THINGS I KNOW...FOR SURE!

As long as you LIVE,
You WILL encounter ADVERSITY.
There are THOSE who will LOVE you,
For WHO you ARE.
And there are THOSE who will HATE you,
For the SAME.

As long as you LIVE,
FAIR...EQUAL...TREATMENT,
Isn't REALLY an OPTION.
We're RAISED to TELL our CHILDREN...
Such.
But, as they LIVE...
And, LEARN.
The WORLD teaches THEM,
A HARSH Reality.
Quite SIMPLY Put,
That's NOT how it ALL Works.

Really " HORRIBLE" PEOPLE...

P
R
O
S
P
E
R!

While the GOOD...

S
U
F
F
E
R

Needlessly!

As Long as you LIVE,
There will be LOVE and LOST.
No matter how SWEET...
Or TUMULTUOUS.
The LOVE...
LOST
The END of that LOVE,
EFFECTS you the SAME.
You will MOURN...
You will

G
R
I
E
V
E

But, LIFE will CONTINUE On.

As LONG as you LIVE,
Just as that "old" song says...
" Didn't you KNOW you have to CRY Sometime?"
But...
Those TEARS if WELL Spent,
Will TEACH you...
ENABLE You...
To LOVE that PERSON you've BECOME.
( Pain IS Cathartic!)

As LONG as you LIVE,
KNOW
That with GOD as your Compass...
The LORD as your GUIDE.

YOU WILL OVERCOME!

Breast Cancer...ANY Illness...
a
n
y
Mountain...

IN YOUR PATH!

As LONG as you LIVE...
REMEMBER!
No matter HOW DARK,
How DIRE the SITUATION.

IF YOU REMAIN FAITHFUL...

OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL!

HE WILL
B
R
I
N
G
YOU THROUGH!

These are a FEW THINGS...
I KNOW...FOR SURE!

Until Next Time...

" Let US hold FAST the CONFESSION Of OUR Hope without WAVERING,
For HE who PROMISES Is FAITHFUL."
Hebrews 10 :23

JUST AVERAGE...

We ALL rest in our Mothers womb,
For nine months.
(Give or take!)
We ALL come into the WORLD...
With a "pat" on our behind.

OUR RESPONSE...

We SCREAM like OUR Life,
Depends on it.

And, FIFTY plus years LATER...

I'M
STILL
SCREAMING!

I've ALWAYS felt,

JUST AVERAGE...
(Well, maybe "slightly" above!)

I'm sure that's how MOST people feel.

You DO what's EXPECTED of you.

SCHOOL...WORK...MARRIAGE & KIDS.
(Although not NECESSARILY in that ORDER!)

You're TAUGHT to DO what's RIGHT.

You OBEY the LAW.
You PAY Taxes.
You TRY to Live...
Like a DECENT Human Being.

And, WHERE you ASK does that LAND you?

FOR ME...

On a STREET...
In a LAND...

Called...

BREAST CANCER!

Am I Complaining?
Am I Bitter?

QUITE the OPPOSITE!

WHY NOT...YOU SAY?

Because CONQUERING that DISEASE,
WINNING...
OVER BREAST CANCER.

Made me REALIZE...

I'M...NOT...JUST...AVERAGE!

MANY
LOST
THAT
BATTLE.

ME...

Thanks to the ALMIGHTY!

I'M
THRIVING!

After it's ALL said and DONE...

I'M...FINALLY...ALIVE!

I EAT RIGHT,
I EXERCISE.

And, I FEEL so MUCH GRATITUDE...

For EVERY Sunrise...
For EVERY Sunset!

My LIFE...

IS
NOT
WITHOUT
CHALLENGES!

BUT...

BRING...IT...ON!

WHY?

Because I'm NOT...

JUST
AVERAGE,

ANYMORE!

Until Next Time...

" The LORD is MY Light and MY Salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the STRENGTH of MY LIFE; Of Whom shall I be afraid."
Psalms 27: 1-2

Just A Thought...

CLOSE...YOUR...EYES
(Indulge Me!)
Just...For...A...Minute.

Are you REALLY...HAPPY?

