This week has been so full and so positive. On Thursday, we had our second Helping One Woman meeting in Lindsay. We honored an amazing woman who has overcome uteran cancer. Wow! What an inspiration! It was a super busy week at work, so I was pretty exhausted by the time I got home, but the evening was so worth it. I have made a commitment to myself to spend my time doing things that make me happy and that matter. Even when my body is fighting me, I do not let it control me. I have the power to be an image of strength in my community.
After work on Friday, I had dinner and drinks with some of the people in my life that uplift me the most. I am so blessed to have such awesome friends. Yes, my body was even more fatigued, but I have also made a commitment to myself to make time for fun and to cultivate the positive relationships in my life. I have the power to make my life beautiful and connected to hope.
Yesterday, I had the great privilege of attending the regional H.O.W. leaders meeting. It was really cool to hang out with an old friend that I hadn't had the opportunity to hang out with in several years. It was a really healing experience. Plus, I was overwhelmed by the stories of why leaders from other chapters of Helping One Woman became involved in the organization. I was honored to talk to the Bakersfield chapter leader whose husband died of brain cancer. She knows the treatment center where I go for my care and most of the nurses there, because she and her family spent so much time there when her husband was sick. She is the epitome of a strong woman. Getting up early was hard because my body was still worn out but I was motivated by the power of these women and the good they do. I have the power to do good things too no matter where I am in my journey to get healthy.
When I got home, I met with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. They take such good care of me. The youngest of my four dogs cut her leg open earlier in the week and had to have stitches. She has been a handful. She herds imaginary sheep at 3 in the morning, wakes me up at five by petting my head with her paw, and generally gets into things. I have to give her meds twice a day. It's so much extra work, but she's so loveable I wouldn't have it any other way. My kiddos knew that I needed help though. So, they came by and gave me the support I needed.
Then, I went straight to my aunt's house to pick up a beautiful quilt she had made so that I would have a gift for a baby shower I was attending today. From her house, I was off to the gas station and the store to pick up an appetizer for a housewarming party in the big city of Visalia. What a great night! I had so much fun with my teammates/friends! I am extremely blessed to know these people. I was beyond exhausted, but I know how important it is to enjoy time with people who you know have your back. Being able to let go and have fun made me feel like I can do anything. I have the power to choose how I spend my time and how I prioritize what I need to do. The highest priority is no longer scrubbing floors or doing dishes. It is spending time with the people who make my life so wonderful!
Yep. I'm a power house. Today, however, my body said, "Guess what? You're not going anywhere!" I can barely move. I did the right thing and listened to it. I stayed home. Did just the necessary chores and rested. Unfortunately, I missed that baby shower, but I will see her soon and give her the gift that my aunt so graciously made. Tomorrow, is another day. Another opportunity to make the world a better place. Another chance to let all the good things in the world fill me up. Another day to share love and to be loved. So it turns out that even when we think our power is taken away from us because of cancer or divorce or some traumatic even in our lives, we can get that power back. Renewable power is all about finding your source of energy and LIVING!