During these past few weeks, a new “Book of Gratitude” in my life has been opened very wide on the chapter: “The Kindness of Others.” There are hundreds of contributors in this chapter. Each of them is unique in the ways in which they are contributing to my life’s journey. They are worth writing about.

The new book’s contributors are family, friends, colleagues past and present, and acquaintances. They are the glue that binds the “Book of Gratitude” for me. Some are “originals” in family and longtime friends. Others are “newer reproductions” in colleagues and acquaintances. All of them are “special editions” in my life.

The contributors send flowers and gift baskets. They write emails. They send cards. They give me food for thought with gifts of books to keep my mind engaged. They read this blog. They’ve picked me as a person to honor in a “Challenge for Life” 20K cancer care fundraising walk this June.

They call me at home during the day while my family is at work to ensure that the silence of being alone while recovering gets interrupted with warm words. They visit to cheer me up, making sure my spirits stay high. They come by and tidy up the house, do laundry, and run errands while I am housebound. They make meals. They offer prayers.

I am surrounded by love and care from so many. I am grateful daily for these gifts of people who are making my journey in living with cancer easier to travel.

These contributors are helping me to re-read the old stories of my life. They are helping me to archive the rich history that has been written in 50 years of living. These contributors are also helping me to write new chapters in living day-to-day with cancer.

One of my favorite singers as a young adult was Harry Chapin because of his ability to tell stories about everyday topics using vivid pictures. A particular melody of his, “ Let Time Go Lightly”, resonates with me today as I muse about the kinds of friends that are surrounding me in this journey.

“Old friends, they mean much more to me than the new friends, ‘cause they can see where you are, and they know where you've been.” These folks—family and lifetime friends, have been present to help me write the pages in my life as I started new chapters and completed others.

They’ve been with me penciling in the rough drafts, writing my life’s story, and creating the headlines. They are the “dictionaries of my past” as they help me to look into the archives of my life to see who I have become as daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, colleague, and acquaintance.

The newer friends, colleagues, and acquaintances look at the finished pages of my life, and accept me for who I am. They are more recent travelers in my life’s journey. They are helping me to write new chapters in my life as “content contributors.” Our friendship stories are rich in the words. There is comfort in the new chapters that we are penning together.


There are not enough words to express my gratitude to all of these friends. It is for them that I live each day with Strength, Courage, and Determination.