Finding Relief after dealing with Cancer

Whenever I see the words ‘Cancer’ written down on paper my heart sinks way down into the pit of my stomach. Words cannot express how much I despise the disease, and how much I hope and pray that I see a cure sometime in my lifetime. Instead of finding a cure, we are faced with the fact that Cancer is spreading more and more every day, and getting uglier by the minute. After watching my loved ones be affected by the disease again this summer, I vowed to spread the word as much as I can and show people how important it is to lend a hand in helping to fight the disease.

I am fortunate enough to live in a community where the fight against Cancer is a main priority. We have amazing facilities that provide services to families in need, and are 1 in only 22 states fortunate enough to have a Hope Lodge; a facility that offers cancer patients and their families a free, temporary place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city. It also provides a nurturing, home-like environment where patients and caregivers can retreat to private rooms or connect with others who are going through many of the same experiences.

Our local hospital’s Cancer Services Department is now offering yet another resource for patients and their families. Starting this month they are offering a series called “Living on after loss”; an eight-week series on learning, understanding and dealing with loss. The program strives to help participants sort out the pain and suffering that goes along with losing a loved one to Cancer. Participants will engage in activities that show them how to deal with grieving as a process, instead of a single event as they share with others with similar situations.

The meetings will be held each Monday from 5:30-7pm Jan. 24th-March 14th in the activity room of The McConnell-Raab American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, 930 Wellness Drive (near the ViQuest Center). There is no fee to participate in the program, but pre-registration is required by calling Kimberly Garner at 252-847-9450. It is so encouraging as a family member of a Cancer survivor to see programs geared towards awareness and survival after loss. Fighting against Cancer is so much easier when we have full knowledge of the disease and understand ways we can help.

For more information on the programs and services offered at the McConnell-Raab Hope Lodge visit http://www5.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/hopelodge/NC_Greenville/mr_index.asp or to join in the fight against this year’s Relay For Life in Pitt County visit http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=3299

Action!

"Give Life to your Faith"

I'm sure most of us can identify with the feeling of getting stuck in a rut. It happens to the best of us. Unfortunately, some of us get stuck way too often, and for far too long. I love my life, and I count my blessings every single day, but that does not make me exempt from getting stuck in a rut every now and then.

Giving "Life" to your Faith is simply a call for action. It is so easy to tell yourself every day that you will keep a positive attitude, and you will "have faith" that everything will be okay. What I learned was that having faith was only the first step. Your journey to living your best life does not stop with the feeling of having faith. It BEGINS with having faith. Once you have that faith, it is up to you to put that feeling into action. Only then will you see tangible results from what you want out of life.

Every day I make a list. Its my way of keeping track of all of the important things that are going on in my life. Just recently I started making two lists: one for personal tasks, and one for professional tasks. Interestingly enough, I found myself only crossing out the things on the list that pertained to taking care of my family. All of the other tasks that I had set aside for myself remained on the list staring back at me. The words on the list quickly became my opposition; my worst enemies. But I was allowing the list to become my worst enemy. I was not pushing myself to get through the things on my list that needed attention. Silly me not to realize that everything on the list was important; not just the tasks that I picked to tackle on that day. After all, if they weren't important I would never have taken the time and energy to write them down.

What I didn't realize was that making two lists was actually a little counterproductive for me. While I have heard some people say that it worked for them, it was obviously not the best answer for me to be able to live my best life. you see, the list pertaining to my professional life is still VERY personal to me. My professional life is important to me. Its not enough for me to be able to tackle my family life. At the end of the day, if there are still things left unfinished, I remain unhappy and unfulfilled. Having to look at the same unfinished items on a list every day is a little daunting for me, and causes me to go right back into a funk!

I have decided to combine my lists. They are both equally important to me. And while I may not finish everything in one day, I'm happy knowing that I tried and that I addressed something of importance in my life. Today I find myself re-writing those lists if I haven't completed it the day before. Sometimes re-writing my goals and tasks actually gives me a little more confidence. Writing them down on paper brings them to life, and brings me one step closer to my goals. Its time for me to put ACTION behind my FAITH!

~What are your ways to bring new ACTION to your Faith? Do you have a goal that needs new life?