A mile down the road from our house an enormous Pumpkin Patch has been set up for Halloween. It’s a new addition to our neighborhood and one that’s turned Dempsey into a nagging machine…..every time we stop at the traffic lights.
“Pleeeeaaassase Mummy can we go?”
That’s all I heard for days, every time the lights turned red.
I have a habit of putting things off, it’s a thorn in my side, a flaw in my character….but when you’ve got a little voice like a scratched record badgering you, you finally give in. And I am a pushover! :)
But I’m glad we went…some things I encountered at this dusty straw strewn Pumpkin Patch has given me a push….NOT to put things off.
Dempsey was like an eager beaver, rushing around, trying out the different jumping castles….mingling with other little girls who quickly became her new friend's.
And as I stood and watched her, giggling and hurdling over the blow up props, with hay in my shoes and grit in my teeth from the dust, I spotted another family….the young mother with a head scarf on. It was clear she was fighting cancer......I felt for her and her family and what she must be enduring each day. And it had a huge effect on me. You see since my birthday I’ve been thinking a lot about my Mum’s cancer…….
I am now almost the same age as she was when she was diagnosed with breast cancer…which she did beat, however years later developed ovarian cancer……
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I like to believe my beautiful mum was sending me a message last Sunday, not to postpone things or procrastinate or put off appointments…..
While Dempsey scaled jumping castles, I sat down on one of the scratchy hay bales, watching her, reflecting on everything I was surrounded by....especially the lady in the floral scarf.
And I think grief, or loss or challenges have a way of prompting us to contemplate life more, to dissect it and question our destiny…along with seeing the richness in moments, the intense color in life…..like the vibrant orange pumpkins that were spread around that Pumpkin Patch!
We learn through our experiences, that, to a certain degree we can carve out our destiny…like Demps and I will carefully carve out the pumpkin we purchased last Sunday.
We put things off, we delay them…….”Tomorrow I’ll clean out my closet!”
“Tomorrow I’ll call that friend back!”
“Tomorrow we’ll carve out that pumpkin!”
“Tomorrow I’ll make that doctor appointment!”
But what if tomorrow never comes?
Or tomorrow, life changes…in an instant?
Since Sunday, not just at the Pumpkin Patch….but everywhere, it seems I’ve stumbled across scary and sad reminders of Cancer and how it affects so many lives.....on the internet, through social networking sites, through stories, and a lovely lady in Australia who’s fighting the fight….even today, a publisher has asked if I’ll review a book about Cancer in families. And when these coincidences occur, I sit up and take notice…it’s prompted me to act.
So yesterday I picked up the phone and booked a Doctors appointment for a few weeks time in Australia. I’ve organized to have a breast MRI done. It seems I'm in a high risk category and therefore am eligible for a rebate for the costly procedure. I feel fortunate to be able to have this done, and know my mum would be pleased I've booked in. And I don’t think I would’ve taken that step without all the little red flags…or, orange ones!
And speaking of orange…Dempsey chose the biggest pumpkin she could carry…I asked her what face we’d carve into it this year. I suggested the words HAPPY instead of something scary. And I had to smile at her answer…..“But we can do something scary Mummy, sometimes scary is good!”
And I had to agree, “Yes Precious, sometimes scary is good….”
Thinking of all the amazing women around the world who are bravely fighting a breast cancer battle.... their families and the lives they've touched x
“Pleeeeaaassase Mummy can we go?”
That’s all I heard for days, every time the lights turned red.
I have a habit of putting things off, it’s a thorn in my side, a flaw in my character….but when you’ve got a little voice like a scratched record badgering you, you finally give in. And I am a pushover! :)
But I’m glad we went…some things I encountered at this dusty straw strewn Pumpkin Patch has given me a push….NOT to put things off.
Dempsey was like an eager beaver, rushing around, trying out the different jumping castles….mingling with other little girls who quickly became her new friend's.
And as I stood and watched her, giggling and hurdling over the blow up props, with hay in my shoes and grit in my teeth from the dust, I spotted another family….the young mother with a head scarf on. It was clear she was fighting cancer......I felt for her and her family and what she must be enduring each day. And it had a huge effect on me. You see since my birthday I’ve been thinking a lot about my Mum’s cancer…….
I am now almost the same age as she was when she was diagnosed with breast cancer…which she did beat, however years later developed ovarian cancer……
While Dempsey scaled jumping castles, I sat down on one of the scratchy hay bales, watching her, reflecting on everything I was surrounded by....especially the lady in the floral scarf.
And I think grief, or loss or challenges have a way of prompting us to contemplate life more, to dissect it and question our destiny…along with seeing the richness in moments, the intense color in life…..like the vibrant orange pumpkins that were spread around that Pumpkin Patch!
We learn through our experiences, that, to a certain degree we can carve out our destiny…like Demps and I will carefully carve out the pumpkin we purchased last Sunday.
We put things off, we delay them…….”Tomorrow I’ll clean out my closet!”
“Tomorrow I’ll call that friend back!”
“Tomorrow we’ll carve out that pumpkin!”
“Tomorrow I’ll make that doctor appointment!”
But what if tomorrow never comes?
Or tomorrow, life changes…in an instant?
Since Sunday, not just at the Pumpkin Patch….but everywhere, it seems I’ve stumbled across scary and sad reminders of Cancer and how it affects so many lives.....on the internet, through social networking sites, through stories, and a lovely lady in Australia who’s fighting the fight….even today, a publisher has asked if I’ll review a book about Cancer in families. And when these coincidences occur, I sit up and take notice…it’s prompted me to act.
So yesterday I picked up the phone and booked a Doctors appointment for a few weeks time in Australia. I’ve organized to have a breast MRI done. It seems I'm in a high risk category and therefore am eligible for a rebate for the costly procedure. I feel fortunate to be able to have this done, and know my mum would be pleased I've booked in. And I don’t think I would’ve taken that step without all the little red flags…or, orange ones!
And speaking of orange…Dempsey chose the biggest pumpkin she could carry…I asked her what face we’d carve into it this year. I suggested the words HAPPY instead of something scary. And I had to smile at her answer…..“But we can do something scary Mummy, sometimes scary is good!”
And I had to agree, “Yes Precious, sometimes scary is good….”
Thinking of all the amazing women around the world who are bravely fighting a breast cancer battle.... their families and the lives they've touched x
Good for you to schedule that appointment!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Candice.....Yes, it is good, we go back to Oz in a few weeks where health care is much more accessible and affordable than here, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteKisses to your 2 gorgeous ones!
love
Diana x