Free! Free! Thank God in Heaven I'm [Cancer] Free!

I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer the end of October 2011.  On December 6, 2011 I had a hysterectomy.  The doctor said my tumor was small, and she was so sure they got it all that they didn't take out my lymph glands in the groin area.  On December 9, 2011, the pathology results came in:  the cancer hadn't spread, they got it all, and I wouldn't need chemo or radiation.  I was officially cancer free.  When I got the news, I burst into tears.
I breezed through the surgery like a pro, and recovered so quickly that they sent me home the next morning--just 24 hours after surgery.  My doctor, the anesthetist, and the nurses all expressed astonishment at my quick recovery.  My doc said my positive attitude had a lot to do with it.  (I was cracking jokes even as they wheeled me into surgery.) 

I only experienced mild discomfort during the two weeks that followed, and didn't even use up all my pain pills.  It's now 3 weeks post-surgery, and I feel just fine.  Better than fine, in fact.  While I wouldn't recommend cancer for anyone, I feel I'm a better person for having lived through the shock and fear of discovering I had cancer.  It made me take stock of my life, made me realize that I too often focused on Things That Don't Matter.  It also taught me that I had far more friends than I ever realized.  Friends who came out of the woodwork in droves and surrounded me with love, support, and prayers. 

I am deeply, deeply blessed.  And I am ever so grateful that I am cancer free.

Holiday Lunch With Friends

'Tis the season!  I recently went to Christmas lunch with my friends, Jacquie Rogers and Judy Laik.  We've been friends for years, and often spend the entire day at Jacquie's watching movies.  Her husband is a sound engineer and he has a huge in-home theater set up in their basement, complete with real movie theater speakers as well as comfy recliners.  We each bring our own lunch and make a day of it, watching several movies in a row.

But this time, we were doing lunch.  As usual, we laughed a lot.  Oddly enough, we were almost the only diners in the restaurant.  Just one other table had customers.  Afterwards, we asked the waitress to take our picture for posterity.  That's us in the picture--Judy Laik, Jacquie Rogers, and me.  Aren't we colorful?!!  

Best Friends

Today is the birthday of my best friend, Carol Hansen.  Carol and I have known each other for 35+ years.  We met while taking horseback riding lessons and have been friends ever since.  We've held garage sales together, as well as driving around looking for garage sales to visit.  We done Competitive Trail Riding together, as well as just trail riding for fun locally.  We've weathered heartache and happiness, and many, many birthdays together. 

Carol's always there for me when I need her, and I hope I always return the favor.  Just knowing there's someone who loves me for who I am, and who overlooks my foibles and missteps, means a lot.  Carol has enriched my life in more ways than I can name.  So this post is dedicated to you, Carol.  May our friendship continue to grow.  Happy birthday, dear friend.

Learn and Grow

There's nothing worse than starting a blog, and then not being consistent in posting. If you expect followers to read your posts, they must be frequent and interesting and sometimes interactive. I've failed on all counts due to a heavy (read impossible) workload). So, apologies to the few loyal readers who check in every so often. I'll do better.

Why do I edit? What makes me think I can make a living as a freelance editor? Well, I love to edit. I can't explain it. As a kid, I used to delight in finding typos in books and newspapers. I think it must be an inferiority/superiority complex. *g*

But when it comes right down to it, I'm a natural nurturer, and helping fledgling writers makes me feel happy and worthy of existing on this planet earth and inhaling my share of oxygen. I love coaching writers, educating them, expanding their writing horizons. I love when they suddenly "get it." I love seeing their writing become better and better. And I especially love when they say, "I couldn't have done it without you."

I can't make a decent living at this job. It doesn't pay me very well. But it is satisfying, and I get to work from home and be my own boss and have my dog under the desk and my cats snoozing on top of the desk. And I have other clients who are published and don't need coaching, but they also give me the fun jobs like writing their newsletters and designing their bookmarks and setting up a mailing list database.

I get all my work from referrals from existing clients, so I must be doing something right. I have become friends with many of my clients. And I have been forced to grow, to learn new things, because I have to keep up with my clients. So, as I teach my clients, they teach me. Learning and growing--we help each other and we enrich each other's lives. And isn't that what life is all about?