Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Best is Yet to Be.......


Yes, it has again been a long time since last I wrote. Both of my brothers visited for a period of about 5 weeks, in fact for the first 4 weeks of radiation, my younger brother, Kevin, drove me each morning to Stanford which was really wonderful. He had driven out from North Carolina to work in the cottage at my cousin's where I have been living these past 6 months. As it turned out, instead of being without a bathroom for 2 weeks, we were without one for 4. I learned very quickly how to become a "pioneer" woman! The "new" cottage is really beautiful and will be a lovely little home for my cousin's mother-in-law once I leave....

Which will be in exactly 10 days! Having my brother here and all the activity going on in the cottage really helped me sail through radiation. I still have 6 treatments next week and then I will be finished. My daughter is flying in from NYC March 25 in order to drive back with me....we will be leaving bright and early the following morning. My bags are packed and I'm ready to go!

For years I have had Browning's poem hanging on my wall, "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be - the last of life for which the first was made." After my divorce, I couldn't look at those words for a very long time, but eventually I hung it back on my wall and felt that perhaps someone would come along who might grow old with me, but that hasn't happened. Many years were spent being seriously depressed about that....and then cancer came to call.

How is it possible that something so devastating could turn a life around? Had I stayed alone in my home in Michigan, I am not sure that would have happened, but surrounded with happy, caring people in this lovely environment, my mind has had the chance to wrap itself around the entire situation and I find I am happier and more at peace than I can ever remember being.

I love my elderly business in Michigan and will continue to consult with them, but I am ready to pass the leadership on to someone younger. My heart is in holistic healing, a path I have been on for the past 7 years since the divorce and one I hope to expand on in the near future.

"The last of life for which the first was made"....this is where I am, standing ready to embrace each moment fully. Ready to share and grow old with others whose lives I hope I can in some way positively influence through the healing power of touch, laughter, and nutrition. Who would have ever thought....the best is yet to be!