Today, I spoke with my cousin, who just recently found out that she has breast cancer. I had received an email that suggested that she was ill, but I didn't know what was wrong. So I did something I so rarely do -- I picked up the phone and called her.
She started by telling me "I want you to know, right now, that I'm going to be fine. I know that I AM fine." She then told me what had happened. She found out during a routine exam about three weeks ago. Her doctor felt a small lump that turned out to be cancerous. Luckily they found it early - it is only 1cm, stage one, moderately growing.
My cousin is a distinctly spiritual being. Everything she says and does is from a spiritual perspective. So, naturally, she wants to begin her healing process in this way. She has given herself 2 months to be released from this disease, through prayer, spiritual cleansing from past resentments, healthy eating (avoiding processed foods, juicing, and minimizing meats) vitamins, herbals, essential oils and other alternative treatments. If this doesn't provide a miracle for her, then she will opt for surgical removal of the cancer and 5 weeks of radiation. She said she owes it to herself to try things her way first, so she can at least say that she did try.
Her mother, my dear Aunt, was distraught about hearing that her daughter is dis-eased with cancer; her own beloved sister had died from breast cancer at almost the same age as her daughter has been diagnosed with it, and four of her Aunts had also succumbed to the disease, as did my own mother, her sister-in-law. However, after having a good talk with her family, her mother has accepted her decision to wait a few more weeks for treatment.
In spite of all that she and her family are going through, my cousin's spirits are remarkably high. She is both optimistic and realistic in her approach and amazingly calm in assessing her situation. She says that this "near death" experience has given her a new outlook on her life already, and she is so grateful for it. I hear this gratefulness in her voice, and I am grateful that she feels this way. My heart and prayers are with her - she is a remarkable and gifted woman and though I don't often see her and certainly don't talk with her enough, she is a joy to me in this world.
So, this is my first blog post. For quite a while I have been thinking of what to call my blog and what to write about. Mostly, I have wanted to post pretty pictures, throw down a few random thoughts now and then, and save the images, travels, memories, thoughts and various tidbits of information that mean something to me, personnally, with the hope that perhaps other people might enjoy something of them also.
I have gone back and forth about what to name this blog, since I am such an eclectic person, and a person who is so undecided about who I really am. Similarly, I have gone back and forth about what to write about and post.
My favorite sites are usually those that deal with the lighter side of life with beautiful photography; colorful crafts; women loving their crazy, wild children or their peaceful country lifestyles; and gorgeously styled food, design, and fashion blogs.
On the other hand, I love peering into the gritty other world of tattoo parlors; trashy reality TV; and the lives of artists, writers, musicians, poets and other creative types whose lives make up the background and off-beat graffiti of our own lives.
For the past several weeks, this has been one of my little "struggles" -- nothing compared to the life-changing struggles my cousin and her family have been experiencing.
When I spoke with my cousin this morning, she told me what she has learned since being diagnosed. It is what so many others before her have already told us -- that it is so important to be present in the moment, to be who you are meant to be, and to live with joy.
When she said those words to me -- live with joy -- I made the decision. My blog would be called JoJo's Joie -- Joy -- and it would celebrate all the aspects of who I am. The good and light, the playful, the naughty and even the dark. My joy.
En-joie,
JoJo
If you are not familiar with lampwork, it is, as Susan describes, "a traditional process in which designs are formed by heating pieces of glass under a torch to form and create various shapes. Each design starts out as a clear glass rod, but the hand of the skilled lampworker transforms this material into a work of art."
Another fun crafter I met was JoAnn Holley from Quiltnista in Herndon Virginia. I was struck by JoAnn (who BTW is also nicknamed "JoJo") who was as warm and inviting as her colorful quilted artifacts. She had some adorable potholders in the shape of flip flops, which not only were comment-worthy, but looked very functional as well. Another find was the color-coordinated pencil roll, shown here.
