Push On - Retreat

Cowboy actor John Wayne said, "Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway." This past weekend I had the honor of spending time with 25 women who saddled up anyway and courageously made it through their breast cancer journeys.

Lifting Hearts is an amazing breast cancer organization here in Utah. We spent time in a gigantic cabin in the beautiful Heber Valley.  We ate, laughed, cried, shared, walked, talked, modeled (PJ pageant), crafted, and photographed together. Maya Angelou said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you." Having the opportunity to share and listen to each others stories, in a language that BC women share, was extraordinary. We didn't have to explain terms such as: port, hormone therapy, Taxol, Tamoxifen, Red Devil, burns, Stage 1/2/3, side-effects, hair loss, reconstruction, self-love, reoccurrence fear, survivor/thriver, pink-sickness, lethargy, 30 lbs, balance, neuropathy, hearing loss, perspective, simplicity, and "Welcome to Holland."

Being able to chat with women of various ages and life stages, about our one common denominator was very helpful. I shared, but mostly I learned from those whose experiences and gained wisdom far exceeded mine.

I now know what tomorrow looks like: hope, gratitude, wisdom, generosity, acceptance, and most importantly - community.

Many many thanks to Kara, Bethanie, Colette, and everyone else for a lovely time.

As Jeffrey Holland said, "Hope on. Journey on."