Dear Friends,

I once saw a very profound Family Circle cartoon. The circle is split in half with identical pictures in each half: the small daughter holding a rose in her hand. In one half the daughter is frowning and says, Look at all the thorns! In the other, she is positively joyful and says, Look at the beautiful flower! The caption asks, Which one do you see?

So it is with our cancer experience. Yes, cancer is a crummy disease, but I am glad I have family and friends to help me deal with it. Yes, chemotherapy is rough, but I am glad we have drugs such as neupogen to help our bodies cope better. Yes, chemotherapy can cause nausea, but I am glad we have so many different medications to reduce or eliminate the nausea. Yes, surgery is rough, but I am glad surgery is possible and worth doing. Yes, it is disheartening when one chemotherapy drug stops working, but I am glad there are other drugs or treatments to try. Yes, cancer can make us feel isolated from our healthy friends, but I am glad we have found each other through this newsletter and can share tips to make our journey easier. Yes, going to see the doctor or to the hospital for treatment upsets our routines, but I am glad for the knowledge and skill of my health care providers. Yes, maintaining a port is sometimes difficult, but it sure beats getting stuck for each and every blood test and treatment. Yes, hair loss is discomforting, but I am glad for great looking wigs, hats, turbans, and friends who like bald heads. Yes, there are lots of negative events/emotions attached to our life because of cancer, but I am glad for all the good that has also come into my life.

With cancer it is very easy to focus on all the rotten things it brings. But in focusing on the rotten, we only see the rotten. Cindy Olson of SD said Oprah Winfrey suggested listeners keep a journal in which they wrote down 5 good things every day. After trying that, I found myself really living and her life much richer. Six years ago I began my daily thankful journal with similar results. I can tell when I stop because I tend to see things more negatively. Then or now, this journal doesn't change the facts, only the way I look at them.