What do you do when your world feels out of control but you have the strength of developer? You foster puppies, of course! The strength of developer is defined as seeing the potential in others. You see everything as having potential and being alive with possibilities. You want to see others experience some bit of … Continue reading The Strength of Developer
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Seeing Past the Pain
Art can tug at your heart. It can capture an emotion, a time, or even a season. When I saw this particular piece of art it was all of the above to me. It captured my attention. It took my breath away. This painting was what breast cancer looked and felt like in my life. … Continue reading Seeing Past the Pain
This is Our Story, Part Four
This is the fourth part of our story as written by Patrick Durand. After we informed our girls of the new diagnosis, I immediately felt relief from the constant tension I had felt over the preceding weeks. I had been so worried about how they would react to the news, particularly Emily, since she was … Continue reading This is Our Story, Part Four
This is Our Story, Part Three
This is part three of our story as written by Patrick Durand. We faced a situation we hadn’t remotely considered only three weeks prior – stage IV breast cancer. And more specifically - death. After the diagnosis, Melissa and I were in a complete daze; we could not concentrate on anything. Our minds continuously processed … Continue reading This is Our Story, Part Three
Trusting God’s Plan
When you travel through life you meet special souls along the way. One example for me are Gavin and his family. I met Gavin and his mom, Nicole, in a Target parking lot when Nicole was my daughter's math teacher. Meeting Gavin was uplifting. He wanted to know who we were and was genuinely interested in meeting us. … Continue reading Trusting God’s Plan
This is Our Story, Part Two
This is part two of our story by Patrick Durand After Melissa completed a battery of tests: EKG, Echo, CT Scan, Pet Scan, etc. we met with Dr. Thomas to review the results. Over the past two weeks we had come to terms with the cancer. We accepted it. Of all the cancers to get, this … Continue reading This is Our Story, Part Two
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This is Our Story, Part One
I will be weaving parts of my story throughout this blog. How can I challenge others to bravely share if I am too timid to do the same? My husband, Patrick, and I have had the chance to share our story with our church a couple of times over the past year or so and he has a gift … Continue reading This is Our Story, Part One
Focusing Beyond the Grief
The summer before I was diagnosed with cancer we were celebrating our older daughter's completion of boot camp. We hadn't had a professional family portrait taken since our girls were very young. It was so much fun watching my dear friend, Sarah, at work. Artist behind her camera. While there Sarah told me something that would … Continue reading Focusing Beyond the Grief
Stretched To Do The Hard Things
I have sat on the idea of this blog for over a year now. I didn't want to put myself out there. This was not the story I had thought I would tell with my life. Certainly not the story I would have chosen. I didn't want the cancer, that took my life into a dramatic detour, … Continue reading Stretched To Do The Hard Things
Strength in Our Stories 