Pink Promise.....a life affirmation.

Over the weekend, Sunday to be exact, my friends and family planted the "Pink Promise" rose out at the Ranch in honor of those we love and have loved who have and are battling Breast Cancer. This isn't a cause I rally for.....regrettably, I have my own cause, Heart Defects that I rally for, but, I could not look away anymore. I wrote a post a couple of months ago about living like you were dying.....I mentioned my step sister - she battled Breast Cancer and beat it the first time.....but, it's back, in different places and she began chemo treatments on Friday. I cannot know what it is like for the warrior who battles this horrific disease, but, I can and do know what it is like to watch loved ones suffer- and it sucks.

I was at the Home Depot on Sunday when I called to speak with my Mother, to get the latest news on my step sister - my Mother, who, while sometimes lives with rose colored glasses, was not her usual rosy self. This I could not take. She gave me the most recent information, that did not seem exactly positive, she, seemed defeated. This I could not take. After our phone call, I made my way into the store, tear filled eyes - I could not hold back my sadness - as I was loading a cart with my garden soil, there, next to the dirt was a display of roses "Pink Promise", a rose for the awareness of Breat Cancer - isn't it swell how the Universe, The Divine speaks to you.....just as you need it to, when you need it to, inspiration is placed in front of you. Of course, I bought a rose, called my Dad and asked him to prepare a place - I was bringing out the rose and when my friends arrived, we would have a planting ceremony. Each of us has known someone who has battled cancer, some have won, others have lost - each of us had someone to honor as we planted Pink Promise. We all cried, laughed and gave of our hearts, telling the Universe, The Divine, we are supporting each other, fighting shoulder to shoulder, kicking ass and taking names.....do not mess with us or our Sisters. The ceremony was an affirmation of our friendship, our familial bond and our Spirit, a small gesture in a big battle, that gave us all hope. (There she is agin, HOPE!)

We enjoyed our day emensly, celebrating life, eating, laughing, LIVING - in honor of those we love.

http://anenlightenedheart.blogspot.com/2009/02/live-like-you-were-dyin.html

Fun, food and other stuff....

Ah, the comfort of a day with friends, good food and laughter. What a way to end a weekend....
(ha). I had my girls around me today. The people I know I can count on when I reach out. We had a celebration just because we could. We celebrated each other, our friendship and the beauty that is Mother Nature. I swear it was the perfect day. Just one more of the things I have to be grateful for.

Thank you, Divine Spirit, for this perfect day, from an Open Heart.

No post tonight......just cake

I have a friend who likes wedding cake....it's her birthday tomorrow and so, I made her a wedding cake for her birthday.....my skills are rusty, guess I should practice some more.....who wants cake?

"I'll stand by you, take me into your darkest hour, won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you, and I'll never dessert you". The Pretenders

In your darkest hour.....do you know who will be there by your side? Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt who you can call in the middle of the night, during the ugliest storm of your life? When the chips are down I know where I stand and who is standing with me. I am blessed. And, the older I get, the more I realize how blessed I am. I cannot imagine my life without my 'Sisters". The women who I call my friends are simply the most amazing women I have ever known. Their lights shine like beacons in the dark. With each passing year and each life altering event, their lights glow brighter and warmer. I know that I am alive today because of their love and strength. They fortify me, prop me up, believe in me when the 'shoulds' take over and kick my ass, call me out when I'm being a jerk, chicken, cat or victim. They show me how to be courageous, smart, funny, brave, beautiful, heroic, assertive, forgiving, compassionate and stubborn. They know me like they know their own image in a mirror and love me anyway. They inspire me, guide me, teach me and hold me up when I'm faltering, always giving to me what I need even when I don't know myself. I am constantly amazed at the gifts they bestow on me....if not directly, surely by proximity to them. As life unfolds, things out of our control happen and this is when we discover who is going to be there holding us up when we cannot hold ourselves up. These defining moments seem to be happening at a staggering pace lately and I have been honored to see just how friendships show up. You won't always know who is going to step up and show you how much you mean to them, or rather, how much they will come to mean to you. As I am writing I'm finding it hard to really put into words what I'm feeling right now. The words, while they are coming in spurts just aren't really conveying the depth of what I want to share. My circle of friends have shown up in the last 18 months in ways that have inspired me and given me strength when I thought I had none left and no resevior to fill from. To them, I give my heart, a debt of gratitude, for all that they have given me, each lesson of love a tribute to their own beautiful hearts. XOXOXOXOXOXOXO