Nail polish, a splash of color and self esteem!

Love this! Borrowed from my daughter-in-laws blog:  (http://lovliesm.blogspot.com/)Adorable Blog on Fashion!

By: Jackie from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

A Fashion Prescription for Fighting Cancer

Like it or not, a woman’s inner beauty is often best showcased when she uses fashion to maximize her assets. It may be a striking pair of Stilettos, that timeless little black dress, or an edgy new shade of nail polish. Fashion can boost any woman’s confidence and empower her to show-off her inner beauty.However, who thinks of fashion during the fight against cancer? In the face of such an illness, it would seem a woman’s energies are best spent on loved ones rather than her own appearance. However, fashion can draw out female strength, especially in the face of cancer. It can help recover one’s sense of natural beauty and is definitely an essential element in the recovery process.

Whether a woman is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer or seeing doctors specializing in mesothelioma, harnessing the power of fashion can be helpful for women fighting to recover. Understandably, many cancer patients let physical beauty take the backseat to the effects of treatment. After all, cancer’s toll on physical beauty cuts deep. For many, extreme weight loss and dark under-eye circles make cancer victims shadows of their former selves. Women who lose their luscious locks, eye lashes and eyebrows are not only dealing with the physical trauma, but an emotional trauma as well.

These common side effects are all the more reason that cancer doctors should actively prescribe a daily regimen to focus on the little things that make them feel human again. Cancer fighters need to feel like the beautiful women they are. By taking a little time to focus on makeup, clothing, shoes and accessories they can send a message to the world that they are warriors inside and out.

The benefits of a richly colored silken scarf or even a fun floppy summer hat to a chemo patient’s outlook are immeasurable. Even a beautiful pendant or charm bracelet can remind her of her sentimental treasures that bring back happiness. And what woman doesn’t delight in slipping into that couture dress that seems like it was made just for her? Fashion empowers any woman, and especially those fighting cancer, to celebrate every day as a gift.

Those facing cancer should not be afraid to indulge in the fashionable pieces that breathe life into their wardrobes. Those who love a woman enduring cancer should be careful not to forget the impact a simple gift of beauty can do to bolster her as she fights against cancer and to brings out her soul’s deepest beauty.

 

 

Thank you so much Jackie! 

 -Emily

 

Does Cancer make me look UGLY?

…Mrs. Twit wasn’t born ugly.  She’d had quite a nice face when she was young.  The ugliness had grown upon her year by year as she got older.

Why would this happen?  I’ll tell you why.  If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face.  And when that person has ugly thoughts everyday, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until it gets so ugly you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.  You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick out teeth, [and even have no hair] but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely!

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Keep those good thoughts shining through.  You are beautiful no matter if you are bald, or sick, or tired, or scared.  You are beautiful with cancer and without!  Don’t ever forget it!

Dryer Towel

Today is my first day home from the funeral and dealings of my father’s passing.

I started the laundry. 

The mundane things of life comfort me.

I pulled a towel from the dryer and wrapped myself up in it. 

I pretended it was my father’s arms around me.

I felt comforted in the warmth.

That is about all I have done all day….except to walk outside…

The world to me seems to be set in fast forward motion. 

Everyone is buzzing so fast they are in a blurrrrrr….

I am set in slow motion, nearly at a stop

and nature seems to understand my pace.

Happy Happy Mother’s Day

On this special weekend I want to wish all mother’s a warm loving Mother’s Day.  I would invite you to visit my other blog on a sweet simple way to give tribute to your mother living or deceased…

www.JenniferCalvertEdwards.wordpress.com

May you have a sweet day rejoicing in motherhood!

Death? It is weird!

Death

It is the monster under the bed.

But the monster came out, grabbed my dad 10 days ago and now he is gone.

As I flew to my home, I worried how frightened I would be.

But it is all very different than I expected.

It is…spiritual.  I touched him.  He was cold.  Yet I realized that his body was only a little house that kept his spirit while he lived here.  He wasn’t there but he does live still.

My brother put it this way.  He is walking up a hill and as he reaches the top there are thousands and thousands of people looking up at the hill.  As he comes over the top they all cheer and wave and run to him.  He is not alone…

I have slept every night where he died holding my mother’s hand. They loved each other for 68 years.

He is here.  I feel him. Their hearts are one so he won’t be far.

He has come to her in her twilight sleep.

He told her, “Honey, everything will be alright.”

I believe him.

But I miss him terribly…

What do I do now?

Hold on to the relationships I have to hold to.  They are the most important.

My priorities instantly shifted!

Post-its

No one has a clue how utterly painful and humiliating it is to loose all of your hair.

You no longer can conceal your secret because you now show it with your bald head.

I never knew how hard it would be to be a “spectacle.”

What do I do now? 

I wrote notes to myself…

“Well, at least I have my dimples…”

 

Hair loss Songs…

Sung to the tune of:   Oh where oh where has my little dog gone

 

Oh where oh where has my lovely hair gone

Oh where oh where could it be?

With my head gone bald

And my nose grown long

Oh where oh where could it be—

 

Sung to the tune of:  Popcorn popping on the apricot tree

 I looked in the mirror and what did I see? 

A scary bald lady impersonating me.

 

 Cancer has brought me such a weird surprise. 

A bald headed person right before my eyes.

 

I can take an armful of chemo to heal.

Cancer is tough bug that needs to be killed.

 

I wish it wasn’t so,

But it was you see,

A scary bald lady that’s

Impersonating me.