How to Be Happy

It's been a full few days. Life got hectic at the end of the week and of course since I wasn't hurting so much I did as much as I could. I spent Friday taking care of myself. Sunrise Breast Care Ctr. had a free spa day for breast cancer survivors from 10-1 so I went and took advantage of all the offerings which included; Reiki, Crainal Sacral work, reflexology, foot bath/massage and a make over. I met another gal there who had just finished her 4th treatment of 6 with the same drugs that I will be taking for chemo. She had not lost her eyebrows and eyelashes, was not having any mouth issues and said the 3rd day is the worst for her. She takes Chemo on Thursday and shot on Friday and then is down Saturday, Sunday and sometimes Monday. She said she has terrible nausea which none of the meds really help her with (many have terrible side effects) and the shot gives her flu like symptoms. It was comforting to talk to someone who was taking same specific drugs on same 3 week cycle and ask questions.

After my spa time I went to my food as medicine class. I was very quiet and relaxed. Dr. Debbie is fabulous and I am convinced that we have some work to do together. Jackie was there too and she suggested taking Reiki night before chemo treatments instead of night after. She said Reiki would better balance and prepare body before. She said to call her morning of and she will see if she can come and sit with me part of the time while I take my first chemo. That would be nice and I will make a point of doing that.

Steven and Katie had play commitments on Friday night and Greg and I took Anna out to dinner for her 8th birthday. She picked Outback Steakhouse and I think she enjoyed having the time with just Mom and Dad.

Brenda, my beloved sister, flew in on Saturday am early and surprised the kids. After she got here and we visited a bit we headed over to the Renaissance Fair as promised to Anna. We picked up a few more kids on the way. The fair was so crowded and I worried the whole time about people bumping into me. Saturday is definitely not the day to go. We spent about 4 hours there, Anna got to pick out a goody to purchase and then we dashed home so we could get ready to take Katie to the theatre for her opening night. Brenda and I sat and visited and Greg and the kids arrived later. Katie was so fabulous but of course I already knew she would be. She definitely has presence and the camera does love her. Brenda was a proud and beaming Auntie and I think Katie really enjoyed that.

We finished up at the theatre about 10:30pm and then headed over to Denny's for food. It was so nice to sit and visit and listen to Brenda's funny stories and share some of ours. It was a nice visit. Brenda gave me a beautiful pendant for my birthday to help give me strength during the next part of my journey. I am so grateful for her presence in my life. We didn't get to bed until after 12:30am and then I had to be up by 6:30 to get her to the airport. Traffic was awful at the airport which surprised me because it was so early and she just made her plane. Thank goodness! I know it was a huge commitment for her to come and I am so glad that she made the effort.

I came home and went back to bed and woke up at 10am to a lovely cup of starbucks coffee that Greg brought me. Thankfully it was only a small because the caffeine made me very shaky. I will look forward to having it the day of chemo. What a treat! The kids woke up late too and since we didn't have church this morning we lazed around for much of the day. I did a bit of laundry and got caught up on some computer stuff and planning my birthday party.

At about 3pm I got motivated and made some stock and then a pot of soup for dinner. The boys were out dirt bike riding and the girls and I went to listen to a fireside chat where Sean Covey spoke. Sean is the son of Stephen Covery. My kids like his book "7 habits for highly effective teens". He talked about how our youth will have an impact 10 fold of that of our ancestors. He shared 16 words that will bring true happiness:
Faith for the mind - faith in self and power of God
Worship for the spirit - having a direct relationship with Source
Health for the body - beware of what we put into mind and body, good quality only
Service for the heart - serving others

I enjoyed his talk immensely, he had great stories and a nice sense of humor. I am sorry Stephen missed it. I think there were some treasures he missed, especially the football stories. I was able to translate his words into ones that made sense for me. I think his words of wisdom provide a good guideline for living a good life and can lead to true happiness. Truth is truth. Katie had taken her book 7 Habits and asked him to sign it.

One thing that Sean said that really stuck with me is that Beloved God will give us the strength that we need to get through hard times but this does not mean that we won't have hard times. I took solace in this thought that no matter what life brings for me over the next few months I will find the strength to do what needs to be done. I just have to know the what not the how I guess. The how is up to the Universe. I do think, however, that Sean missed 1 point and that is Gratitude. Part of true happiness comes from being Grateful for life just as it is, knowing that all is as it should be. I do well with this for a while and then fall down on the job. Someday I will be grateful at all times in all situations. I look forward to that day.

It's a great day to be alive. I have so much to be grateful for and feel so lucky to have this opportunity to grow and change. Peace.