You Make A Difference

Remembering My Mom

Yesterday was six  years since my Mom passed away. The calendar day of a loved one's passing is hard. I always light a candle as a special tribute and to symbolize that her light continues to shine. I look at old photos and also take time to remember the good times. I know she would be so proud of me as she was my biggest cheerleader, and saw only the good in me. R.I.P.

You Are The Light

You are the light – feel yourself basking in the presence.

It is all around, so bright, so full, so vital.  It is all around.

The love is there to sustain you and to send you higher

You are surrounded by light, by love, by beauty

Look around, it is everywhere

You see it with your eyes

You feel it with your senses

You know it is there

Open yourself up – let go and experience the light.

It is there for you to experience always

The tears have been shed and the healing has begun

One piece at a time like a tall building, brick by brick by brick.

All the pieces together in their own time.

And so it is with life one layer at a time and then the next.

The gentle unfolding of the layers will reveal so much to you and all around you. 

Step by step in your own time, at your own pace.

There is no rush; there is so much time to experience the beauty.

It is ever present, you are ever present.

In the morning light and in the last rays of sunlight, it is there.

Every moment, every day, every week.

 Never missing a beat.

 It is always there and yours for the asking.

By Karen Hackel

Always Here For You

I am at your side

Together we stride

I feel your breath

I know your energy

Always here for you

May, 1995 - This journal entry was written nine months after my Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Fifteen minutes of waiting for the Young Breast Cancer Survivors Group to begin. Celebrating our lives, our common thread of having shared the Breast Cancer experience and all the fears that go with it. My new sisterhood - women drawn from different walks of life, in our prime, having to go through something we thought would never happen to us.

So many questions and so much unknown but needing to accept that it is all going to be okay and this is the way it is. Life has its ups and downs and sometimes throws us curve-balls when we least expect them. Having to accept the setbacks as one of life's many lessons and surely one of life's setbacks. Everything is not always the way I dreamed it would be - but with maturity has come the knowledge that the fabric of life is made of joy and sorrow. I know I cannot always expect good times and there may be hardships behind me and hardships ahead of me - but I can choose to react in a positive and accepting way.

I do believe everything is for a reason and I know I must not analyze everything, yet I mustn't be totally positive and just accept it. So - it is a balancing act of coming to a middle road of analysis and acceptance. Sometimes I feel so centered and so together and other times so fragmented as though I am falling into a deep pit. Luckily those times are infrequent but they do scare me.

The mind is so powerful and empowering and I need to use my mind more to move forward and grow and develop into a more peaceful space.

Karen

Breast cancer Blog - Today I celebrate 18 Years

Books:
Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book 
Living Well Beyond Breast Cancer
Spinning Straw into Gold, Your Emotional Recovery From Breast Cancer

Thank Goodness it is Today

TGIF - I love Fridays. Doesn't everyone proclaim that on Fridays? On Mondays so many people complain about all the tasks ahead in the given week. They count the hours until Friday when it is the weekend. They are so focused on Friday that they lose the joy of living and being present on the other days of the week.

I prefer to say Thank Goodness it is Today, every day of the week. Truth be told I love every day. I am grateful for the gift of 24 hours  I am so blessed to be alive and to have the opportunity to live, love and learn for another day.

On my journey through life I have met many people who were not given the opportunity to live another day. People, near and dear to me, have passed away. They do not have the gift of another day. They and their families would be so grateful to have another Monday or Wednesday or any day of the week.

We are not offered any guarantees about how long we will be alive and healthy. Our health can change in a heartbeat. I was healthy (or so I thought), young and a new Mom when I was diagnosed with breast cancer over 18 years ago. Suddenly everything changed for me.  One moment I was healthy and the next I was fighting for my life. Confronting one's mortality, while very scary, makes one appreciate the little things in life and to focus on what is important.

Yes there are many days when I get caught up in the trivial stuff, the things that really don't make a difference, the irritations and minutiae that are part of everyday living. Gently I remind myself how very lucky I am to be alive and well.

So yes - TGIF. I wish you a wonderful weekend, a magnificent Monday, a terrific Tuesday, a worthwhile Wednesday, a thankful Thursday and of course, a fabulous Friday. Embrace each day.

Similar writings:
Live each day
All in your own time
Ordinary Things

Find Your Center

The stillness of the night

Gives way

To the noise of the day

Darkness becomes light

Quiet turns to sound

They balance each other

Like weights on a scale

Peace and harmony

Tipping the scale

In one direction

War and discord

Countering the scale

In another direction

Finding the center

Finding the balance

Finding the core

A balancing act

To find one’s center

Some people gravitate

To a center of peace

Yet other people

Gravitate towards discord

Each person’s center

Their own to claim

Their own to find

Their own to balance

The scales work together

Towards balance

Towards equilibrium

Towards the center

Yet there are always

Opposing forces

Pulling in opposite directions

Tipping the scales

This way and that way

You need to find the center

You need to find your center

The center is unique to you

It is your equilibrium

It is your balance

It is your core

Finding your center

Honoring your center

Loving your center

Will enable you to

Radiate from within your center

And grow your circle

Outward

Upward

And beyond

Yet first and foremost

You need to find your center

Step by Step

Open yourself up – let go and experience the light. It is there for you to experience always The tears have been shed and the healing has begun

One piece at a time like a tall building, brick by brick by brick. All the pieces together in their own time. And so it is with life one layer at a time and then the next. The gentle unfolding of the layers will reveal so much to you and all around you. Step by step in your own time, at your own pace.

There is no rush; there is so much time to experience the beauty. It is ever present, you are ever present. In the morning light and in the last rays of sunlight, it is there. Every moment, every day, every week. Never missing a beat. It is always there and yours for the asking

Paradise

I asked my guides what life is like once a person has passed 

and this is the message received.

The most beautiful painting

In your imagination

Cannot begin to describe

The beauty of this dimension

The Tree

The leaves of the trees are in full bloom

Despite the heat of the summer

They continue to grow and flourish

Abandon your guilt

 Guilt is not an emotion

That will take you to the next level

So abandon your guilt

And embrace the light

Flow in Universe

Change happens

Nothing is constant

Nothing is static

The winds bring changes

Days turn to night

Night turns to day

Self Love

The art of loving oneself

Is a love that is kind and graceful

By loving yourself

Unconditionally and without judgment

There is only good intent

The very act of self love

Is in effect very selfless

Soar Like A Bird

The wings of the bird

Enable the bird to fly

To soar to new heights

To fly to new destinations

In search of warm weather

Instinctively the bird flies

Ordinary Things

The tapestry of life

Is woven of many fine threads

The stitches so carefully crafted

Each stitch worthy of the next

Each stitch able to stand alone

But, so much more beautiful

Loving Gifts

Feel your heart

Feel your soul

Feel the feelings

That are unfolding

The flower bud

Gently opens

Each Day Is A Gift

The essence of life is change

And having the ability

To flow through the changes

Life is never constant

But it is in a constant change of flux

Changes spurt growth

The Tapestry

The tapestry of life

Is woven of many fine threads

The stitches so carefully crafted

Each stitch worthy of the next

Silver Lining

There is always a silver lining

In every situation

A reason that too often

Is not apparent to

The human eye

Even in the darkest clouds

There are specks of joy

No Life Is In Vain

The stillness of the night heralds a new dawning

Daybreak – a time of new beginnings

A fresh start

Sunrise – a time of hope

The start of a new day

A time for living

A time for loving

A time of joy