Rolled out of bed about 5:30 a.m. this morning. Left at dark thirty and walked to a friends house (former teammate who left for another team but is still a great lady & friend) to pick up a pair of Thorlos socks that didn't work for her. Went on to mom's and brought her the Sunday crossword puzzles and also a cup of coffee before heading home just about daybreak. When I got home, I leashed Bogie and off we went on a three mile walk.
One of my sweet neighbors was out getting her paper from the sidewalk and I stopped to chat. She asked if I needed any more sponsors for the 3 Day and yeeeaaaaah!! I could sure use more to meet my $10,000 personal goal. I am just over $9,000 so I have a ways to go considering there are only 2 weeks left until the event. I sure have some terrific neighbors. I am blessed.
After finished 10 miles, I showered and got ready to head to the First United Methodist Church in Richardson. I had been asked to speak at an annual cancer support group luncheon and had said "of course". It went very well and according to my husband Richard, I had them all in stitches... as I said today "Cancer is just about the most “not funny” thing that can happen to someone, yet funny things do happen" and then I went on to share some of the more humorous things that have happened to me over the years.
I also talked about hope and this is part of what I shared:
According to Wikipedia, Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of perseverance — i.e., believing that a positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.
Norman Cousins once said “Never deny the diagnosis, but do deny the negative verdict that may go with it.” Maybe he was actually saying that by denying the negative verdict, one begins to create hope.
So, how does one create Hope? That’s a tough question. I think the very first step is to accept your diagnosis. I think that is necessary to understand what you’re up against so you can then decide how you are going to face your tomorrows. Hope is created and nurtured by surrounding yourself with faith, family & friends. Hope should be fostered by your doctors and also by your own belief in your course of treatment. Of course, there is a huge disparity between false hope and realistic hope. Reality lies somewhere in between those two, but where, I honestly don't know.
About a year ago I received a wonderful essay titled “You Still Have Hope”. Here are a few of my favorite passages from this piece.
Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can. It gives us reason to continue and courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we'd rather give in.
Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.
Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.
Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.
Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return. And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places.
NEVER LOSE HOPE
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