Day 5...final day of the #Gratitude #challenge: Oh my, this is - TopicsExpress

Day 5...final day of the #Gratitude #challenge: Oh my, this is getting tougher and tougher by the day I must admit...so heres my attempt. Shelley you do challenge me~~~ my sweet friend, thank you for that:) 1) The hidden gift that Cancer can offer. 13 years ago, just days after Chers Dad passed from cancer, my dear friend Bert Lesage took me aside and said Lynda...I know you wouldnt have appreciated me saying this earlier, but cancer really does offer us a gift...the gift of time that allows us to say what it is that we need to say and do the things we need to do with those that we love. Bert understood that, because hed lost his wife to the disease just a couple of years before. He died in a car accident just 4 months later, and I always remember his words...and wondered at his funeral if the words that needed to be said to and from him had indeed be uttered. When Mom passed in 2010 from pancreatic cancer, I remembered his words, and as our family faces that monster once again, Berts words echo in my heart...remember the gift it offers...what do you need to say or do when tomorrow is not promised. I am grateful for that wonderful friends wisdom. I hope all of those I love can benefit from them regardless of this next outcome. 2). My kids: True...Shane was the only child that I birthed, and he gave me a lifetime of love and memories....but our kids dont always come from our bodies. I often laugh that in the world of movies theyd make the show 8 is enough about us....but truth is we are Nine is nirvana....its a wonderfully weird mix, but my kids include the Dickson, the Turners, The Chaskes, and the Dobbin (she knows who she is :) )...what a beautiful mosaic....what a blessed life Ive had. This amazing collection of kids and now grandkids has been what has fueled my heart and my spirit to keep going forward in life. The bumps in the road of life have been hard...numbing at times...but these wonderful spirits have provided the fuel my heart needs to keep moving forward, and I am so thankful. 3) Mother Earth...and the endless gifts she offers me and mine. My travels every day are so full of her bounty...my walks fill me with her spirit...my world embraces her beauty. I am fueled by the nature surrounds me, and find solace in the peace that is offered at the end of these busy, chaotic days.....I cant imagine a different place to come home to at night. there...my challenge is over...but my gratitude continues. Thank you Shelley...because if we are not able to appreciate what we have...how could we ever expect to enjoy more.