Not the Pharrell Williams Version!

IS
YOUR
LIFE

Satisfying?

Are YOU...

Is THIS...

JOURNEY

Through ADULTHOOD...

ALL
YOU
EXPECTED?

ANTICIPATED...

IT
WOULD
BE?

Those are the VERY Questions,
I've ASKED Myself...

Since Being Diagnosed,
WITH
Breast Cancer.

Has it been...ENOUGH?

I Don't KNOW about YOU.

BUT,

UNTIL

I...WAS...DIAGNOSED,

WITH

Breast Cancer.

Face TO Face,

With MY Mortality.

EVERYDAY

Was just a SERIES,
OF
Work...Play...Work, and MORE Work!

I was traveling at "Warp" Speed.

THEN,

I Found a LUMP...
Saw a DOCTOR...

AND,

EVERYTHING...Just...STOPPED!

I'm CLOSING in on,
5 years,
CANCER FREE!
November 19th,
That's the DATE!

And,

After ALL I've ENDURED...

Surgery,
Chemotherapy,
Radiation,
And, MORE Surgery!

My LIFE Is AGAIN

Work...Play, and MORE WORK!

Which makes Me WONDER...

What was THIS JOURNEY,

MY
JOURNEY...

ALL ABOUT?

WHAT
HAS
CHANGED?

Outwardly...NOTHING.

But, INWARDLY...

I...HAVE...SO...MANY QUESTIONS!

I'M Searching For SO MANY Answers!

I...WANT...MY...LIFE

My STRUGGLE TO...SURVIVE

To mean MORE then...

Work...Play, and MORE WORK!

I've had SO MANY Conversations,

WITH
GOD.

PRAY...With ME.
That HE...Leads ME,
ALONG My WAY...

TO UNDERSTANDING.

Just A Thought...

Until Next Time...

"To HIM the DOORKEEPER opens, and the SHEEP hear HIS Voice;
and HE CALLS His OWN Sheep by NAME and LEADS them OUT."
John 10:3

TRUSTING...

" We've come this FAR by FAITH..."
(That song has been playing OVER, and OVER in my mind today!)

There comes a TIME in EVERYONE'S Life...

WHEN
ALL
YOU
HAVE

Is GOD!

We ALL arrive at that DESTINATION...

For VARIOUS Reasons.

Financial Hardship,
LOSS,
Grief,
And, for ME...
ILLNESS...Breast Cancer.

" LEANING on the LORD"...

During THOSE Times...

Degrees...Accolades...MONEY...

ALL...
YOUR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS...
Are
MEANINGLESS!

The ONLY way you can get THROUGH it,
The ONLY way you can WAKE up...

And,

FACE
EACH
NEW
DAY

Is...

GOD!

" TRUSTING in HIS Holy WORD"...

YES...

I can SAY without RESERVATION...

" He's NEVER...FAILED me yet!"

So, I'm ASKING...

FATHER,

My BEST FRIEND...

IS
FIGHTING

CANCER...AGAIN!

My LIFE...

My HEART...

AT
THIS
VERY
MOMENT

Could USE,

Your LOVING Hand...

Upon It!

" Oh, Oh, Oh...Can't TURN AROUND"

I KNOW...
YOU
CAN!

" We...I'VE come THIS Far By FAITH!"

Until Next Time...

" But, HE who TRUSTS in the LORD, MERCY Shall SURROUND Him"
Psalms 32:10

Dear Lord...THANK YOU!

" Thank you for ALL that you've DONE thus far...Thank you for BEING the GOD that you are...Thank You for FOOD on my TABLE...I've " LEARNED" that you're ABLE...I just WANT to Say..."

THANK YOU!

Those are the lyrics to one of my FAVORITE Gospel songs.

I ADDED..." LEARNED"  to the Lyrics.

Because that is the BLESSING...

 In...This...

 JOURNEY

Of MINE.

I'VE LEARNED...

That what GOD Has...

Is an "EXIT" Strategy.

For WHATEVER...

Needs "fixin"...In YOUR Life...

" There's a BALM...In Gilead!"

