Returning to treatment has been both emotionally and physically difficult. I had conveniently forgotten how it feels to have poison pumped into my body and watch as each drip slowly moves down the tube, through my port, and into the vein which leads to my heart. This first infusion was over seven hours long, and the time passed slowly as I sat there tethered to the pole which held my medicine. This is a new protocol called “dose dense.” I now understand why: it is potent. I suppose that I had developed selective amnesia when it comes to the subsequent side effects, even though the medical folks provided me with a fat stack of papers describing the “what ifs.” I try not to dwell on them. Pe
Today is Mother’s Day. Yes, it is a Hallmark holiday, filled with commercialism, but it is also a time to stop for a moment and honor the woman who brought you into this world. Let’s face it: there is nobody like momma. Mine has been gone for 21 years, and I miss her as much today as I did the day I had to say good bye to her. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, nor is it a recipe for grief. But genuine love transcends time and place. It is the only thing that never fails or dies. And although she is no longer here by my side, she is immortal, kept alive in my thoughts and memories. I was raised by a remarkable woman. Sure, everybody thinks that their mom is exceptional, but truly, mine was. I
Sometimes, I sit and stare at a blank computer screen for a long time, waiting for the ideas to flow. It is always interesting when inspiration strikes from some unusual place. Today, I was thinking about a short story from the tenth grade literature book. And no, I am not channeling my inner nerd. Most of my professional career was spent as a high school English teacher, and I spent countless hours with those textbooks. Ray Bradbury’s sci-fi story, “There Will Come Soft Rains” was designed to show that it is quite possible to tell a tale without a single character, and indeed, it describes in detail a house that has been damaged by what appears to be a nuclear holocaust. The house is pers
