pink ribbons.

often i am told about one of the strongest ladies ever. i have only met her once, but feel like i know her. what i do know for sure is she has the strength of samson. she has had, beaten and survived cancer. not once, not twice but three times. three times her body has been inflicted with the nastiest of diseases and she has victoriously beaten it every time. she has strength like no other. it is an honor to me that i have even had the privilege to know such a lady and spend time in her presence. the things i could learn from such a lady.
last week i was invited to attend the making strides for breast cancer breakfast by my mother. (so when your mama tells you you are doing something, no matter how old you are, you listen!) i liked to have died wearing some great shoes, got a parking ticket and told i had absolutely no rear (that's a whole 'nother story...and i don't...if you are wondering...) but i was glad i was able to attend.
it was amazing to hear woman after woman get up and tell their story of beating cancer, or tell about the cancer that was possessing their body and listen to doctors tell of the vast improvements in the science that is helping cure cancer. it was like an all inclusive club and i felt like an outsider. when you listened to the ladies speak, you could feel a thickening of every heart around you, and a damp eye of every person surrounding you. it made me want to run home and tell the people i hold dear in my life that...they are dear to me and that i really love them. and just hold them tighter.
i had the privilege of sitting by an older man. we got to talking and he was telling me that he was a breast cancer survivor. he is the one percent of men that have breast cancer. he was the only man in the room that had had breast cancer and had been cancer free for three years. you go man!
speaker after speaker got up to speak, and tell their story. and woman after woman, all i could think about is the woman that i mentioned earlier that has beaten cancer three times. three times. i wanted to stand up in my seat and say, "oh yeah. once, twice...i know some one that has beaten this nasty-ness three times!" (i resisted. something about standing in a chair in stilettos, at seven in the morning. what if i fell? or looked out of place...? i stayed in my seat and smiled on the inside because i know her, and they do not.) such a beautiful lady on the outside as well as the inside. i get to see a reflection of herself daily, and am reminded where the strength he possesses comes from. i count it a blessing to know such a lady.
that's my mama in the minnie pearl get up (she does impersonations. i think she thinks she is minnie...) she did not have a performance this day, but just wore her get up because it had the ribbons all over it. i was embarrassed a little. i got over it. and with her is her friend margie. she is an artist (a painter) and she has been cancer free for eleven years.
i do not like the color pink as a color to wear. i like black. my mama told me to wear pink. so i try to listen to my mama. thank the good lord i found a pink shirt...but...i wore a black sweater with it...i am always trying to rebel.

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