I "NEEDED" that "BALM",

To SPIRIT Me through BREAST CANCER!

And,

On

TODAY...

December 25th, 2013.
(The FIFTH Christmas...Since My Diagnosis!)

HALLELUJAH!!!

I'm HERE to TELL You...

" IF God ALLOWS Satan to DO It...
(Remember JOB!)
He WILL CERTAINLY Get You THROUGH It!"
( In my Rev. Jesse Voice!)

WHY...Was NEVER a Question I PONDERED Much.

ALL I SAID WAS...

"Okay, LORD...It's just YOU and ME!"

YOU
ARE
ALL
I
HAVE...

But, THANKFULLY

HE
WAS
ALL
I NEEDED!

SO,
ON
THIS
DAY...

The DAY we CELEBRATE...MY SAVIOR'S BIRTH.

I
JUST
WANT
TO
SAY...

THANK YOU!!!

Until Next Time...

" For unto us a CHILD is BORN, And His name WILL be Called
WONDERFUL,COUNSELOR,MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER,PRINCE OF PEACE."
Isaiah 9:6

It's OCTOBER...Again!

This is my FOURTH October,
Since being DIAGNOSED with...
Breast Cancer.

The month of OCTOBER,
Is BITTERSWEET for me.

On the one hand...
(The..."sweet!")

I have SURVIVED,
I still remain CANCER FREE...
After ALMOST four years.

That in and of itself
Is an ACCOMPLISHMENT.

On the OTHER hand...
(The..."bitter!")

I have MANY Friends...
Who haven't been "so lucky"

They have been Diagnosed...
Again...
And,
Again...
With NEW Cancers,
And, are PRESENTLY Fighting...

FOR...THEIR...LIVES!

I...AM...GRATEFUL...

FOR MY LIFE.

That God's Grace
His Mercies
CONTINUE to SURROUND Me.

BUT...

It's HARD to feel GOOD,

When WOMEN under the SAME Circumstances,

As Mine...

Are...

STILL FIGHTING...

Or,

Have

LOST...

Their

F.I.G.H.T!

It's October...Again!

I'M
STILL
HERE...

I'M
HEALTHY

I'M
CANCER
FREE!

Pray for those...

That are...

STILL...

In the "fight!"

I WILL CONTINUE...

"To FIGHT like a GIRL!"

Until Next Time...

" The Lord will FIGHT for YOU, and YOU shall "HOLD" your PEACE."
Exodus 14:14

53...Nothing Less!

I...WOKE...UP...
THIS
MORNING!

Joints were a LITTLE stiff.
(Chemotherapy is "NO FRIEND"...Of a Women's Bones!)

YES...

I
WOKE
UP,

THIS MORNING!

53...YEARS...YOUNG!

FEELING...

NOTHING
LESS,

THAN...

PURE "JOY"!

UNFAILING GRATITUDE!

IMMESUREABLE...LOVE!

My FIRST Words...

upon

Waking...

THANK YOU FATHER!

FOR HEALING...
(Cancer Free!)
FOR "ANOTHER" YEAR...
(Filled With LOVE & FRIENDSHIP!)
FOR MY FAMILY,
FOR MY LIFE!

Many People "Complain".
(I "too" was GUILTY of This!)

But...

AFTER
WHAT
GOD
PULLED
ME
THROUGH...

COMPLAIN?

"OUT OF THE QUESTION!"

TO "BE"...ALIVE
TO "BE"...IN REMISSION
TO JUST..."BE!"

The "mere" fact of that...
LEAVES...
"NO" ROOM...
FOR INGRATITUDE!

I AM...

53...Years Young.

LIFE...COULDN'T...BE...BETTER!

I
MAY
NOT
HAVE...

"What I Want",

But...I HAVE "ALL"...
That I NEED!

I...WOKE..UP...THIS...MORNING

FILLED...
WITH...JOY
GRATITUDE...

AND,

ABOVE ALL...

LOVE!

AT "ANY" AGE...

WHO COULD ASK FOR MORE?

Until Next Time...

" For if we are BESIDES Ourselves, It IS for GOD!"
2 Corinthians 5:13