not her own, mental clarity becomes a battle she never could believe she would wage. Reaching out for the love and gentle touch that once made her whole seems elusive now. It is there, hiding just below the surface, emanating from friends and family who love her. Fear is a destructive demon that can erode our lives if we let it take power over our mind.

Feeling lost in the madness, demands we stop the external overwhelming swirl of thought. Now is the time to go within. Finding our center will make us whole again. Quieting the mind is never easy, yet in that silence our soul is revealed. This is a battle worth fighting, teaching us all to honor the ebbs and flows of life and to never forget "We give power to that which we think about."

Relationships become one piece to regaining our strength and passion for life. It is through compassion and commitment that we learn the power of our love.

HOW DO WE COME CLEAN?

           I just finished reading the book “CLEAN” by Dr. Alejandro Junger.  I found it located in the health section, so I knew getting “clean” was a good thing.  Just below the title reads “The revolutionary program to restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself.”  If we each had the option, I’m pretty confident we’d all want to choose a natural way to heal our bodies.  Within the pages of CLEAN, Dr. Junger lays out a practical new detox plan that can be used as a tool to restore, rebalance and heal.

           

            Written by a cardiologist, I was intrigued to hear how a physician from the west would evangelize a safe and effective prescription that would clean out my entire system and heal by body from the inside out.  At the core of CLEAN, Dr. Junger’s program is supported by the cutting-edge understanding of how our organs, hormones, and enzymes function together.  In a nut-shell he bases the CLEAN program on three important facts:

1. Toxins and stress create obstacles for the normal functioning and self-healing capabilities of our bodies.
2. Modern eating habits and lifestyles pollute our bodies and don’t provide the nutrients necessary for us to function at optimum levels.
3. By removing the obstacles and providing what is lacking, our bodies bounce back into health and our energy is restored.     

Dr. Junger writes, “This modern detox program came to life in the same way that many great discoveries are made, when one person went on a journey to find a solution for his own suffering.  In the case of CLEAN, that person was me.”  CLEAN is broken down into three one-week easy to follow plans.  If I know anything about myself, it’s that I am much more apt to follow a detox that’s not the result of multi-million dollar clinical trials or pharmaceutical company sponsorship.  Everyone seems to tout “natural” these days, but it often ends up to be a play on words.  CLEAN appears to be the real deal.

Becoming a three year cancer survivor isn’t the end of my journey.  My health goals now focus on overcoming the ravages of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.  Reaching mid-life was a celebration, but it has come with a depletion of my energy and less vitality than I know is possible.  Every day I tell myself, “I am living my best life – now!”  But when I listen to my body – it tells me otherwise. 

My journey back to optimum health, free of pharmaceuticals will demand that I embrace a scientifically based wellness plan centered on eating high quality organic food.  Reducing my  stress level and eliminating the many forms of pollution in my life (more on this point in future posts).  Like the majority of people out there, I want a healthy plan that won’t take a lot of time and will give me positive results quickly to assure I stay motivated. 

The overwhelming results documented in the book have given me the motivation to commit to trying the CLEAN three week program. We all deserve to live healthy, happy lives with the time we have left.  I promised myself that once I made it through cancer treatment, I would do everything I could to completely restore my health.  I have come a long way since then, but I’m not quite done yet. 

If your body isn’t feeling like you are living your best life now, I encourage you to read “CLEAN.”  Dr. Junger’s program just might become part of a paradigm shift for you in how you approach food and maintain optimum health at any age.

I’m jumping into CLEAN head first starting today.  Hears to each of us living our best life now!  

Natures Fury



Laguna's Main Beach

 After weeks of incredibly warm February weather, nature reminds me we are still in the midst of winter. Grey pewter skies have blown in across the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean, bringing large waves roaring into Laguna’s Main Beach.

Looking out across a wide stretch of sand there are no beachcombers today. Their absence reveals the beauty and love affair I have with the wildness of the sea. In the emptiness, I see life everywhere as the wind blows and rain steadily begins to fall. I watch sea gulls ride the thermal air gusts, twisting and dodging in flight as they try with all their might to enjoy the ride.



Laguna's windy shores



Off in the distance, smoke curls rising out of chimneys leaving behind the memory of past loves fury warming my soul on cold wet days. But for today, I am left with only the warmth of a good book and the beauty and power of nature before me.

Laguna is a place like no other with a personality and magnet all its own. The mega rich live in large rambling houses that hang over the ocean looking down on a more laid-back earthy crowd. Somehow their differences blend and enrich this community, creating the unique art colony that it is.

I find places have a way of molding us into who we are. If we let them, communities have the power to transfer life into each of us. If we are lucky, we find the hidden gems in the people and the beauty of the landscape and are drawn to give back and contribute. In the end, it’s all about connection to the earth, having the courage to share yourself, respecting the wonder of nature and believing we are where we should be.



Natures Fury





Making This My Best Year

January 1, 2011 began with crystal blue skies full of large cotton ball like clouds that stretch across the ocean reaching to the edge of the horizon line. As I sit high above the ocean in a beach chair wrapped in blankets, the warmth of the sun penetrates my senses as I close my eyes and drift away with the wind. Seagulls dart across the sky soaring just beyond reach and I’m lost in the repeating roll of the pounding surf. Its roar tempers thoughts of my dreams for this New Year.

Natures wonder is truly our gift from God. The importance of making time to nourish our souls in nature provides clarity, direction and solitude from a life of never ending challenges. Its power simplifies, reminding me to dream big dreams without the need to have all the answers. I feel the universe expand and contract with each breath and believe the Source of all life is here in this moment. The fact that there is very little spiritual truth in our contemporary culture continues to force me to look inward. It is there I find my untapped energy.

I am eager to move forward with expanding awareness, focused on an inner purpose that directs me toward life’s next cycle. Birth brings expansion, growth brings wisdom and I see the inherent connection of letting go of my ego to become more conscious of my inner spirit opening me to a better world. Nature reminds me stress or stuggle are a sign that the ego has taken over my thinking. Negative reactions surface when I encounter obstacles and separate myself from spirit.

On this first day of 2011, I make a conscious effort to align my outer purpose, what I do… with my inner purpose and mental awakening. How I do what I do, will determine whether I am fulfilling my destiny and more importantly what I am able to give to the world. I make a personal commitment today to do things differently. Stupidity is relatively harmless, but intelligent stupidity is highly dangerous. I have only one chance to live my best life and the only way I can think to do this, is to ensure I am on purpose every day.   I will strive to tap into every ounce of my creativity in ways that will expand my thinking. I will give encouragement to those who are sick or feel lost, give my love in abundance, demonstrate the power of my faith to those in need. We each have a choice in how we allow our lives to play out and touch others.  Today, I believe this will be my best year yet.

Happy New Year!